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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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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. 

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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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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.

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Posted by arkansasrailfan on Wednesday, March 26, 2008 12:27 AM

Whoops, some more to add: THB, ATSF, BN, old CP, old CN, a bunch of 40-ft NW boxcars. CRR, NYC, LV, DH, EL, AA, PC, CRIP, CNW, Mcloud, BCR, CGW, L&A, M&A(the last one left-yes that's what I said)

 To sum it up,I've seen a lot of freight cars from many railroads.

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Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, March 25, 2008 11:06 PM

Fall of 2007, I saw a McCloud River railroad box car going northwest on CN line through Dale, WI. I dont know what class or how long the McCloud River railroad has been gone, but had cool markings.

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Posted by J. Edgar on Tuesday, March 25, 2008 11:01 PM
 tree68 wrote:

Wish CSX would run a few trains through in the daytime, though.

I used to swim at "the Arch..."

 was pretty cool going over the bridge on Q336 .......that was usually daytime.....Q337 was always at night

different generations, same good times....i went to Brighton High mid 80's and dated a girl from Milford....the Arch was always a good time

 

 back on topic...Northville Lumber uses an old C&O Pullman Standard boxcar on disconnected tracks for storage next to the old freighthouse in Northville Mi....car is rusty but most of the original reporting marks are there as well as the friction trucks

i love the smell of coal smoke in the morning Photobucket
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Posted by Modelcar on Tuesday, March 25, 2008 9:43 PM

......Carl, don't forget the "Berwin" hoppers.

Quentin

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Posted by CShaveRR on Tuesday, March 25, 2008 9:19 PM

I've seen it all.

Seriously.

Almost (both all and seriously).

Things that I might mention as being unusual to me might be more common on the lines' home rails.  And just because a car has a given paint scheme doesn't mean that it still belongs to that railroad.  You are highly unlikely to find any RI or ROCK cars anywhere, because those reporting marks no longer exist.  Please pay attention to the reporting marks (at least) when reporting the fallen-flag cars.  We freight-car freaks would appreciate it!

I think the most unusual thing I ever saw was a GM&O box car in the mid-1970s, with evidence of ALTON reporting marks beneath the paint.

Carl

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Posted by espeefoamer on Tuesday, March 25, 2008 8:58 PM
In 1996,in the same train in which I saw my first BNSF car,a gondola, I saw a Chicago Great Western cement hopper,complete with the Lucky Strike logo.I still see Southern Ry. boxcars and C&NW center flow hoppers occasionally.Around 1991 I saw a Virginian Ry.hopper from the Amtrak Cardinal,in West Virginia.
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Posted by edbenton on Tuesday, March 25, 2008 8:47 PM
In 1991 I saw and have pics at my mothers house of a Pennslvannia RR Depressed center Flatcar with get this Friction bearings hauling a transformer for our Nuclear plant near my house.  I was like Gold mine fallen flag and friction bearings. 
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Posted by ralphie on Tuesday, March 25, 2008 4:36 PM

On Sunday I saw several MP Katy and. SP Boxcars in Mexico

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Posted by METRO on Tuesday, March 25, 2008 4:09 PM

There are several old Milwaukee Road cars including some old passenger ones in MOW service here in Milwaukee.

However the oldest and weirdest I've ever seen was back in the late 1980s, I saw a Boston & Albany hopper in Dunkirk NY on Conrail.

Cheers!

~METRO 

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Posted by Cris_261 on Tuesday, March 25, 2008 3:17 PM

I mentioned a couple of these in the aforementioned post about the Seaboard System and Chessie cars, but I'll gladly repeat, and add a few items. In the past few years, perhaps the rarest cars I've seen are a Toronto, Hamilton & Buffalo gondola, and an Erie Western covered hopper. More recently, I've seen a Rock Island boxcar, with speed lettering, several Western Pacific covered hoppers, complete with WP reporting marks, one of those hi-cube N&W boxcars with the "hamburger" logo, some Great Northern woodchip cars in big sky blue, and some Northern Pacific woodchip cars.

From here to there, and back again.

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