Warrenton Railroad covered hoppers - who built them?

[Tom Murray]

I understand that the Warrenton Railroad was a short – very short – line in North Carolina.  My sources indicate that it was three miles long.  Still, in the October 1986 Official Railway Equipment Register, it's shown as owning 296 100-ton covered hoppers. A friend of mine who used to be in the rail equipment business says that one use for these cars was to haul lime.

I happen to have two slides showing cylindrical-style, four-outlet covered hoppers with the railroad's reporting mark, WAR. Midway along the sill of each car, they are both lettered for "BRAE," which in the late '70s/early 80's was a major owner of railcars. 

My question is, who built these cars?  Each has what appears to be a builder's logo in the lower left corner of the car, in the shape of an isosceles trapezoid that is split into three pieces by two vertical lines. If anyone can identify the car builder or other entity associated with this logo, I would appreciate it.

 

[CShaveRR]

The Warrenton Railroad operated cylindrical covered hopper cars from two different carbuilders (both Canadian companies):

The National Steel Car Corporation, Ltd.:  WAR 14000-14249.

Marine Industries, Ltd.:  15200-15299, 16100-16499.

They also had 300 Pullman Standard ribbed-side covered hoppers...your Equipment Register listing is from after the cars started going elsewhere.

Your description of the trapezoidal logo suggests a Marine Industries car.

[Tom Murray]

Thanks very much, Carl.  I think you've nailed it.  The two cars that I have photos of with this logo both have numbers that fit into the Marine Industries series.

It's interesting that both of these series were from Canadian builders.

[GREG HODGES]

Around 1990 I began traveling the NE area of North Carolina for my employer and would ocassionally drive into the town of Warrenton.  I quickly noted a set of tracks leading into the town which by then were being covered up by weeds and brush....obviously unused for some time.  A bit of research introduced me to the tiny Warrenton RR.....which began operation in 1884 and quit in 1985.  From what I read, town officials did not want the Raleign and Gaston RR (later Seaboard Airline) coming into town , and so the R&G built through Warren Plains instead....3 miles distant from Warrenton.  The Warrenton RR was then constructed to connect the town of Warrenton to Warren Plains.  This being a rich farming area one can conclude that lime was transported in for crops. An early Sanborn map shows a cotton gin and associated storage buildings near the Warrenton depot.....providing a product that would have been shipped out by rail.

[cv_acr]

Marine Industries builder's logo detail:

http://canadianfreightcargallery.ca/cgi-bin/image.pl?i=cpwx607361detail&o=wheatboard