NEB&W Presents Soph Marty's Photo Album - Freight Cars - ALast Update: 2008-08-20
Many of the photos in the Clark Propst Photo Album were taken by Soph Marty. (See Clark Propst's Photo Album for these.) Soph has gotten a scanner and now is sending them on directly. He is starting with "A" and working his way through the alphabet.
In addition to thanking Soph for sharing them with the rest of us, Richard Hendrickson has been nice enough to jot down some background information, to put these cars in context.
Abbott Labs
- SD Marty photo
of Abbott Labs (ABTX) 10036, an exterior ribbed RBL-type car. Soph said
it was photographed on the MLW, pulled by MLW 4 and 3 (Photos available on request)
through St. Paul, MN, in May 1970.
Wallace Abbott, a family doctor, started the Abbott Alkaloidal Company in Chicago in 1888
to sell his version of a "time release pill". Over the years the company slowly grew,
including supplying pencillin during WWII. Today it is one of the 500 largest companies
in the world, the 6th largest pharmaceutical industry.
In 1970, Athearn offered their 50 foot plug door box car painted red, yellow, and white for Abbotts. (I'll have to check how close it was to this scheme.) The model showed an "A" stylized like the PC "worm", with a rectangular panel with I think a depiction of a dispenser of an artificial sweetner, Sucaryl, with a diet soda next to it. (I read a lot into the hard-to-see model but at least my description seems to match the one seen in this photo.) Sucaryl was developed in 1950, but taken off the market after the FDA indicated it might cause cancer in 1970.
Aberdeen & Rockfish
- SD Marty photo
of a string of Aberdeen & Rockfish 50 foot PS-1's. Soph said it
was photographed by his no. 3 daughter somewhere in
North Carolina, in the Fall of 1987.
Akron, Canton & Youngstown
- SD Marty photo
of Akron, Canton & Youngstown single-sheathed box car.
He said:
"It was shot on the NKP, just west the NKP Ft. Wayne, Ind., yard on March 29, 1958. The train was pulled by NKP 2-8-4 No. 766.
"The photo is not the best. I was a student in Indianapolis at the time, with a wife and two children, and virtually no income. We borrowed lots of bucks. My camera was a waist-level bottom of the line Praktica FX, with an f3.5 50 mm lens. It was more than I could really afford. The film was Kodachrome 10. Those were the days when I would go on a RR photo trip with one or two rolls. When I was going to Sherman Hill in the 1970’s and 1980’s, I never went with less than 20 rolls.
"The train was probably moving quite rapidly; the NKP Berks never loafed. With an f3.5 lens, ASA 10 film, and a not very bright day, I probably shot at 1/30 of a second, not fast enough to stop the action.
"This brings into a discussion my philosophy of saving slides. I have friends who throw away anything which is less than perfect; I keep everything. What comes immediately to mind are some very poor photos of NYC 0-6-0’s shot in 1959. My feelings are that a poor photograph shot 42 years ago is better than no photo of that engine.
"How fast did those Berks go? U.S. 30, east of Ft., Wayne, paralleled the railroad. It was a two-lane road with gravel shoulders. I used to pace the engines along the road, with the window rolled down, and shooting out the window as I drove along. The speed limit was 55 mph. I used to pace the engines up to 70 mph, then slack off as they pulled away from me.
"Though I love the photos I have obtained (some will appear in future sendings), I now cringe at the thought of what I was doing: Driving with one hand, and trying to shoot with the other, watch the road and other cars, and the train. And I had a wife and two kids! How stupid could I be? Apparently, very!
"Anyway, I survived."
To which Richard Hendrickson replied:
"Soph, while it's true that this image could be a bit sharper, it's the ONLY color shot I've ever seen of an AC&Y 2100-2149 series box car - and, for that matter, I know of only two or three b&w photos of these cars. They turned up second-hand on the AC&Y in the late 1930's and for a long time no one could figure out where they came from. Finally Tom Davidson of the AC&Y Historical Society tracked them down - they were purchased from the Piedmont & Northern electric railway in South Carolina, which handled a fair amount of freight traffic."
And Soph replied:
"My son, Thorin, has e-mailed that the Piedmont & Northern herald (circle) is still visible on the right side of the car." - SD Marty photo
of a tall Mather box car, ACY 3003. (Love those crazy braces!)
Richard Hendrickson said:
"Another interesting and historically valuable photo, Soph. These cars were interesting because they were built new from the underframes up (the trucks were second-hand Andrews U-section) in 1941, with an unusual combination of Howe and Warren truss body framing, by the Mather Stock Car Co. of Chicago Ridge, IL. Obviously, single-sheathed composite construction with Andrews trucks was an anachronism by 1941! Owned by Mather, they were leased to the AC&Y for a long time - GM&O also leased some - and finished up their revenue service under North American Car Co. reporting marks (North American having purchased Mather in the 1950's). One car survives today in the RR museum at Campo, CA and was restored to its original appearance on the basis of photos I provided." - SD Marty photo
of ACY 3228, a 40 foot PS-1 painted in orange with red lettering.
- SD Marty photo
of ACY 3500, a 50 foot 1-1/2 door wood box car.
Soph said it was photographed on an M&StL train, near Second St. NE, in
Mason City, IA, on May 27, 1961.
Soph said that with a magnifying glass, it is possible to see that the cars
following the ACY box car are NYC, GN, and Southern. He said this is from the days when
it was fun to watch a freight train pass through. Modern jumbo grain cars and 120-car
trains of identical coal hoppers do nothing for him. (Me either!)
Richard responed:
"This one really got my attention, Soph. The AC&Y was notable for buying second hand freight cars, but I never knew until I saw this photo that they had acquired some former 50 foot Denver & Rio Grande Western wood sheathed auto cars. ACY 3500 was formerly in the D&RGW 61200-61499 series built in the mid-1920's."
Alaska
- Soph Marty photo
of a pair of Alaska 11 panel gons. I can't quite decide it they have an AAR-type end
as on the MDC gon or a PS-1 type. Note the two
different lettering schemes represented
here. Soph said these were found in the Milwaukee
RR yard, in Mason City, IA, on May 30, 1982.
He was surprised as he did not know of any rail connection between the
Alaska RR and the Canadian lines, so how did they get to the lower 48?
Alan Winston believes the first car barge service started in 1962, and
prior to that all freight was break bulk. His Oct. '63 Register had
all the ARR revenue freight cars indicated as "new additions".
(Ian Cranstone couldn't even find the Alaska RR listed in his Jan. '62
issue - nor were they assigned any reporting marks at that time.)
Winston said that Alaska cars do show up in the U.S./Canada rail system and have been very common in Seattle, even to the point of ARR having (rented) trackage for car storage. Car barges run from Seattle and Prince Rupert to Whittier. The Register listed "home shop for repairs" for the ARR as PC&F, Renton, WA.
John Sanders said he worked for the Maine Central in the late 1970's and remembered seeing an Alaska RR gondola in Rigby Yard (South Portland). Jim Eager said he photographed a 41 ft. gon in Rochester, NY, in the late 1970's. Robert Bogie photographed a Alaska RR five pack TOFC car on Horseshoe Curve heading east (with trailers) in April 1987. - Soph Marty photo of another Alaska 11 panel gon.
Soph said Alaska 13445 was found on an eastbound Milwaukee train pulled by MLW 8+153,
at McCook, IL, on October 13, 1980.
Jerry Hesley and he had been given permission that day to tour the EMD plant at
LaGrange. They got the grand tour. Mostly that day the plant was building
the "last" batch of SD40-2 for the UP. Though
Soph had ISO-800 film with him, they would not
permit them to take the cameras into the plant. Soph said
that dress was interesting.
Not a hard hat in sight.
Most workers were wearing moccasins.
Not a steel-toed shoe in sight. And it was obvious to
him that this was a heck of a
dangerous place. Maybe that was why they would not
permit any photos.
The photo of Alaska 13445 was in the evening after their tour and light was not the best.
Albert City Farmers
- Soph Marty photo
of a covered hopper, NAHX 55152, leased to Albert City
Farmers. Who'd expect a pink railroad car? He took the photo
in Mason City, IA in Aug. 1974.
Algoma Central
- Soph Marty photo
of a "Bettendorf" type 9 panel single-sheathed box car, basically the Accurail kit.
Algoma Central box car 3156 was photographed a train on the CNW mainline, at 15th Street
NW, Mason City, IA, on February 21, 1970. The only difference between the car's lettering
in this photo and steam days would be the ACI label and back then, the reporting marks had
lines. The weathering is neat - the trucks are so dusty
they almost appear white!
And here are more Soph Marty photos:
- [Car no. 3172.]
- [Car no. 3131.]
- [Car no. 3167.]
- And if you are beginning to think the AC only had box cars, here are photos of
Soph Marty photos of gon no. 3509 and no. 3623,
both 12 panel cars. No. 3509 was in the Milwaukee Road's yard in
Mason City, IA in Feb. 22, 1976 and no. 3623 was found on a CNW train in
Mason City in 1971.
- [Gon no. 3509.]
- [Gon no. 3623.]
Allis-Chamers
- There is an SD
Marty photo of an Allis-Chamers load spanning two flats and
another photo
of the same car setup later in the day.
(Actually, I think it is the prototype for the Centerline track
cleaning car.) Soph said
it was found on a westbound CNW train on the morning of July 30, 1974,
arriving at the east end of the CNW yard at Marshalltown, IA. The flat car
on the right is MILW 65796. The flat car on the left is MILW 66059.
- [SD Marty photo of an Allis-Chamers load spanning two flats.]
- Another photo of the same car setup later in the day.]
And an SD Marty photo of the same two flats as above, but a different load, photographed in the CNW yard in Mason City, IA several months later, on October 27, 1974. Clark Propst said this is a kiln tire, what the kiln rolls on. It fits over the horizontal straps that were on the first piece at Marshalltown. He said the A-C did make these pieces in Milwaukee, but not anymore. The CNW probably served A-C, the routing would have been Milwaukee, Chicago, Marshalltown, Mason City (on the ex-M&StL). That's a piece of kiln shell suspended between the flat cars. The time would suggest it was for the new Kiln going in at Northwestern States.
For those of you who are not local, Soph said Northwestern States is a local Mason City cement industry.
Thorin Marty said: "I would venture a guess this car still works today. Laddish still make rings like this in Milwaukee (Cudahy). This could be a Laddish ring as Allis-Chalmer used a lot of them. Laddish has been making big rings since 1908."
Bob Drenth, who is a conductor on the I&M Railink, said the following: "My 1974 Freight Car Register lists 31,079 cars on the Milwaukee Road. The two cars in these photos are not in a separate listing - both are carried as just another 55 ft. 9 in. flat, part of a pool of 736 cars. Which leads me to think the cradle holding the high load is not a permanent fixture on the car, perhaps something temporary, to use when the other well bottom flats were not available.
"I have a picture of something similar in a Milwaukee train, taken in Calmar, IA I think, about same time.(early '70's). As to routings, a high load built in Milwaukee, WI, could be sent south to Racine, then southwesterly on the old line, to Savanna, then cross the Mississippi River, up the Iowa side to Marquette, then to Mason city. I haven't checked but the mileage just might be shorter than Milwaukee-La Cross-River Jct., then south to Marquette. As to the cars in Marshalltown, I suspect they came in on the CNW main line, then went to Mason city on the old M&StL Line. In 1974 - Rock Island was in business until 1980, and it was after the Cnw, had started to cut back the Mason City - Bell Plaine line. Memory fails me, but about '74, I think that Kelsey was end of track?
"Why and how the cars were routed is unanswered question. Both railroads could handle the shipment. I am not familiar with Milwaukee, WI and who switched the Allis-Chambers plant. Could be the Milwaukee had a strong connection with them as the load sits on special rigged cars that made multiple trips. Both roads had cement haulage at Mason City with NWS. I suspect, Northwest States, and Allis, could have routed the high value shipments, biased on rates, CNW under bid Milwaukee(?), or by ratio of importance at Mason City - i.e., two trips on CNW, one trip on Milwaukee? Depending on the switching rights in Milw WI, the possibility is Milwaukee always got the originating fee, and CNW the delivery fee. Line haul split? And you thought figuring taxes was fun! Freight rates and routings seldom are simple. When more than one road is involved, and I am told, the road that takes it the last mile might make more that the road that hauled it into town. One other twist to the maze, IF the waybill showed Milwaukee as sole line carrier, and access is only via transfer to another railroad, then the road making the switch move from transfer to the customer on its own track, will charge a switching fee - currently each and every car I&M gives to UP at Mason city, for loading at scrap yard South of the Butter Plant, cost $300, as the switch fee.
"Cornfuzzing?
"Steece is right, railroading makes a better hobby than a living."
AMA
- Soph Marty photo of AMA boxcar 76768, found in the Milwaukee
yard in February 1971. Soph pointed out that if you look
closely at
the right side of the car; you can see this car was
a fugitive from the DT&I. (Note the vestige of the
DT&I's compass herald.)
- [Soph Marty photo of AMA boxcar 76768.]
He said that according to the notes in the Oct. 1971 ORER, there were 14 cars assigned to 'AMA' : 13662, 13677, 13689, 13697, 13752, 13758, 13771, 13784, 13800, 13818, 13824, 13854, 13864, and 13890. They were specially equipped with adjustable racks for auto parts loading.
His first guess as to what "AMA" stands for was appliance parts for Amana (the car was shot in Mason City IA, right?). It may have been on a GB&W/AA car ferry routing. He hopes maybe Soph can tell us more...
American Colloid
- SD Marty photo of American Colloid exterior post box car no. 433
westbound through the CNW yards in Boone, IA on September 24, 1969.
Jim Eager said the car was built circa Dec. '65.
- [SD Marty photo of American Colloid exterior post box car no. 433.]
- SD Marty photo of American Colloid 40 foot plug door box car, LOVX 972.
- [SD Marty photo of American Colloid 40 foot plug door box car, LOVX 972.]
This car has a long history - originally USRA wood box cars owned by the DT&I, rebuilt to all steel (I think in the '30's - note the characteristic USRA rebuild four steel panels per side of the door), and rebuilt again in '57 to a plug door car. (More or less, this car was the basis for the odd Train-Miniature plug door box car/reefer.) Starting in 1968, 123 cars went to American Colloid. The cars were gone by '76. - SD
Marty photo of American Colloid 40 foot plug door xm, LOVX 7111,
found in the CNW yards in Marshalltown, IA on May 20, 1975. I think this is the same type
of car as no. 972, although the roof and side pattern look a little different.
American Cyanamid
- SD Marty "new" photo
of an "old" car, American Cyanamid covered hopper no. 134,
found in the railroad museum in Green Bay, WI, on June 24, 1995.
Soph pointed out the car shows nice weathering (rust).
Nevertheless, he said, it is a nice museum. If you are in the area, he'd recommend a visit.
(This car is a strange one on me! And note the "vinegar" car to the left. The reporting marks are for the Richter Vinegar Corp. of Manitowoc, WI. Ambroid did a Ricther vinegar car, and I would bet it was based on this car preserved here.)
American Refrigerator Transit
- Soph
Marty sent us a photo of American Refrigerator Transit 40 foot plug door reefer, WADX 3015,
which he took in the Milwaukee yard in Mason City, IA on November 15, 1970.
Thorin Marty said that based on visual inspection, this car is an insulated box car since
there isn't a fuel tank under the car to power the diesel engine to cool the car.
Jim Eager said it is an insulated RB box built by PC&F in September 1955.
Richard Hendrickson said it had damage-free loaders, AAR class RBL, ART series WADX 3000-3039.
And note the flat car load to the left.- [SD Marty photo of WADX 3015.]
- Soph Marty sent us a photo
of ART 40 foot "belt rail" reefer no. 29137. (The "belt" refers to the overlap of the two horizontal
steel sheets. Most reefers were sheathed with vertical sheets and the seams ran along next to the
rivet lines of the stiffners.) The car
was found in the Milwaukee yard, in Mason City, IA on January 24, 1971. Soph said:
"How I wish I had photographed that Milwaukee boxcar to the right. Sigh...
"Ah! Maybe, I have! We will have to wait until I get to the Milwaukee box cars to find out."- [SD Marty photo of ART 40 foot "belt rail" reefer no. 29137.]
Angelina & Neches River
- SD Marty
photo of Angelina & Neches River exterior post box car no. 324,
found on a Kansas City Terminal train pulled by KCT 71, at Santa Fe Junction,
Kansas City, KS on 12 May 12, 1977.
Jim Eager said this car is from the series 300-399, built Pacific Car &
Foundry on Oct. 1976, 12 foot wide door, probably used
in rolled paper service.
Anheuser-Busch
- SD
Marty photo of an Anheuser-Busch billboard reefer, no. 3600. Soph said:
"On July 30, 1958, I completed my training in Indianpolis. The moving van had arrived that morning, and all was loaded by early afternoon. My wife, two daughters, and I drove to Springfield, IL, where we spent the night. The next morning, we left for Corpis Christi, where I was to report for active duty. I had allowed enough time for us to visit the Museum of Transport in St. Louis. We arrived at mid-morning, but the museum was closed!!! I shot a few photos through and about the fences, then we drove on.
"This beer car was found there on the morning of July 1, 1958.
"I have visited the museum two times since then, in 1980 and in 1990, and I did not see this car there ever again. Does anyone know what happened to it?"
Ann Arbor
- Soph Marty photo
of Ann Arbor 40 foot box car no. 358, found in
the SP yards in Corpis Christi, TX on July 26, 1959.
- Soph Marty photo
of Ann Arbor 40 foot PS-1 no. 1224, found in the
NKP yards at Frankfort, IN on August 18, 1957.
Soph points out it is
very similar to AA 358 above, except that
the lettering, herald, and car data are
on opposite ends of the car.
(But this car has the "Direct Route" logo, which
CDS Lettering seems to indicate
was only used on series 1200-1399.
Car was built in '57, and is obviously in its as-built scheme.
- Soph Marty photo
of Ann Arbor hicube no. 2580, on a Great Northern
train pulled by GN locos 2035, 633, 642, and
2024 in James, MN, on June 20 1971.
Apache
- Soph Marty
photo of a couple of exterior post box cars
lettered for the Apache, including car no.
1783. Soph said it was found on Santa Fe
train pulled by locos 8754 and 5947 at Holiday, KS,
on May 10, 1977.
Apalachicola Northern
- Soph Marty photo of Apalachicola Northern no.
5219, an exterior post box car,
found on UP train somewhere near Kimball,
Nebraska, in September 1978.
- Soph Marty photo of a similar AN car, no. 5622. He said it
was found in Albert Lea, MN, in March
1979, basking in the late afternoon sun.
Arcade & Attica
- Soph Marty photo of Arcade & Attica
40 foot box car, found in the M&StL
yards, Mason City, IA on November 12, 1970.
Archer-Daniels-Midland
- Soph Marty photo
of Archer Daniels Midland Chemicals (ADMX) 4107, a 50 foot RBL-type car. He
said it was found in the M&StL yards, in Mason City, IA in March 1966.
While it looks a bit modern, it still has
running boards. (Note the PS-1 type end.)
- [SD Marty photo of ADMX 4107.]
Arkansas & Louisiana Midland
- SD Marty photo of A&LM 50 foot steel box
car, no. 4122, found on CGW train
pulled by loco nos. 803, 807, 809, 806, and 805
(As Jerry Hesley would say, "A gorsh awful lash-up!),
crossing First Street N.W., Mason City, IA, on March 6, 1971.
The car has an Improved Dreadnaught end and raised
seams Youngstown door, implying post-WWII construction.
- SD Marty photo of A&LM 50 foot single-sheathed double
door box car, no. 5026.
Soph said: "I was on leave from the Navy, enroute from Corpus Christi, TX,
to Norfolk, VA. With two little girls in the back seat, ages two and three,
we would leave very early in the morning trying to get as many miles
as we could before they awoke and the screaming began. We hit Monroe, LA,
shortly after daybreak. It was very dark and it was raining. I was surprised when
I saw the locomotive off in a field of grass with a few cars behind her to the south
of U.S. 80. Everything was dead. I parked the car off the road, and decided
to hike to the locomotive, not far. About half way there, I found myself in a swamp
with water up just above my knees. All I had was a 50 mm lens, and since
I had come this far, I was committed, so I kept going, and photographed the
locomotive and the box car. Back at the automobile, I drained the water
out of my shoes, and drove on with wet socks and trousers. By the time
we reached Sumpter and Chowtow (I don't remember the correct spelling)
in the middle of the afternoon, my socks and shoes were dry enough
to put on. The rain had stopped, but it was still heavily overcast. Still, the
live cabbage-stacked steamers were a joy to see. "
It has 9 "panels" including the doors,
a three-panel squashed Dreadnaught ends and a fishbelly center sill.
Richard Hendrickson said:
"This was almost certainly a SL-SF 152626-152899 series automobile box car
in its original incarnation. After WWII, the Frisco jacked up the roofs
and increased the door width on some of these cars, as shown here, to
accomodate Evans auto racks for large autos and small trucks. Many cars in
this series were eventually sold second-hand (the AC&Y got a bunch of
them), but I wasn't aware until I saw this photo that the A&LM got any of
them. Note that this car has been modified with what appear to be side
dumping doors, perhaps for wood chip service."
Armour
- SD Marty photo of Armour "belt rail" reefer, PCX 4203,
found in the M&StL yard in Mason City, IA on June 22, 1970. (The
term "belt rail" refers to the use of two horizontally sheathed sheets, where
the top sheet overlaps the bottom, creating the effect of a belt
rail. (There is, I believe, a slight crimping of the seam which
makes it more promenient than just an overlap.) Most reefers and box cars had the sheets aligned vertically, with
the seams along the rivet lines.)
- Soph Marty photo of another Armour belt rail reefer, PCX 4408.
It was found in the railroad museum in Green Bay, WI on
June 24, 1995. It would appear to have
had mechanical refrigeration added as a retrofit.
- [SD Marty photo of PCX 4408.]
Ashley, Drew & Northern
- Soph Marty photo of AD&N 819, a 13 stake pocket fishbelly side flat.
Soph said it was found in the Soo yards, in
Minneapolis, MN, on May 27, 1970. He said to note the load:
Zilch. The car is acting as
an idler car between two other flat cars
carrying a load of poles, none of
which are touching the AD&N car.
- [SD Marty photo of AD&N 819.]
- Soph Marty photo AD&N box car no. 1474, photographed in the Milwaukee yard
in Mason City, IA on Sept. 20, 1970.
- [SD Marty photo of AD&N 1474.]
- And another SD
Marty photo AD&N box car no. 1474. Soph said:
"This is the same car as above, but that photo had been taken in
the Milwaukee yard on September 20, 1970. This is
a better photo of the car found in the small downtown
CGW yard in Mason City, 7 days later, on September 27, 1970.
In the backgound you will catch a glimpse of the gorgeous CGW-RI
Depot...torn down...naturally! Sigh..."
Ted Culotta remarked this car is an ex-PRR X37. He said to note the ends of the roof (the dropoff) and the riveting pattern on the sides. Richard Hendrickson agreed. He said the roof, side sheathing arrangement, wide door, and short side ladders identify this car as a former Pennsylvania X37 class box car built in the late 1930's. - Soph Marty photo of double door AD&N box car, no. 1709.
- Soph Marty photo of 50 foot PS-1 AD&N box car, no. 5502.
Bob Denth commented on the missing running boards.
According to Soph, Bob works for the I&M RailLink, and
frequently can cast insight on the behavior of management.
Anyway, Bob wrote: "As to the
this photo, on the railroads I
know about, the rule of thumb is what is the
cheapest way to comply with the law.
Once the law allowed the running boards to be removed,
that could be done in
less than an hour with cutting torch - once gone
it was worth something as
scrap iron, but if left on till the whole
car was scrap, meant the road also had
to keep it in working order. Car with running boards,
sooner or later, some
employee would use it. The cheapest way? Cut it off,
so they did. Other
end of car you will find the ladders also cut
off above the middle support
bracket. More scrap iron, again less to maintain."
- Soph Marty photo of AD&N 12206, a double door box car. Soph said
it was found on an Santa Fe train
at Santa Fe Junction, in Kansas City, KS on May 9, 1977.
Atlanta & St. Andrews Bay
- Soph Marty photo of Atlanta & St. Andrews Bay box car no. 8082
found in the Milwaukee yard in Mason City, IA, on August 4, 1977.
Soph said to note the graffiti to the left of the door.
- Soph Marty photo of a closeup of "Herby" graffiti on car no. 8082,
photographed in 1977.
Bob Drenth offers the following about Herby:
"Herby, was done I believe by a clerk on Missouri Pacific. Seems I read about him in Railfan, or an old Railroad Magazine, having done the drawing for over 20 years. I recall Missouri Pacific made up a safety slogan based of the five letters, and painted a large drawing on a 50 foot box.
"Some one has made a HO model of that car.
"There were several other graffiti clerks. I seen a lot done by someone from Houston TX. It was a wine glass with notation, "The Rambler". A clerk on the CNW in Proviso yard use to do a letter "Z" with four wheels. And someone was doing a silhouette of nude - usually the bottom of her foot was also the last number of the year.
"Use to see a lot of Milwaukee Road cars with letters E G A T R O P - but never heard of just what that meant.
"Note just about all of the graffiti was done by clerks or carmen in white or yellow chalk.
"On the I&M at Mason City, someone on the day shift in the car department is carrying on the tradition - have seen a lot of cars marked with "Giant SB", in a circle, and the date." - Soph Marty photo of A&StAB car no. 8082 again.
Atlanta & West Point
- Soph Marty photo of Atlanta & West Point 50 foot PS-1 no. 3900.
- Soph Marty photo of A&WP box car no. 37608,
found in the Big Four Yards, in Indianapolis, IN on
August 11, 1957.
- [SD Marty photo of A&WP 37608.]
He said: "This photo provides an interesting study in box car heights. The NYC car to the left was one of thousands of 2,955 cu. ft. capy. steel box cars built for the NYC system in the 1920's to a modified version of the USRA steel box car design. They were 8 ft. 7 ins. high inside, common practice at that time. Southern 13223, on the right, was of 1937 AAR standard design with an inside height of 10 ft. 0 ins. The A&WP car was built to the revised 1941 AAR specifications with an inside height of 10 ft. 6 ins.
"Six inches doesn't seem like much, but notice how much higher the running board and eaves of the A&WP car appear than those on the Southern car. And the obsolete NYC car is almost two feet shorter than the post-WWII AAR design. As lineside clearances were increased between WWI and WWII, box cars grew rapidly in height and cubic capacity." - Soph Marty photo of A&WP box car no. 37916,
found in the ET&WNC yards in Johnson City, TN on May 4, 1959. Soph said:
"This morning, as I was looking out of the window at church, I saw a UP coal
train go by heading north, with over 100 identical aluminum (steel?)
high-side gondolas (hopper cars?) with orange ends where the
rotary coupler is located. How unexciting! Looking at these old freight
car photos here reminds me of the fun it was to
watch a freight train go by. No more..."
- [SD Marty photo of A&WP 37916.]
- Soph
Marty photo of A&WP box car no. 8142. Soph said that although
the glass plate negatives generally yielded sharp images, the photographer
didn't have time to stick around for a long exposure - it being the middle
of a battle.
- [SD Marty photo of A&WP 8142.]
Soph said: "The note on the slide states that it is from Gone With The Wind. It is a Kodachrome slide. When I look in the slide boxes, I have no idea what I might find. And I was just as surprised as you all (I hope surprised rather than offended.) when I encountered this Kodachrome of A&WP 8142. Of course, the story was a complete fabrication.
"I made the slide on September 3, 1967. The date of November 15, 1864 was when Sherman began to burn Atlanta, and the flames are visible in the background. The mystery to me is why did I make this slide? What was I thinking of 34 years ago? And where did I get the print to copy? I have no answers.
"Why Kodachrome? When I was growing up, family photos were thrown helter-skelter into a cardboard box, a huge one. When I was 12, I took the box and badgered family member to identify all the folks in those photos, which went back to Cyprus in 1898. Many, fortunately, had dates, but no other identification. I sorted the prints, classified them, and glued them into photo albums according to the dates. In those days, in the early-1940's, photo albums had black pages. I wrote the names of all in the photos, the location, and the dates in white ink. It was quite a project for a near-teenager.
"In the 1960's, it became apparent that my parents did not care to be bothered with the albums, but they would not give them to me. So, I borrowed them and copied every print. I tried B&W print and slide film, with unsatisfactory results. I finally found the the best reproductions could be made by using Kodachrome 10. It reproduced B & W superbly. And the slides are now preserved in a safe place.
"Both of my parents are now dead, and the albums floated around for a while, but, eventually, they came into my possession. It is almost miraculous that they survived.
"Now Rachel family photos go back into the 1880's, but they were in better shape. Rachel's mother had placed them in albums, labeled them, and dated them. Nevertheless, I copied every photo in those albums, too. When we would visit the old farm in Bristol, VA, I would set up a bridge table on the porch, with my copy stand upon it, and between trips to the N&W in Bristol and Abingdon, I copied all the prints on Kodachrome slides.
"The 'Bristol' albums have disappeared. When we were visiting Rachel's sister in Richmond, VA, several years ago, I found that she had virtually no photos of her family. I have a Spiratone antique (1950's) copy device which fits on the front of the camera when the lens is removed. I loaded the camera with B&W print film, and made copies and placed them in albums, using the modern plastic film pockets, for Rachel's sister. It was a lot of work, and it was her Christmas gift for two years.
"For some reason I made the copy from Gone With The Wind, but, alas, I do not know why. This is probably more than any of you wish to know, but bear with me another moment or two. I have a collection of about 500-600 B&W Kodachrome slides of the Mason City & Clear Lake Railroad, the 10-mile electric trolley and interurban line which ran between the two towns. They begin in 1898 and go up to the 1960's when I arrived in town and began to record everything thereafter in color. Of these B&W slides, I own two of the prints. My offices were decorated with RR prints, including some Interurban. As patients learned that I was a RR nut, I began to find out that they had prints of the MC&CL at home, usually thrown in a drawer or the attic...who cared about an electric RR? I begged them to bring them in. I would copy them on Kodachrome, and return them. "
Atlantic & Danville
- Soph
Marty photo of Atlantic & Danville box car no. 2146.
found on Norfolk Southern train pulled by loco no. 1617
through South Norfolk, VA on April 25, 1959.
- [SD Marty photo of A&D 2146.]
I can't make out the side detail, but I assume it is a steel car, but the ends are an old three-panel "squashed" Dreadnaught, indicating original construction c. 1925-'30. Tim O'Connor noticed the radial Hutchins roof, and thinks the car might be ex-C&O or ex-Pere Marquette.
Soph said: "I descended to the nether regions, used a strong light behind the slide, and my 20x triplet, and, on the lower right side it was easy to see 'Painted SG 4-47 BLT 3-28'. So there you are. And I thought a BLT was something you ate..."
Atlantic & East Carolina
- Soph
Marty photo of Atlantic & East Carolina box car no. 1020,
a 1937-AAR type box car with 4/5 square corner ends and a Youngstown door.
The A&EC got these cars second-hand.
The series was 900-1099, originally built in '38 for the Southern.
In Jan. '53, the A&EC didn't have any cars
in interchange - by '54, these cars were
on the roster. The tan, black and white
herald had a depiction of a tobacco
leaf on it.
- [SD Marty photo of A&EC 1020.]
"Note the other gems around and behind it. All gone!
"You guys are having a strange effect on me. On my way to a noon meeting, I went by the IMRL yard looking for possible KCS units, which were not there. The yard is full of jumbo hoppers, jumbo tank cars, jumbo this and jumbo that. As I was driving by, I thought I spied two possibly old cars, but I didn't stop. I thought about them repeatedly during the noon meeting, so I drove by on my way home. Both looked to my untrained eye as pre-1950 cars. One was a 50-foot flat car and the other an outside braced gondola. So I stopped the car, pulled out the camera, and photographed each. Unlike the time I photographed A&EC 1020, when all I had was a 50 mm lens, I had a zoom lens today, and I could zero in on each car at 135 mm.
"The photos are in the camera. Don't hold your breath. Now-a-days, I am pretty limited in motion by arthritis, so I do not take as many photos as I used to. Thirty years ago, it was not unusual for me to shoot 40-50 rolls of Kodachrome a year. Now, it is unusual if I shoot as many as ten...
"Whenever I get the photos back, I will scan them; I would be interested in your instructive comments."
Atlantic & Great Western
- A photo from the SD Marty collection
of old-time Corry PA (1861), with an
Atlantic & Great Western box car.
Atlantic & Western
- Soph Marty photo of Atlantic & Western
box car no. 25137. (Don't confuse this
road with the Atlanta & West Point.) Soph said:
No. 25137 was found in the RF&P yards in
Richmond, VA on 2 July 2, 1990.
- [SD Marty photo of A&W 25137.]
Atlantic Coast Line
- A photo from the SD
Marty collection of Atlantic Coast Line ventilated "watermelon" box car
no. 17114. Soph said: "No. 17114 was found in the
South Rocky Mount yards, in Rocky Mount, NC on August 25, 1953.
The board under the "4" has been replaced and the
"4" has been written on in free hand.
- [Photo from the SD Marty collection of ACL no. 17114.]
"On the back of the slide, it is noted that the photo was taken by Bill Kinzer, a schoolmate. Bill probably shot the photo to go along with my Ambroid model." - Soph Marty photo of another ACL ventilated box car, no. 18376,
found on Water Street, in Norfolk, VA on July 11, 1954. Since Soph
acquired his first 35 mm camera the previous May or June,
this is one of his earliest railroad photos.
- [SD Marty photo of another ACL ventilated box car, no. 18376.]
"Speaking of melons, it's a little known fact that railroads which didn't own ventilator cars often shipped melons in stock cars. I have documentation from the 1950's showing melon shipments to Long Island in MoPac, T&P, M-K-T, and Santa Fe stock cars."
And notice the "Atlantic Coast Despatch" in the herald, soon to be changed to "Atlantic Coast Line". Ambroid made this prototype famous at the time when they offered it as an HO scale wood craftsman kit. About a decade later, AHM offered it in plastic, and it was passed on to Con-Cor, who still offers the model, in every scheme BUT Atlantic Coast Line. - Soph Marty photo of ACL 35530,
found crossing Lehigh Road, on the north side of
Mason City, IA on a train pulled by CNW 835, on May 2, 1970.
Soph said that: "For you ACL fans, I regret that this is all the ACL freight cars
I have. I have a few lovely purple diesels and a steam engine or two,
plus some passenger cars, but that is all.
- [SD Marty photo of ACL 35530.]
The car is black with yellow lettering (used on cushioned underframe cars), although the computer has given it a bluish cast.
