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fallen flag cars.. what is the oldest most unusual you have seen recently

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Posted by Andrew Falconer on Wednesday, March 26, 2008 5:26 PM

RECENTLY? How many years back can we go with recently?

I thought recently meant the last 6 weeks.

Andrew

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Posted by ShopsYardMaster on Wednesday, March 26, 2008 6:22 PM
Last month, saw a Rock Island covered hopper, blue, with the white "R", with ICE reporting marks.Cool [8D]
Jim North Fond du Lac WI Home of the late, great Wisconsin Central
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Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, March 26, 2008 7:54 PM
A few years back I had an original Norfolk Southern covered hopper in my train. Don't know how rare these are but that one was the only one I have ever saw.
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Posted by CShaveRR on Wednesday, March 26, 2008 8:15 PM

 Rail-Roadwarrior wrote:
A few years back I had an original Norfolk Southern covered hopper in my train. Don't know how rare these are but that one was the only one I have ever saw.

Last week, or the week before, I had a box car with NS reporting marks and number from the current NS, but still painted in the lettering of its original owner--the old NS!

Carl

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Posted by CShaveRR on Wednesday, March 26, 2008 8:18 PM
 CShaveRR wrote:
I've seen it all.

Seriously.

Almost (both all and seriously).

I really should put a better asterisk by this:  one of my favorite expressions (not always dealing with freight-car spotting) is "Just when you think you've seen everything..."

And, of course, I'm still looking!

Carl

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Posted by JoeKoh on Wednesday, March 26, 2008 8:20 PM

original un renumbered DT&I autoparts boxcars on the I&O(former DT&I) track here in nw ohio.

stay safe

joe

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Posted by passengerfan on Wednesday, March 26, 2008 10:56 PM
Over Easter weekend drove to Willits and lo and behold their is an articulated pair of SP Daylight coaches still in the daylight colors but with windows boarded up. Since they will no longer be able to leave Willits I assume they belong to the California Western that operates excursion trains to Fort Bragg. There was aslo a pair of old Bi-level commuter cars one is a cab car. There were several other Amtrak painted cars that I was not able to get close enough to really tell what they were except for one being a diner. Not sure if the old Northwestern Pacific line has been severed but their is sure trees beginning to grow between the rails. Last time I was up that way the Northwestern Pacific was still operating trains to Willits and the North Coast had rail service to Eureka as well as the California Western and their trains. How times have changed.  
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Posted by HankDiggs on Thursday, March 27, 2008 2:13 AM
Several years ago, I photographed an old B&O hopper in the house track at the depot in Kennesaw, GA -- had the "Capitol" logo on it, paint still in fairly decent shape.
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Posted by Modelcar on Thursday, March 27, 2008 10:43 AM

.....Has anyone noted any railcars in existence somewhere from the LVRR....{Ligonier Valley RR}...?  They were a coal hauler in southwestern Pennsylvania.  Abandoned in 1952.

On rt. 30 {west}, I saw {years ago}, the sides of LVRR hopper cars employed as parts of a restraining fence holding back sliding rocks, etc....4 -5 miles west of Ligonier.  But I've never seen any rolling stock from that line anywhere else on the rails.  I wonder if any survived...?

They also had a passenger car and years before probably several of them.  Also they employed two different doodlebugs that ran between Ligonier and Latrobe, Pa.

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Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, March 27, 2008 11:54 AM

In the early-90's I strolled-through the former CGW yard at Oelwein back when the CNW still owned the trackage.  They stored a lot of locomotives and cabeese there (thought I was in Heaven seeing the executive F-units there).  Off on a weeded-over siding west of the police station I saw a MOW flat-car that still bore the Minneapolis & St. Louis Rwy reporting marks (MSL as I recall).

The original ownership of the Iowa Northern had a cut of former EL open-top hoppers that I believe they were using for ballast.  They still had the EL diamond logo when I saw them stored on a siding at Vinton, IA.

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Posted by CShaveRR on Thursday, March 27, 2008 4:28 PM

 WIAR wrote:
In the early-90's I strolled-through the former CGW yard at Oelwein back when the CNW still owned the trackage.  They stored a lot of locomotives and cabeese there (thought I was in Heaven seeing the executive F-units there).  Off on a weeded-over siding west of the police station I saw a MOW flat-car that still bore the Minneapolis & St. Louis Rwy reporting marks (MSL as I recall).

MSTL or M&STL.  Those flats are about all that survived beyond the UP merger, but I remember box cars, RBLs, gons, and hoppers (including a series of ex-C&O cars) as well.  The couple series of coal gons don't count, because they were relettered MSTL after being leased by CNW, to avoid numbering conflicts.

 WIAR wrote:
The original ownership of the Iowa Northern had a cut of former EL open-top hoppers that I believe they were using for ballast.  They still had the EL diamond logo when I saw them stored on a siding at Vinton, IA.

Soon after obtaining the ex-RI lines in Iowa, CNW obtained what was left of an EL series of hoppers (some of which had been relettered for CR).  Those cars were relettered FDDM (a CNW heritage reporting mark from the Fort Dodge, Des Moines & Southern), again to avoid conflicts with an existing series of CNW freight cars.

Carl

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Posted by MOPACnut on Thursday, March 27, 2008 6:17 PM

Took a better look at the CB&Q hopper and gondola here. The hopper only has the burlington name showing, along with the original reporting marks on the ends.

I forgot something about the gondola. It's a 65' BN one, with C & S reporting marks! Imagine that!

Reading the other posts, i've seen original NS covered hoppers twice. Also have photos of D&H, Milwaukee (with orig reporting marks), soo line, MP, ICG orange, MNS, Frisco, Rock,EL (forgot i had it), Chessie (incl an airslide), CNW (incl a 70 ton),and a Santa Fe with just the square logo. Rock, Frisco,WP,N&W (incl an older brown one) MNS, Milwaukee, Gullford/MEC,MP, and a Apalachicola Northern Boxcars (nearly all with original reporting marks). 86' Boxes in N&W (brown), ICG, Frisco, and GTW (original blue ones). Frisco open hopper, MP gondolas incl a covered, and pre all TTX yellow autoracks, incl a SSW owned one. All within the last 10 years. Many within 5 years. Gonna have 2 go railfanning the transcon and see what else pops up. 

I preferr "Rail" over "trail".
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Posted by SFbrkmn on Thursday, March 27, 2008 9:58 PM

I always tell people to LOOK AT THE REPORTING MARKS!!!! Back around 1992 or so my girlfriend at the time worked at Weyerhauser lumber  warehouse. She comes home from work telling me a boxcar load of lumber in a Rock Island car was on the dock. I go take a look w/camera in hand. Dry run. Car was indeed still lettered Rock Island but now belonged to CNW. We had a lesson on reporting marks later.

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Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, March 29, 2008 12:29 PM

 HankDiggs wrote:
Several years ago, I photographed an old B&O hopper in the house track at the depot in Kennesaw, GA -- had the "Capitol" logo on it, paint still in fairly decent shape.

csx still has some B&O covered hoppers in cement service with the capitol logo. but of course the ones I saw had csx reporting marks.

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Posted by Andrew Falconer on Saturday, March 29, 2008 7:21 PM

The old Lousiville & Nashville Double-Door 86' Auto Parts Boxcar only have Helm Leasing's HLMX reporting marks and numbers on blue rectangles as alterations. There is also a great deal of rust streaks on these steel box cars.

Andrew

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Posted by bigboy4024 on Saturday, March 29, 2008 8:53 PM
last fall my dad saw in dillworth mn two big sky blue gn box cars. last month i saw in castleton nd i saw a rock island (the rock) grain hopper, and five years ago in kansas city mo i saw c b and q, s p and s, np, clinchfeild, and new york central coal buckets big boy
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Posted by TimChgo9 on Sunday, March 30, 2008 11:30 AM

I have seen all kinds of "fallen flag" rolling stock... but in almost every case, the reporting marks indicated it's real owner. 

About the only car I can think of seeing, and I don't know if it's even there any more, is an old CGW tank car, somewhere along the trip to Union Station in Chicago.  I had seen it a few times while riding METRA downtown.  I can't remember it's exact location, but the last time I saw it was about 2 years ago, I should think. Other than that, I have seen Rock Island, Norfolk & Western, Penn Central, IC, ICG, and a whole slew of others, but in each case, the reporting marks indicated the real owners. Still and all, it's interesting to see the old paint schemes surviving to this day.  I love when I see the old ICG hoppers, in the orange paint and the old "I" in the circle logo.   Great memories.

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Posted by U33B on Sunday, March 30, 2008 10:12 PM
About 3 years ago i saw a coil car in UP's West Chicago yard with a green Reading coil cover. UP still uses at least 2 former CGW cabooses in MOW service as well, unmistakeable creatures they are! There is also a CGW tank car sitting in a siding on the west side of Chicago along the UP west line. There were a handful on C&EI coal cars floating around as well, they carry MP reporting marks, but the C&EI logo remians.
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Posted by peterjenkinson1956 on Monday, March 31, 2008 7:16 PM

thanks for all the replys...  i seam to guess that out there most of the unusual cars are parked up or in captive M O W  service......  looks like i can hold onto some of my older models   perhaps one of each....  i have quite a few train videos   lots of the runby shots where they show the entire train for 24 hours   very good videos    i note that in these videos unusual cars are rarely if ever shown.....     what about the perdium cars from the 70 or 80's   this was the time when short lines owned hundreds of cars and sent them out to earn money and they never went back to their own roads  ...   i have quite a few of these colorfull cars    any still around

i have been to america a couple of times and perhaps the only unusual items i saw were FRISCO cars  saw perhaps 6 of them   peter

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Posted by Andrew Falconer on Monday, March 31, 2008 10:31 PM

If you Look closely you will see the per-diem boxcars have either had their reporting marks repainted or the entire car has been repainted by new operators. They are still too new to be retired.

Andrew

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Posted by Bob-Fryml on Sunday, April 6, 2008 10:39 PM

Late one afternoon during July 1995 I was driving south out of Rapid City, SD on a two lane highway.  As I approached the "Cowboy Line" a few miles west of Chadron, Nebr., the highway crossing signals came to life.  Looking down the track, I saw a westbound C.& N.W. way freight approaching.  I had just enough light and one exposure left in my camera, so I hopped out of my car and snapped-off a picture of the approaching train.  Well, bummer, that I didn't have an additional exposure left because a few cars behind the engine was the real find:  a two-bay, 77-ton capacity M.& St.L. covered hopper sporting its original paint scheme!  There it was 34 years after the CNW-"Louie" merger, and the car looked to be in pretty darn good shape.

Not so many years ago the BN was interchanging C.B.& Q. plus G.N. tank cars to the Union Pacific for loading company diesel fuel at the Cheyenne Frontier Oil refinery.  Some CGW tank cars with their "Lucky Strike" heralds intact may still be hauling diesel fuel to the U.P.'s terminal at South Morrill, Nebr.

Also Union Pacific is supposed to have decorated six open top hoppers stencilled for the D.& R.G.W. and each sports an ancient herald like the Curecanti Needle design, "Thru the Rockies," and so on.

I wonder if the Chicago Transit Authority still has any maintenance of way flats that were, at one time, on a first name basis with the late Samuel Insull?

Once in a great while I'll see a black-with-white-reporting-marks Northern Pacific wood chip gondola, but they're becoming rarer and rarer.      

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Posted by JA5559 on Monday, April 7, 2008 2:38 PM
A very large percentage (probably 80-90%) of the covered hoppers seen on CSX thru Folkston GA are from predecessor roads, some even B&O and C&O.
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Posted by Anonymous on Monday, April 7, 2008 3:16 PM

 JA5559 wrote:
A very large percentage (probably 80-90%) of the covered hoppers seen on CSX thru Folkston GA are from predecessor roads, some even B&O and C&O.

On two occasions I've seen some former SCL covered hoppers of the type that SCL used for transporting phosphate rolling-through Dayotn's Bluff (until CP started banning rail fans from that great spot because some yo-yo's got too close to the tracks).  The hoppers still had the big black "SCL" very visible on the cream-colored cars.  Nice to see - never saw the SCL in action but I always liked their paint scheme.

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Posted by jcitron on Monday, April 7, 2008 3:31 PM
 ArtOfRuin wrote:

There are still some boxcars floating around where I live of Pan Am's predecessors in their last-before-Guilford paint schemes (B&M, MEC), though the B&M and MEC boxcars are slowly turning into Pan Am cars. Some of their MOW equipment and snowplows still wear McGinnis-era B&M and harvest gold MEC paint, although two of the MEC plows were recently repainted with a black dip job and small Pan Am globe logos.

I've also seen old N&W, BAR, D&H, ATSF, BN, SP, SCL, Chessie System, Rock Island (The Rock), and BC Rail boxcars in the past two or three years, some with new reporting marks. Most of them were in sorry shape, but the N&W cars were surprisingly clean.

We must be seeing the same trains. lol

I've also seen some EL gondolas, an SP&S boxcar, plenty of Pennsy gondolas (all pretty banged up), a NYC boxcar for the ACY, a Reading boxcar in pretty good shap, Lehigh Valley covered hoppers, and some really old CN boxcars with the Maple Leaf logo.

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Posted by Sunnyland on Monday, April 7, 2008 3:54 PM

A couple of years ago I saw a Frisco hopper passing by as I waited for our local light rail.

My parents worked for Frisco, so I was very excited to see it and know there are still a few

"coonskins" still floating around.

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Posted by packrat on Monday, April 7, 2008 11:14 PM
       I realize this isn't rolling stock but in Akron, Ohio there is a girder bridge (being used reguarly) that has a very nicely (original) "ERIE".  It has been there as long as I can remember, pretty good since there hasn't been an Erie RR since 1963.  Packrat
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Posted by MOPACnut on Monday, April 7, 2008 11:30 PM

 packrat wrote:
       I realize this isn't rolling stock but in Akron, Ohio there is a girder bridge (being used reguarly) that has a very nicely (original) "ERIE".  It has been there as long as I can remember, pretty good since there hasn't been an Erie RR since 1963.  Packrat

Had to pipe in on this one. Between Alma and McFarland, KS on UP's former SSW/RI line there's a rusted silver through girder bridge with "Rock Island Lines" still visible on it. Anybody can view it as the road between those two towns paralells the line here.

 I have a photo of it if i could figure out how to post it!Confused [%-)]

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Posted by Sunnyland on Sunday, April 13, 2008 3:51 PM
Comment on bridges reminded me there's still a couple around in St. Louis area that still say Frisco or have the "coonskin" logo on them.  BNSF hasn't replaced them and I like seeing the old name when I ride around.
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Posted by BNSF_GP60M on Sunday, April 13, 2008 5:42 PM
Some I have seen recently were GN and NP woodchip gondolas, a NW covered hopper, SOU and NW boxcars, MILW boxcar, and a CBQ open hopper. Over the years I have seen a CPR tank car and a CS covered hopper. Living next to BNSF's Bakersfield Sub for 10 years I tend to see a lot.
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Posted by Anonymous on Monday, April 14, 2008 9:00 AM

Saint Lawrence Railway..... Who Knows were they are....

Pennsy Cars mostly gons but they are still out there

Erie-Laccawanna   reapaint mostly coal cars

Pittsburgh and Shamutt--- No clue were that is

Lake Erie and Clarion-  Railroad beens out of buisness for what? 20 years?

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