Conoco #CONX 50004 50' Auto Box Car, Double Side Doors, End Door Micro-Trains #07800120 Price: $18.35
From the far, far reaches of the wild, wild west I am: rtpoteet
I seem to recall that Conoco used to sponsor race cars, including Indy 500 cars.
Before freeways and humongous NASCAR road haulers, a dedicated rail-riding racecar transport would seem to make sense.
(Or I could be completely out of the ballpark!)
Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
Completely out of the ballpark.
I've never, ever heard of race cars being transported by rail. None of the racing books I have ever mentioned this as a mode of transport. The problems would include the time sensitive nature of delivery ( not good to have the car show up a day late); it would still need to be transported from the nearest siding to the race track (never seen a race track with rail service), car would still need to be transported from shop to a siding.
Before the days of monster haulers like for NASCAR or IRL, or any of the of major series, cars were transported on open trailers behind a pickup truck or maybe a HD truck with a fifth wheel. Usually these were open trailers, not very large, enough for the car, some tires and a place for tools. It was until big time sponsor$ came into the sport that the type of dedicated haulers you see today started to be used - probably mid to late 70s.
According to the 1956 ORER CONX had no boxcars, only tank cars.
Dave H.
Dave H. Painted side goes up. My website : wnbranch.com
dehusman wrote:According to the 1956 ORER CONX had no boxcars, only tank cars.Dave H.
Just because a model company produces a railroad car (or locomotive) doesn't mean it is close to representing an actual prototype. Some manufacturers are better than others in lettering rolling stock for owners who actually owned particular cars.
A double-door box car with an end door was typically constructed to transport vehicles such as cars, trucks, and buses. (Many if not most, automobile box cars had double-doors but not end doors as they weren't often necessary.) The end door allowed loading larger vehicles (up to the interior dimensions of the box car). Some baggage cars also had end doors that could be used for this purpose, although at considerably more cost to the shipper.
If say in the 1920s-30s someone wanted to ship his race car by railroad, he would have probably shipped it as express if possible, that is, in a suitably-equipped baggage car. Thus, the car would be shipped according to passenger train schedule, avoiding the likelihood of sitting for days in various yards if shipped in a freight car.
Mark
Hi,
Assuming such a car actually existed, there are a number of possibilities that Conoco could have needed one. While the base for lube oils is shipped via tankcar, the end product - in drums, boxes of quarts, gallons, etc. - would have required a boxcar. But would an end door be needed? Probably not, but it may have been used because of the layout of specific Conoco loading docks or the like.
Also, wax in bulk was shipped via tank car, but also as slabs stacked in huge cartons on pallets (net weight 2000 lbs). I personally loaded a number of these via forklift onto 50' boxcars, but none of them had end doors. Again, it is possible that Conoco had facilities that could use the end door.
ENJOY,
Mobilman44
ENJOY !
Living in southeast Texas, formerly modeling the "postwar" Santa Fe and Illinois Central
mobilman44 wrote:..........it may have been used because of the layout of specific Conoco loading docks or the like..........
From Tom Stolte's trainweb.org site.
George Irwin describes the car, including its 1970 ORER listing, here:http://www.irwinsjournal.com/umtrr/mt0712.htm#07800120
[by the way, one Google search turned up these links ...]
Don't know if the paint scheme is completely prototypical or something that was touched-up at a rail museum. But a physical 1:1 car was really painted that way. And the Conoco cars were in service in the real world, at least in the '60s and '70s.
ByronModel RR Blog
Layout Design GalleryLayout Design Special Interest Group
jwar wrote:There is also the possability of off loading on dead ended spur ramps, as they are available most smaller towns, would be easy if no side dock was available...., a forklift, and truck. Just a thought...John
If anyone is seriously interested, why don't you query at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/STMFC/ which is likely come up with an authoritative answer.
From the ORER notes quoted in the above link:
"Cars numbered 50001 to 50051 are equipped with loading and unloading devices, forklift truck pallets, platforms or skids which are considered part of the car."
cuyama wrote:From Tom Stolte's trainweb.org site.
According to http://ok.railfan.net/pages/okpte.html this car survives at the Railroad Museum of Oklahoma in Enid, OK.
Enid:Railroad Museum of Oklahoma
Rotor
Jake: How often does the train go by? Elwood: So often you won't even notice ...
The invention of auto racks in the late 1950s freed up a lot of old automobile box cars many of which had ends that opened. Perhaps this car was acquired for shipping oil and other petroleum products by 55 gallon drum. I recall most of the major oil companies had facilities that shipped and stored (and sold) oil, kerosene etc by drum rather than in tank cars. It would not surprise me to learn that Conoco had such facilities and an old automobile boxcar was probably for sale or lease cheap once the railroads stopped shipping autos that way.
This is pure supposition by me but it is a likely scenario.
Dave Nelson
From the look of the side sills/lower side sheets, this may a been a wooden single sheathed car originally.
Wayne