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Unique Railcars

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Unique Railcars
Posted by NWP SWP on Sunday, February 5, 2017 9:08 PM

Hello all, I started a thread a few days ago about jumbo tank cars and I decided to start this thread about unique railcars that includes both passenger and freight equipment. By unique I mean oversize, over length, or just plain unusual. I look forward to your replies!  

Tags: freight , passenger

Steve

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Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, February 5, 2017 11:18 PM

cascadenorthernrr

Hello all, I started a thread a few days ago about jumbo tank cars and I decided to start this thread about unique railcars that includes both passenger and freight equipment. By unique I mean oversize, over length, or just plain unusual. I look forward to your replies!  

 

There are quite a few interesting cars out there under the DODX reporting mark, tank transporters, nucear missile cars (giant box car, there was a thread a while back), nuclear reactor transport flatcars, once upon a time a helium car I think (a little fuzzy on that one).

Other items:

Depressed center flats with all manner of interesting things, boilers, large transformers.

Circus Train!  Which will be gone by the end of the year.

 Flat cars with locomotives on them, either being transported for restoration or scrap.

Flexi-van trailer (minus bogie) on flatcar (watch the NYC's promotional video, its pretty neat).

Welded rail train.

Schnabel.

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Posted by NWP SWP on Sunday, February 5, 2017 11:21 PM

DODX that stands for Department of Defense, right? Also thanks!

Steve

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Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, February 5, 2017 11:24 PM

cascadenorthernrr

DODX that stands for Department of Defense, right? Also thanks!

 

yes

The ones under other are not DODX cars, just random afterthoughts.

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Posted by NWP SWP on Sunday, February 5, 2017 11:27 PM

Oh ok, thanks!

Steve

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Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, February 5, 2017 11:28 PM

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peacekeeper_Rail_Garrison

 

WECX vice DODX on the missile cars.

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Posted by NWP SWP on Sunday, February 5, 2017 11:30 PM

Where could I find information on that giant boxcar you spoke of?

Steve

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Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, February 5, 2017 11:41 PM

cascadenorthernrr

Where could I find information on that giant boxcar you spoke of?

 

The link above.

Edit:

I guess its not really a box car, but it kind of looks like one, which I think was the point.

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Posted by NWP SWP on Sunday, February 5, 2017 11:45 PM

Thanks again!

Steve

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Posted by caldreamer on Monday, February 6, 2017 8:28 AM

The helium tank cars are one of my faverits.  Saw them twice being moved to the Ames research center on Moffet Field in Palo Alto, California  to cool the lasers and other equipment.

 Here is a picture of one lettered for the  US Bureau of Mines

 

 

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=2468521

 

 

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Posted by 7j43k on Monday, February 6, 2017 10:57 AM

A unique boxcar (design):

 

 

And this one, one of the few boxcars with portholes (for hauling tobacco):

 

 

And this is a pretty unusual stock car:

 

  

And finally.  I don't have any pictures handy, but there were a very few 40' boxcars that had two 10' doors per side.  Great Northern had one, and SAL had a few.

Ed

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Posted by dehusman on Monday, February 6, 2017 11:01 AM

All rail cars are unique, they all have a different type, initial and number.

Dave H. Painted side goes up. My website : wnbranch.com

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Posted by dknelson on Monday, February 6, 2017 11:45 AM

Long flat cars retired from intermodal service which have movable bolsters on the decks - meant for transporting wrecked freight cars.

All door boxcars.  I saw one a few years back on the CN presumably carrying lumber.

Carbon black cars are certainly noteworthy, and look somehow more hulking due to their black paint.

Open loads of almost any kind are per se interesting cars.

I did once see a Schnabel car in operation.  Wow.   Too bad it was after dark and too late for photography (the pre digital era).

Dave Nelson

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Posted by NWP SWP on Monday, February 6, 2017 12:13 PM

Very interesting, thanks!

Steve

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Posted by j. c. on Monday, February 6, 2017 12:31 PM

spend some time looking at the fallen flags site all kinds of interesting equipment there.

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Posted by caldreamer on Monday, February 6, 2017 6:27 PM

Here is a picture of a DODX boxcar with the side doors down at one end.  I saw any number fo these at varioua military facilities that I worked at.

http://s3.amazonaws.com/rrpa_photos/24589/Picture%20002.jpg

 

 

 

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Posted by "JaBear" on Monday, February 6, 2017 10:20 PM

"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."

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Posted by 7j43k on Tuesday, February 7, 2017 11:34 AM

Oh, yeah.  There's this covered hopper, too:

 

 

And, going into passenger cars, one of (formerly) GN's famous "ultra short" combines (ex-GN 475):

 

 

But wait, there's more:

 

 

 

 

 

 

The above was made from a Baldwin VO-1000 diesel switcher--made for a very durable caboose.

 

All but one of the above have been available as HO models.

 

Ed

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Posted by BRAKIE on Tuesday, February 7, 2017 12:54 PM

Every freight car is to a degree unique in its own way by the lading it was designed to carry. A 89' boxcar can carry autoparts as can a smaller 60 autoparts car but,there are other 60' boxcars design to carry light ladings that cube out before it weighs out.

Some cars like that Southern boxcar in the photo was used for hauling tobbacco from tobacco auction/warehouses to the tobacco manufacturers.

Larry

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Posted by NWP SWP on Tuesday, February 7, 2017 1:24 PM

Here are some I think are unique.

Image result for southern pacific articulated passenger cars

 

Image result for amtrak track inspection car 10001

Image result for 18 axle flatcar

Image result for 18 axle flatcar

Image result for milwaukee road skytop observation car

Steve

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Posted by csxns on Tuesday, February 7, 2017 3:17 PM

BRAKIE
Southern boxcar in the photo was used for hauling tobbacco

At one time here in NC they hauled furniture in the same boxcar.

Russell

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Posted by 7j43k on Tuesday, February 7, 2017 3:27 PM

By the way, both of the Southern cars have been offered as Ambroid kits.  The doors can actually slide up on the all-door boxcar model.

 

Ed

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Posted by BRAKIE on Tuesday, February 7, 2017 3:36 PM

csxns
 
BRAKIE
Southern boxcar in the photo was used for hauling tobbacco

 

At one time here in NC they hauled furniture in the same boxcar.

 

 

Great to know..Yes

I have no real proof but,been told those cars also hauled watermelon in large shipping gaylords fasten to the pallet...I never could verify that lading one way or the other.

Larry

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Posted by tomikawaTT on Tuesday, February 7, 2017 3:49 PM

If you want really unique rolling stock, check out the rosters of some narrow gauge loggers, on both sides of the Pacific.  Stuff was cobbled together from other people's junk, no two alike and a good many that would make a Class I's carknockers cringe.

Toward the end of its operating life, the Kiso Forest Railway (Nagano-ken, Japan) ran rolling stock put together on old wood-frame disconnect trucks - everything from gondolas to passenger equipment.  Somewhere in my junkpile I have a photo of the fire train - a motley assortment of tanks similar to residential oil-burner tanks, each mounted on either a four-wheel disconnect or a platform of planks nailed to the log bunks of two disconnects.

Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - including the Kiso Rintetsu)

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Posted by 7j43k on Tuesday, February 7, 2017 4:11 PM

What are the odds?

 

There were only ten of these (SAL 20200-20209) plus one VERY similar on the GN (either 29000 or 29001--I always mix up the two):

 

 

Oh, yeah.  I found one other similar:  SAL 20053.  Interior height is lower.

Ed

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Posted by rrinker on Tuesday, February 7, 2017 5:15 PM

7j43k

Oh, yeah.  There's this covered hopper, too:

 

 

And, going into passenger cars, one of (formerly) GN's famous "ultra short" combines (ex-GN 475):

 

 

But wait, there's more:

 

 

 

 

 

 

The above was made from a Baldwin VO-1000 diesel switcher--made for a very durable caboose.

 

All but one of the above have been available as HO models.

 

Ed

 

 

 OK, what's the deal with that 'streamlined' caboose? It looks like someone replaced the cupola with a small camper.

                   --Randy

 


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Posted by 7j43k on Tuesday, February 7, 2017 5:29 PM

rrinker

OK, what's the deal with that 'streamlined' caboose? It looks like someone replaced the cupola with a small camper.

                   --Randy

 

 

 

Actually, that one's referred to as the "volkswagen" caboose.  Only one, but I think it was the inspiration for the more planar ones (GN X1-X30): 

 

 

 

Ed

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Posted by NWP SWP on Tuesday, February 7, 2017 8:51 PM

The one in the first picture is slightly different from the second.

Steve

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Posted by Anonymous on Friday, February 24, 2017 7:12 AM
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Posted by gregc on Saturday, February 25, 2017 9:11 AM

greg - Philadelphia & Reading / Reading

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