Trains.com

Question about freight cars

791 views
14 replies
1 rating 2 rating 3 rating 4 rating 5 rating
  • Member since
    October 2003
  • From: Italy
  • 39 posts
Question about freight cars
Posted by ciortato on Thursday, December 30, 2004 2:07 AM
Does someone know if some 50ft cars in "Western Pacific" and "Norfolk and Western" paint scheme are still in service, please?
  • Member since
    May 2015
  • 5,134 posts
Posted by ericsp on Thursday, December 30, 2004 2:43 AM
I will occasionally see a boxcar still painted for Western Pacific, mainly ones in the WP 38000 series. I have also see WP 64712, which is an RBL I will also occasionally see covered hoppers and center-flow hoppers still painted for WP.

"No soup for you!" - Yev Kassem (from Seinfeld)

  • Member since
    May 2003
  • From: US
  • 195 posts
Posted by jabrown1971 on Thursday, December 30, 2004 3:55 AM
I see a few N & W cars from time to time. I have an even better one for you-I do not know the dispostion today-but up til 98 there were a few NKP open top hoppers running between Edwardsville and Sorento, Il on a shale move for Richards Brick in Edwardsville.
  • Member since
    April 2003
  • 305,205 posts
Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, December 30, 2004 8:51 AM
Through Denver here I will often see units trains of coal running on the UP down the Moffat Line that are made up of nothing but WP, MP, CNW, & DRGW hoppers. Every once and a while there is an SSW hopper in there too.
  • Member since
    June 2001
  • From: Lombard (west of Chicago), Illinois
  • 13,681 posts
Posted by CShaveRR on Thursday, December 30, 2004 10:51 AM
WP, yes--I see them every so often.

The latest Equipment Register shows quite a few 50-foot box cars still lettered NW, but those could be in the NS paint scheme or boxcar brown with N&W lettering. It's been ages since I've seen a black or blue NW (or N&W) box car. NS has probably been the most fanatical of the big railroads about getting rid of old paint schemes on its freight cars (or at least tied with CSX for that distinction).

Carl

Railroader Emeritus (practiced railroading for 46 years--and in 2010 I finally got it right!)

CAACSCOCOM--I don't want to behave improperly, so I just won't behave at all. (SM)

  • Member since
    April 2003
  • From: Defiance Ohio
  • 13,289 posts
Posted by JoeKoh on Thursday, December 30, 2004 11:05 AM
CSX hasnt been in too much of a hurry considering all the kittys ive seen lately.
stay safe
Joe

Deshler Ohio-crossroads of the B&O Matt eats your fries.YUM! Clinton st viaduct undefeated against too tall trucks!!!(voted to be called the "Clinton St. can opener").

 

  • Member since
    December 2001
  • From: Denver / La Junta
  • 10,790 posts
Posted by mudchicken on Thursday, December 30, 2004 11:16 AM
QUOTE: Originally posted by corailfan

Through Denver here I will often see units trains of coal running on the UP down the Moffat Line that are made up of nothing but WP, MP, CNW, & DRGW hoppers. Every once and a while there is an SSW hopper in there too.


You are looking at the old Geneva sets that only haul coal now. (See the CHTT cars in there too?)
Mudchicken Nothing is worth taking the risk of losing a life over. Come home tonight in the same condition that you left home this morning in. Safety begins with ME.... cinscocom-west
  • Member since
    April 2003
  • 305,205 posts
Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, December 30, 2004 11:56 AM
QUOTE: Originally posted by mudchicken

QUOTE: Originally posted by corailfan

Through Denver here I will often see units trains of coal running on the UP down the Moffat Line that are made up of nothing but WP, MP, CNW, & DRGW hoppers. Every once and a while there is an SSW hopper in there too.


You are looking at the old Geneva sets that only haul coal now. (See the CHTT cars in there too?)


Some of the early Geneva sets even had Clinchfield and Reading hoppers in the mix, which got phased out when the CNW, MP, and CHTT cars started appearing. Getting back to the topic, I've seen some WP boxcars with BAEX reporting marks, and a few WP covered hoppers with their original reporting marks. Earlier this year, I saw one of those long hy-cube N & W boxcars, painted blue with the railroad's name spelled out, and an older N & W logo ( the one with the N & W initials inbetween two half moons within a circle).
  • Member since
    July 2003
  • 964 posts
Posted by TH&B on Thursday, December 30, 2004 12:38 PM
Why would you one suddenly see such a car now? (the hi- cube blue N&W) Is that perhaps because it has been in storage for many years and missed its opertunity to get upgraded paint, or what / why?

I just saw a whole bunch of long hi-cubes get pulled out of storage, I don't know where they went other then to a locall yard and prepped and sent. I could't tell all the colour schemes but some were clearly MILW cars and CPR cars and others.
  • Member since
    April 2003
  • 305,205 posts
Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, December 30, 2004 2:19 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by 440cuin

Why would you one suddenly see such a car now? (the hi- cube blue N&W) Is that perhaps because it has been in storage for many years and missed its opertunity to get upgraded paint, or what / why?

I just saw a whole bunch of long hi-cubes get pulled out of storage, I don't know where they went other then to a locall yard and prepped and sent. I could't tell all the colour schemes but some were clearly MILW cars and CPR cars and others.

I'm guessing that the blue N & W hi-cube car has managed to escape being repainted so far due to management "forgetting" to paint it when it comes in for repairs. Or maybe the paint is still in good shape, so there's no hurry on repainting the car. The car may have been in storage for awhile before being recalled to duty, and skipped a trip to the repainter, like you mentioned. If that's the case then I wonder why it wasn't repainted while in storage. Maybe Norfolk Southern plans on retiring that type of car from its roster, so there's no point in wasting paint on it.
  • Member since
    April 2003
  • 305,205 posts
Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, December 30, 2004 5:40 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by mudchicken

QUOTE: Originally posted by corailfan

Through Denver here I will often see units trains of coal running on the UP down the Moffat Line that are made up of nothing but WP, MP, CNW, & DRGW hoppers. Every once and a while there is an SSW hopper in there too.


You are looking at the old Geneva sets that only haul coal now. (See the CHTT cars in there too?)


Yeah, there are a few old CHTT cars in there. There is also a truck-load of CTRN cars in there as well.
  • Member since
    April 2003
  • 305,205 posts
Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, December 30, 2004 6:10 PM
Anybody know of any good websites that have decent pictures of some of these old placards and logos?
  • Member since
    April 2003
  • 305,205 posts
Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, December 30, 2004 6:36 PM
Yes you can still find ample cars still im WP and NW paint these days.
  • Member since
    May 2015
  • 5,134 posts
Posted by ericsp on Thursday, December 30, 2004 7:31 PM
I have never heard of SSW open top hoppers.

I forgot to mention in my first post, a couple of years ago I saw a train that was composed entirely of gondolas, I think it was a MOW train. There were a large quantity of WP 7700 series cars in it.

"No soup for you!" - Yev Kassem (from Seinfeld)

  • Member since
    October 2003
  • From: Italy
  • 39 posts
Posted by ciortato on Friday, December 31, 2004 2:50 AM
Thanks to ALL.
Happy New Year

Join our Community!

Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.

Search the Community

Newsletter Sign-Up

By signing up you may also receive occasional reader surveys and special offers from Trains magazine.Please view our privacy policy