NEB&W Presents Clark Propst's Photo Album

Last Update: 2007-11-01

I was having a hard time keeping up with all the neat prototype photos that Clark Propst has been forwarding to me. I wanted to post them throughout our site where they are most appropriate, but this is what takes time. Therefore, until each is posted elsewhere, they will be posted here. (However, as I get them placed in the right section, they may disappear from here.)
In addition to thanking Clark 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.
Also, Soph Marty got a scanner and starting sending his photos directly, so for more of his, see the Soph Marty Freight Car Photo Album.

Newest Photos

The latest photos are placed here, and then after awhile, I hope to sort them by car type and incorporate them below.

Posted October, 2003

  1. Clark sent along a number of views of a cement plant c. 1923, which shows several freight cars: For more information, see our shorty box car section and 40 foot wood box car section.]
Posted October, 2001

  1. SD Marty 1970 photo of Ashley, Drew & Northern 1474, a 1937-type (Athearn) box car, with 5/5 Dreadnaught ends. Tim O'Connor noted that actually the car has a different rivet pattern and the roof appears to be flat. Ben Hom said it appears to be an ex-PRR Class X37 box car, which was basically Pennsy's proprietary version of the 1937 AAR design - 5/5 Dreadnaught ends, but with the following unusual "Standard Railroad of Altoona" features: flat panel roof with depressed panels at either end to accommodate the lateral running boards; 10 panel sides, with narrow panels on either side of the door and the odd rivet pattern Tim noted; a unique looking side sill, with the "tabs" at the bolsters longer than that seen on "normal" 1937 AAR boxcars; "X29" ladders with a bracket grab above hopper-like sill step; 7 foot wide door; and Pennsy freight car trucks.
    Hom sent along some links to Rob Schoenberg's PRR site supporting his ID of this car as an ex-PRR Class X37 box car:

  2. SD Marty 1968 photo of C&O 50 foot PS-1 plug door box car, no. 26205.

  3. SD Marty 1967 photo of Lake Superior & Ishpeming PS-1 box car, no. 2541.

  4. SD Marty 1968 photo of WAG 5162. (I think I've already posted this shot, below, but I will have to check.)

  5. SD Marty 1961 photo of a West Indies Fruit Co. box car, no. 246. This photo is unusual in showing a dark green or black car instead of the usual box car red.

  6. SD Marty 1963 photo of RI 369. It looks like an express box car, with Diagonal Panel Roof, but the door looks like the older version of the Youngstown. It is hard to tell if the ends are Dreadnaught or Improved Dreadnaught, except it appears to be a 5/5 pattern, which would make it a Dreadnaught. The roof might be some weird '40's style with two raised panels, rather than a Diagonal Panel.

  7. SD Marty 1963 photo of RI F-unit 652. In the background is the Murphy end of a Santa Fe stock car.

  8. SD Marty 1969 photo of RI 4628, a 7 panel Howe truss stock car, with the slatted openings filled in. Note the roof is flat.

  9. SD Marty 1972 photo of RI twin ribbed hopper, no. 10945, a second-hand Virginian, as the ghost of the former owner's lettering shows. I'm pretty sure (but will check) that this is a 33 foot car, so could be represented by the Athearn kit, not the Accurail hopper.

  10. SD Marty 1974 photo of RI flat no. 91567 with an interesting load.

  11. SD Marty 1963 photo of RI triple offset hoppers converted to covered hoppers.

  12. SD Marty 1963 photo of a wreck on the Milwaukee.

  13. Another SD Marty 1963 photo, of the same wreck. Note the tractors - Tim O'Connor thinks they might be Cockshutt. And is that the Athearn crane in the background?

  14. T. L. De Fazio photo; S. D. Marty collection of PRR 3750, a Pennsy K4 steam engine and train, taken Aug. '57 at Long Branch, NJ. Tom said that unexpectedly, this engine is one of only two K4's that survived scrapping.

  15. C. '30's photo of a line of Decker reefers.

  16. SD Marty 1958 photo of an MP trailer on flat car.

  17. SD Marty 1958 photo of an NKP diesel switcher.

  18. Bill Eno 1974 photo of NP 28318, a 7 panel single-sheathed box car, which I think I've already posted below.

Posted August, 2001

  1. Bill Eno 1973 photo of Fort Dodge, Des Moines & Southern 12231 - it appears to be a 40 foot PS-1, with the North Western logo. (The FDDM&S was merged into the CNW in '71.)

  2. Bill Eno 1973 photo of Ferrocarril Del Pacifico 50 foot box car, taken in Manly, IA. Note the orange grabs and ladders - is that a light shade of rust or an actual paint color? Also, the dimensional data would appear to be in Spanish.
    (Steve Wagner said the "rust"-colored grabs, handrails AND RUNNING BOARDS were almost surely painted that color. Mexicana Models (apparently part of Bev-Bel) has offered at least one car painted like the one in the photo.)

  3. SD Marty 1958 photo of Texas Mexican box car no. 8947, a 10 foot IH 7 panel Pratt truss single-sheathed box car. (The MDC single-sheathed 40 foot box car, given double Youngstown doors, would be a possible way to model this - sort of. It's not the best representation of a single-sheathed car in general.) The white rectangle to the far right says "Load to Tex. Mex. Points Only - Not To Be Moved Off Line." Richard Hendrickson said these were acquired second hand in the late 1950's (As far as he knows, the Tex-Mex never owned any new rolling stock). There were five cars, TM 8943-8947 (though 8944 lasted only briefly on the TM roster) and they were ex-Chicago Great Western 80400-80798 series. This photo was probably taken shortly after the Tex-Mex got the cars and repainted/restenciled them. He has a couple of photos of these cars in CGW service.

  4. SD Marty 1974 photo of Toledo, Peoria & Western no. 5038, a 40 foot PS-1, with the sitting Indian logo. Note the TP&W PS-1 to the right, in an older scheme.
    Garth Groff said this car appears to be a rare 10 foot IH PS-1 (almost all others were 10 ft. 6 ins. high inside). He said to note the lower height in relation to the other PS-1, and the lack of the small top rib on the ends. Without his lists there at work he can't be sure, but he thinks the only (or at least most) cars like this were originally built for the New Haven. These were later sold off, rebuilt and leased out (IIRC by USRE). Some ended up on the D&RGW. (As far as he knows, the only other 10 foot IH PS-1's were 50 foot 1-1/2 door box cars built for the Navy. One of these survives at the Western Railroad Museum at Rio Vista Jct. in California.)

  5. SD Marty 1959 photo of UP 176449, class A-50-19, a double door 40 foot box car, similar to the Accurail kit. The car to the left would appear to be an SAL round-roof box car.

  6. Bill Eno 1967 photo of a Chicago Great Western X29-type box car, no. 85688. Note the recessed seams on the Creco door.

  7. Bill Eno 1973 photo of a CMO 1937-AAR type box car, no. 20026, equipped for express service. (I'm assuming that brown is supposed to be a Pullman green.)

  8. Bill Eno 1968 photo of a Rock Island 7 panel Howe truss stock car. I think the car number is 75133. It looks like the ends are composite, and assuming this is a 40 foot car, I'd say use the Mantua stock car as the closest model. (The roof looks like it is a "board-n-batten" Murphy XLa Flexible type.)

  9. Bill Eno 1966 photo of a couple more RI stock cars. Note that one car (no. 75031) has only the reporting marks, on the side sill, while the first car in the consist has the roadname on the letterboard and the reporting marks up one board. Also the first car looks a little bowed up - they must have tightened the truss rods a little too tight - an amazing feat, since the car doesn't have any.

  10. Bill Eno 1966 photo of a Rock Island steel rebuilt box (probably a USRA DS car originally), no. 95224. Propst pointed out the car is ending its days in sand service.

  11. Bill Eno 1973 photo of a RI covered gon, no. 3890, built in '66, still in its as-built scheme.

  12. Bill Eno 1968 photo of Oregon, Pacific & Eastern second-hand 50 foot round-roof box car. Propst said to note the judicious application of roofing tar.

  13. Bill Eno 1976 photo of a Milwaukee 40 foot 7 panel Howe truss single-sheathed box car. Propst guesses the car is from the 716500 series. You could use the MDC kit to model this, but you'd have to stand on your head, as it has a Pratt truss. Note the missing brake wheel and the "wood" trucks. But the weathering job is neat. Notice how each discoloration runs behind the bracing, from door to corner post. You might have to use some sort of pencil (an eyebrow pencil?)

  14. Bill Eno 1974 photo of GN 56229, a 7 panel Pratt truss stock car. It appears to have had its sides lined on the inside for MOW service of some type. They were rebuilt c. '59 from the GN's wood box cars (like the Athearn wood car), and differ from the Athearn stock car by having the diagonals pointing to the bottom of the door, and the older Dreadnaught end.

  15. Bill Eno 1976 photo of three stock cars - an NP car as represented nicely by the Central Valley kit, and a GN and CB&Q car, both of which could be represented by the Athearn kit, not-so-nicely.

  16. SD Marty 1961 photo of a St. Louis reefer on the MStL-Milw interchange. Propst points out that the Milwaukee East-West main is behind the car. His guess is the routing for these cars was Wab to Albia, IA, M&StL to Mason City. The Bud distrib' was on the Milwaukee. TRAX reefer is from Deckers. I believe this St. Louis reefer is a plywood car. Note the end - the first non-terminating end?

  17. SD Marty 1971 photo of more StL reefers, this time plug door cars. Propst said that these cars were on the joint CNW (at this time), RI line between Mason City, IA and Albert Lea, MN. If you remember the CNW train powered by ALCOs with the PLE box car with the unusual (to him) herald (below). It was pulling into the West Yard, which is behind these cars.

  18. SD Marty 1979 photo of a couple of St. Luis Central reefers. Propst said these were stored on the Milwaukee at the same time as the Pepper Packing cars. I thought that these were former REA cars - similar to the forcoming Branchline kit, but a later series of cars with peaked roofs, maybe c. '58. However, Hendrickson said they were former Santa Fe/Railway Express Agency express reefers, series REX 4050-4099, built at the Santa Fe's Topeka shops in 1953. REA returned them to the Santa Fe when the mail contracts were lost in 1969 and they were repainted as SFRD refrigerator cars. However, they lasted only briefly in this role, as the Santa Fe had little use for ice bunker reefers by that time, and several of them were sold to the San Luis Central. Hendrickson has no idea what the SLC cars were doing on the Milwaukee Road.

  19. SD Marty 1956 photo of a Savannah & Atlanta 40 foot PS-1. These were built in '48, series 8200-8249, with an 8 foot wide door. They were renumbered in '57 to the 800-849 series.
    The Santa Fe car to the right would seem to be a rebuilt car - notice the brackets along the side sill. The series 272000-273918 contained 1,851 cars in '49, lumped together classes Bx-41, 42, 45 and 46 - rebuilds of their ARA-type wood box car fleet [builder's photo, '31 Cyc]. Sunshine offered a model of the Bx-49, a similar car, but with Improved Dreadnaught ends.

  20. SD Marty 1964 photo of a Rutland PS-1, series 300-399, built in '56 with an 8 foot wide door.
    It is interesting that in '61, the Rutland went on strike and was abandoned in '64, but here is clearly a car off-line, despite the demise of the Rutland. (Vermont Railway started up again, I think in '64, maybe a year or so later, and used Rutland equipment until it could get repainted, which might explain this car in service at this time.)

  21. RS 1964 photo of an Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac 50 foot PS-1 box car, no. 2925, in the as-built scheme. The car was built in 1960. Tim O'Connor noted that the car has a black roof, while the Kadee model has a galvanized roof.

  22. SD Marty 1971 photo of a similar RF&P box car, in the newer blue and white scheme.

  23. SD Marty 1957 photo of a yard full of box cars. Note the RI PS-1 in the 1952 centennial scheme and in the background, the Northampton & Bath "cement" box car - a USRA-steel clone. Westerfield offers a kit for the NB car.

  24. SD Marty 1961 photo of UTLX tank car no. 73678.

  25. SD Marty 1956 photo of a couple of Hormel belt rail reefers being switched by steam. I like the figures on the car. Propst said: "Here come loads of SPAM straight from Austin, MN, home of John Madden and Hormel. That's pronounced HOR'mal. HorMEL' was thought up by an advertising agency, sounded more appetizing!"

  26. SD Marty 1968 photo of a New Haven box car. Note the tackboard on the door.

  27. SD Marty 1958 photo of a Morrell Mather Patent reefer, MORX 9548. Was it really turquoise?

Posted July, 2001

  1. Richard Stemler 1959 photo of a New Jersey, Indiana & Illinois (Wabash) box car.

  2. Richard Stemler 1959 photo of a Tidewater Southern plug door 50-foot box car. (And note the ends on the car to the right.)

  3. Jerry Hesley 1968 photo of a trio of Rock Island converted troop sleepers. Propst pointed out that the RI had a lot of these rebuilds.

  4. SD Marty 1958 photo of a Grand Trunk Western rebuilt steel box car, no 470288.

  5. SD Marty 1954 photo of an L&N PS-1, no. 4860, being loaded at the American Tent & Awning Corp. in Norfolk, VA.

  6. SD Marty '57 photo of brand new GN no. 35134, a 50 foot double door box car, which it appears to be a mere 7 months old.

  7. SD Marty 1958 photo of GATX 64398, leased to Wyandotte.

  8. Closeup of an SD Marty 1958 photo, showing an Erie box car. Propst noted the inside height was 10 ft. 4 ins., but the ends appear the same as the InterMountain Canadian box car.

  9. SD Marty 1959 photo of ET&WNC steam-powered train, unknown location.

  10. SD Marty 1963 photo of DCI 9 panel Howe truss box car no. 5003. (I cranked up the contrast a little too much - the car is not really a brass model!) I believe that these were built in the early '20's, based on the USRA SS box car, but made a foot taller - so the Accurail car would be too low to represent this that well. I think the door is also 7 feet wide, but don't quote me on this. Note the radial roof.

  11. SD Marty 1963 photo of a couple of Des Moines & Central Iowa 50 foot double-door single-sheathed rebuilt steel box cars. Note the radial roofs. Propst pointed out these are similar to the wrecked car shown below.

  12. Richard Stemler 1960 photo of another DM&CI car, no. 2135, although this might still be sheathed with the original wood siding. Richard Hendrickson said this was one of 200 cars in the 2000-2199 series. Formerly Rock Island cars, they were built in 1930 and reconditioned (though not significantly modified) in 195(x?) before being acquired by the DCI. On the Rock Island they were originally numbered 262450-262799 and 264000-264149.

  13. SD Marty 1956 photo of an all steel reefer with four-hinge doors, DICX 320, (marks of the Dry Ice Co.)

  14. SD Marty 1956 photo of another dry ice car, Cardox no. 106, also with four-hinge doors. (I guess they wanted to insure against air leaking in.

  15. Jerry Hesley 1971 photo of an 11 panel ribbed triple CB&Q hopper, which could be represented by the MDC kit. (The kit, in my opinion, is rather heavy-handed, but at least the number of ribs match.)

  16. SD Marty 1960 photo of a B&O switch engine with a cut of neat box cars in the background. (I kept this photo pretty big, as there is so much neat detail to see.)

  17. SD Marty 1964 photo of a B&O wagon top, no. 376035. It looks like it has been rebuilt with a wider door.

  18. Richard Stemler photo of a B&O EMD unit crossing the NYC at N. Vernon, IN in 1958, while a Central train waits patiently. Again, a photo I kept big to show the great detail, even the condition of the grade crossing and street. Propst remarked that Soph and Richard often went to this site on weekends.

  19. SD Marty photo of a CNJ box car on the Willow Creek bridge. Hendrickson said that this was a class XM-3 box car in the 22001-22480 series originally assigned to the Central RR of Pennsylvania and delivered with CRP reporting marks in Oct. '47. Series 22501-23250 were apparently identical and delivered at the same time (also to the CRP) but were assigned to class XM-4 (for no apparent reason). In between were 20 cars (22481-22500, also XM-3's) which were painted Pullman green and equipped for passenger express service.
    He said that though of standard AAR postwar design, these cars were unusual in having 10 ft. 0 ins. IH and 3/4 Improved Dreadnaught ends. In addition, they had 7 ft. wide doors.
    Soon after these cars were placed in service the CRP was phased out (c. '53) when it no longer provided the CNJ with tax advantages and the cars were restenciled with CNJ reporting marks.

  20. SD Marty 1979 photo of Pepper Packing 40 foot plug door reefer, MNX 2345. Propst said these cars were stored on the Milwaukee Road in Mason City for a long time. InterMountain is doing this scheme on their reefer kit.

Box Cars

  1. AAMX no. 2002, a USRA-type wood box car, photographed by SD Marty in the C&NW yard at Boone, IA, on September 24, 1969.

  2. SD Marty 1971 photo of a Milwaukee 7-panel single-sheathed box car. This could be represented by the Train-Miniature/Walthers box car kit, although Sunshine makes a model of this specific class of cars. Hendrickson said that revenue service numbers for these cars, built in the early 1920's, were 705000-713999 - the Milwaukee had a LOT of them, and they lasted in their as-built form (apart from the application of AB brakes) through the 1950's and well into the 1960's.

  3. SD Marty photo of two CGW's X29-type box cars. Propst pointed out that these are the Great Western's signature cars. Red Caboose even did the Pullman doors! These were in MOW service in Mason City. Hendrickson said there were three slightly different series of these cars, and the two cars in the photo are from different series, as shown by the trucks. The car on the left has Dalman two level trucks, the car on the right Gould coil-elliptics.
    He said that all three series are covered in a forthcoming Railmodel Journal article.

  4. SD Marty 1962 photo of a Lackawanna USRA steel box car type clone (sort of).

  5. SD Marty 1960 photo of the end of a Milwaukee ribbed side box car.

  6. SD Marty 1961 photo of Lancaster & Chester 905, a second-hand acquistion of a 1937 AAR-type box car.

  7. SD Marty 1961 photo of MRS 5009, a second-hand PS-Zero all welded car. The bottom panel on the end had had the Pullman end (with its "stubby-pencil" ribs) replaced by a conventional Dreadnaught. Note the radial roof. This was one of 50 PS-Zeros (series 5000-5049) acquired second-hand in 1959, which some believe were former B&LE cars Also note the ACL covered hopper.

  8. SD Marty 1961 photo of a blue FEC 1937 AAR-type box car, no. 21009. The lettering scheme itself dates back to the '40's, but when they switched from standard box car red to blue, I don't know.

  9. SD Marty Nov. '70 photo of an ARA box car (no, not that ARA - American Railway Assoc. - the Arcade & Attica). In the '49, '58, '67, '78, '85, and '90 ORER's, the road listed NO freight cars. In the March '70 Trains, there was a Jim Shaughnessy photo of a similar car, no. 504, and the caption seemed to suggest the paint scheme (and the car, obviously second-hand) was new.
    That's an awfully wide door for a steam-era car (note the Dreadnaught ends, pre-1944). There is no sign that the door was widened from an original narrower, say 6 foot, door. My first guess is that this was gotten from the Southern.
    The ARA was a shortline in upstate NY, serving the two towns of its name, including the one best know for its prison. This photo clearly shows they were interchanging cars, as this photo was taken on the MSt&L.

  10. SD Marty 1962 photo of a Detroit & Mackinac 1937 AAR-type box car, painted in the gray scheme.
    Hendrickson pointed out that D&M series 2800-3099, built in Jan. '47, were the last box cars built to the prewar AAR 1937 standard steel box car specifications with 4/5 W-corner-post prewar Dreadnaught ends and early style Youngstown corrugated steel doors. By 1947, everyone else was using Improved Dreadnaught ends and postwar doors.

  11. SD Marty 1962 photo of half of P&LE 20562, a steel box car.

  12. SD Marty 1961 photo of NC&StL 122126. This is a Pullman-Standard PS-1 built in 1952, one of 650 cars, series 22000-22649.

  13. SD Marty 1961 photo of Clinchfield box car no. 5307. Hendrickson said that 5250-5549 series, class FB-6, was built in January '47. The Clinchfield was one of a number of roads that had AAR-design steel box cars built after WWII with 10 ft. 0 in. interior height and 3/4 Improved Dreadnaught Ends instead of the more common (by that time ) 10 ft. 6 in. IH and 4/4 ends. Hendrickson said to note the early style Youngstown corrugated doors, which had been replaced in most new car construction with postwar style doors beginning as early as 1945.

  14. SD Marty 1962 photo of a Linde box car, LAPX 273, taken in Mason City, IA. In '49, there were 283 "XT" type cars, nos. 101-499, listed under General American. (The "XT" designation stood for a tank inside a box car, used to carry liquified gases.) This green and white scheme was adopted later in the '50's. Hendrickson said Linde had a sizable fleet of box tank cars - box cars with liquid oxygen tanks inside - and this is one of them. They leased cars both from General American and AC&F/Shippers Car Line. The LAPX cars like this one were owned and operated by General American, while the cars leased from Shippers Car Line carried SERX reporting marks. Though these cars were of AAR standard design (1932 specs with 9 ft. 4 in. IH in the case of the LAPX cars, 1937 specs. with 10 ft. 0 ins. IH in the case of the SERX cars), they were "beefed up" to 70 tons nominal capacity (note the full length side sill reinforcements on LAPX 273) because the tanks they carried were very heavy, especially when loaded.
    Also, Linde's box cars had small doors in the lower sections of the ends to provide access to internal valves and piping, as well as small round filler plugs in the roof near the center of the car. The Jan. '53 ORER shows 348 cars in LAPX series 101-2099 (lots of room in this series to expand the fleet!) and 160 cars in SERX series 500-1043.
    [More on Linde Air Products Co.]

  15. SD Marty 1963 photo of a Georgia box car, no. 29044, apparently built in '47. (What's the wood car to the left?) And check out the neat Purina Chows building behind it, on the Farmer's Elevator on the M&StL at Mason City, IA. Hendrickson said that in September of 1947 each of the three "Georgia triumverate" railroads received 50 identical new AAR postwar-design 40 foot box cars. GA 29044 was in the 29000-29049 series. The A&WP cars were 37600-37649 and the WofA cars were 17600-17649 series.

  16. SD Marty 1970 photo of CS box car no. 1717. Hendrickson said that this car was one of 300 XM-32E class 40 ft. 6 in. AAR-design steel box cars built in 1957 at the Burlington's Havelock, NE shops and numbered in the 1500-1799 series. They had late style 1/3/4 Improved Dreadnaught Ends ("banana taper" ribs with the top rib rectangular), Diagonal Panel Roofs, five-panel Superior doors, Ajax hand brakes, and ASF A-3 trucks.

  17. SD Marty 1963 photo of Charleston & Western Carolina box car no. 8582, taken in Mason City, IA. The C&WC got 100 cars from ACF in '49, series 8500-8599.

  18. SD Marty 1964 photo of a PGE 4940, a combination plug door/sliding door 40 foot box car, but also note the Mather reefer on each side. The PGE car has NSC-3 ends (similar to the PS-1 end) and probably the actual PS-1 roof (which NSC was commonly using at the time - mid to late '50's).

  19. SD Marty 1970 photo of MI 250432, a 50 foot PS-1.

  20. SD Marty 1962 photo of a double door Duluth, South Shore & Atlantic 50 footer. I think this is also a PS-1. Walthers indicated the large "speed" initials were added in 1957.

  21. CMO box car model built by Propst. I understand this is a Sunshine model.

  22. SD Marty 1961 photo of Santa Fe box car, no. 10564. Propst said this Job Three, seen in some other photos. It is (Mark Propst engineer) switching the south end of the Middle Yard. In the foreground is the Milwaukee line to Austin, MN. Behind loco 232 just south of the signal building is the Milwaukee east-west main. This area was known as Mason City Junction. There was even a station here in the '10's. And the engineer was Mark Propst (Clark's father).
    Hendrickson pointed out that the Santa Fe car is a rather interesting car. It's a Bx-35 class box car in the 10500-10733 series rebuilt as an all steel car in 1953 from a Bx-35 single sheathed box car, which in turn was converted from an Fe-U class single sheathed double door automobile car c. 1940 by the simple expedient of securing the auxiliary door permanently closed.
    As shown, the car had the original Fe-U class underframe and inverse Dreadnaught ends with a single added corrugation at the top of each end to slightly extend the height. Otherwise, the car bodies were entirely new with diagonal panel roofs, reinforced side sills, prefabricated Youngstown steel sides, and 8 foot wide Youngstown corrugated doors. The original Dalman trucks were also replaced with Barber S-2's.

Reefers

  1. A c. 1932 photo from the Wright Collection of the Mason City Public Library, of NWX 14184, leased to S. Kennedy, Jr. of Clear Lake, Iowa. (I think I already posted this photo, below.)

  2. C. 1932 photo, from the Wright Collection at the Mason City Public Library, of NWX reefer no. 14184, leased to the Mason City & Clear Lake RR who in turn posted an advertisement for the S. Kennedy Red Globe Farm (in other words, a billboard reefer). The car was built in '27.

  3. C. 1932 photo, from the Wright Collection at the Mason City Public Library, of NWX 12407, another billboard reefer, built in 1928. This one leased to Iowa State Brand Creameries. Wouldn't you like to know the colors of the logo. Maybe some local period magazine might have a full color ad?

  4. SD Marty 1968 photo of Milwaukee 79045, a wood reefer ending out its days as an ice car. Propst said that Accurail has done a version of this car, but the blue is way too dark.

  5. SD Marty 1964 photo of a PGE box car, but also note the Mather reefer on each side. The internal steel trusses are exposed below the wood sheathing.

  6. SD Marty 1971 photo of ART 29137, a belt rail reefer. The "belt rail" was created by the overlap of the top steel with the bottom. The cars had the sheathing applied lengthwise (sort of like giant clapboard), rather than the vertical sheets of most steel box cars and reefers (sort of like strips of wallpaper).

  7. SD Marty 1970 photo of WCLX 2352, another belt rail reefer.

  8. SD Marty 1971 photo of URTX 72722, leased to the Black Hills Packing Co., yet another belt rail reefer. (Without the prototype photo, I never would have believed this scheme.)

  9. SD Marty 1970 photo yet another belt rail reefer, this time an Armour, PCX 4203. Propst said that: "Every evening my dad would pull the meat out of Deckers passed our house. The PCX and TRAX cars were the backbone of the fleet here. I got Tom Stolte of Oddballs Decals to do a set that will do either car." Note the Improved Dreadnaught End, not a dartnaught. The Walthers kit could be so modified, I guess with an Athearn reefer end, at least for a stand-in car.

  10. D Marty 1963 photo of URTX 65074, a belt-rail reefer leased to Bookey Packing. The "dartnaught" end shows clearly.

  11. SD Marty 1959 photo of URTX 67315, another belt-rail reefer, leased to Bar Bee. (The image was very dark and I've lightened it up. I think the car side is white.)

  12. SD Marty 1959 photo of URTX 67127, a "belt rail" reefer, leased to Dugdale Packing. Note the double latch bars on the door.

  13. SD Marty 1969 photo of URTX 60487, another belt rail reefer, leased to Needham. In this case, note the "missing" minor ribs of the so-called dartnaught end.

  14. SD Marty 1961 photo of URTX 60067, yet again a belt rail reefer, this time leased to Spencer. Like the previous car, the ends are a sort of combination of Improved Dreadnaught End with most of the minor ribs missing, which modelers nickname "dartnaught". Walthers makes a kit of this type of car, but not this scheme.

  15. SD Marty 1963 photo of an Armour belt rail reefer, TRAX 12326, in the post-'54 Armour scheme. (The trainman hanging on the right is optional.) Series 12000-12599 was built in '54, with 1/3/4 Improved Dreadnaught ends and straight side sills. The car seems to have a 4/4 Improved Dreadnaught End, not a 1/3/4, but it might be due to the angle of the photo.

  16. Bill Eno 1966 photo of URTX 65070, a belt rail reefer leased to Bookey Packing Co. (plant no. 2). I believe this was a Des Moines, Iowa company, judging by the little map just to the left of the door.

  17. SD Marty 1971 photo of MERX 473. Hendrickson said that MERX was one of the reporting marks used by the Merchants Despatch Transportation Co. for cars that were on long-term lease to shippers. This car in the MERX 430-599 series was originally an MDT 9500-10999 series reefer built at MDT's Despatch Shops in East Rochester, NY c. 1949. It had 3/4 early style ("rolling pin") Improved Dreadnaught Ends, Diagonal Panel Roof, and an AAR underframe.

  18. SD Marty 1970 photo of a troop sleeper rebuilt into a reefer (probably one of the conversions done by REA), and leased to Kraft.

  19. SD Marty 1970 photo of an ART plug door reefer, WADX 3015.

  20. SD Marty 1978 photo of Milwaukee 10401, a plug door reefer.

  21. SD Marty 1970 photo of URTX 10320, a post-steam plug door reefer.

  22. SD Marty 1964 photo of a Miller Beer exterior post plug-door reefer.

Flat Cars

  1. D Marty 1960 photo of 15-pocket flat car CGW 3784. How's that for a load? And check out the neat single-sheathed box car to the right.] Hendrickson said that CGW 3700-3799 series, 52 foot long, were built July 1934. Many of these cars were converted in the late 1930's to early TOFC cars. This car has obviously been relegated to company service by 1961; note the absence of load limit and light weight stenciling, which would have been required if it had been in interchange.

  2. SD Marty 1957 photo of a PRR Commonwealth flat with a couple of REA trucks. NEAT! Notice how they are blocked onto the deck. I would assume they would have a billboard ad on the middle of the truck when in service. Note the double taper on the side sill of the flat, the spotting feature of the Commonwealth car - kits made by Walthers and Tichy.
    Tim O'Connor said to note that those trucks are Ford "C" series - Athearn is producing these.

  3. SD Marty 1962 photo of TOFC. Mike Clements said this photo is of an ACF "Hitch Hiker". TTX numbers would be 472000-472999, 476000-476999, 478000-478307, 478498-478999 and 16 cars in the 478308-478497 series. He said the closest van is a beaded side Fruehauf and is the prototype for the Athearn 40 foot dry van.

  4. SD Marty 1960 photo of tri-level auto racks.

Hoppers

  1. SD Marty 1970 photo of a Milwaukee ballast hopper, no. 54074. Richard Hendrickson said the car is one of 2,000 70-ton Enterprise ballast hoppers built by GATC for the Milwaukee Road in 1929. The original number series was 340000-341999, and a builder's photo was included in the 1931 through 1946 editions of the Car Builders' Cyclopedia. When or why the car was renumbered he doesn't know, but he's doubtful that 54074 is a correct number; in the late '60s the 54000 series numbers were assigned to some fairly modern box cars.

  2. SD Marty photo of a couple of Peabody twin hoppers, one ribbed, one offset. Propst said the 207 is shoving a "Deckers" (Armour) cut into the south end of the M&StL Middle Yard in Mason City, IA in Dec. of '60. This is Job Three. They would have just pulled "Deckers" and are making up the "DMX" (Decker Meat Express) having Chicago connections with the IC at Ackley, IA and Kansas City connections with the CGW at Marshalltown, IA.

  3. Bill Eno 1976 photo of a repainted M&StL triple hopper, no. 66525. Propst pointed out that Stewart did this car in its original paint scheme. (The car looks blue, but I think that's a color shift in the photo.)

Covered Hoppers

  1. SD Marty 1960 photo of Milwaukee Road covered hopper 99398. This is the ACF 1,958 cubic capacity type of car. A broadside SD Marty 1961 photo of the same car. (In the first photo, the gray body is almost a purple color, in the second, almost a light blue.)

  2. SD Marty 1961 photo of an MRS box car, but also note the ACL covered hopper. In 1950, the ACL got 600 cars from Pullman in the series 85100-85699. The capacity was 1,958, the standard ACF type car (Bowser, ECW kits). In 1967, there were 335 cars left in the series.

  3. SD Marty 1966 photo of D&M 6123, a twin bay PS-2, built in '61, still in its as-built scheme.

  4. SD Marty 1963 photo of GACX 44255 and 44263, two single bay Airslides leased to The Red Wing Milling Co. of Red Wing, MN.

  5. Bill Eno c. 1976 photo of a General American Airslide no. 43190 , leased to Tennant & Hoyt of Lake City, MN, makers of Golden Loaf flour. Walthers offered their Airslide in this scheme, no. 4605.

  6. SD Marty 1970 photo of CGW 776. I thought it was an Airslide, but Tim O'Connor said that it was a "DryFlow".

Tank Cars

  1. SD Marty photo of a couple of UTLX tanks. Hendrickson said these were an X3 6,500 gallon (I think) tank car, built in the '30's, fairly common type of car.

  2. Bill Eno 1966 photo of Chicago Great Western 264, a teal-painted tank car, used for lube oil. (Note the maroon tank just to the left. In 1954-'55, the CGW purchased 42 of biggest tank cars then available, 19,000 gallon cars, and color coordinated them for their intended service (maroon for most of them, used for diesel fuel, one in green for lube oil - this one, one in silver for kerosene, and three in black for oil.)

  3. SD Marty 1988 photo of CGW tank car, no. 226.

  4. SD Marty 1969 photo of CGW tank car, no. 290.

  5. SD Marty 1971 photo of EBAX 3109, an Ethyl tank car.

  6. SD Marty 1962 photo of URTX 83534, a very large tank car, leased to United Petroleum Gas Co. of Minneapolis, MN.

  7. SD Marty 1965 photo of tank car HHCX 310. Richard Hendrickson said it's a GATC 8,000 gallon car built in the mid-1920's and owned by the Champlin Refining Co. of Enid, OK. It was apparently a one-of-a-kind car acquired second hand in the mid-1950's - Champlin had a lot of these orphans and strays in its sizeable (c. 650 car) fleet. Originally an insulated ARA IV car for gasoline service (and still shown as such in the Jan. '62 ORER), it had its insulation and jacketing removed sometime between 1962 and 1965 and, by the time the photo was taken, had become an ARA III conventional tank car. Most Champlin cars were painted white and in earlier times had more elaborate lettering and company logos, but this car obviously was stenciled only with bare bones reporting marks, numbers and data.

Misc.

  1. An SD Marty 1958 photo of B&O 2-8-2 no. 4536. Dramatic shot!

  2. SD Marty 1957 photo of an NYC steam switcher working in Indianapolis, IN. Note the red, white, and blue State of Maine car on the far right.

  3. SD Marty 1952 photo looking down on really neat (i.e., modeleable) scene in the Richmond, VA area. Hendrickson noted the first hopper is a B&O War Emergency car, available recently from Life-Like. Ted Culotta said that even though he can't make out all of the detail, it looks more like one of the NKP cars built in the '10's and rebuilt with steel sheathing in place of the wood. The roadname looks like "Nickel Plate Road" and there is no B&O Capitol Dome logo. These cars are deceptively like the WE cars especially since they too were rebuilt. However, Brian Carlson said however, this series, NKP 30750-31749, were built in 1923, not the '10's as stated. His reference is the NKP AMC Diagram sheet for these cars. Also the conversion to steel sides started in 1949 as follows:
      140 1949, 140 1950, 250 1951, 240 1952, 161 953, and 80 1954. But check the coal dealer, simple to model, and the Refining Co. building in the background (it reminds me of a possible kitbash from the Heljan Edison lab).
      John Golden said that this photo is obviously on the former Seaboard. The train has just left Brown Street yard in downtown Richmond and is heading south. A large C&O yard, called 17th Street Yard, is adjacent to Brown Street and is at the end of the C&O's Mountain Sub. The SAL train will pass the Main Street Station in about 10 car lengths and in another half-mile will pass through the famous Triple Crossing on its way over the James River.
      He said that the SAL's Brown St. yard and C&O's 17th St. yards were in a little valley in downtown Richmond known as the Shockoe Valley. There used to be a tall, spindly highway/trolley bridge across the valley that photographers loved. It was replaced by a concrete one in the c. 1970's. The former and current bridges crossed both railroads at perpendicular angles.
      Golden said: "More interesting to me, however, is the particular hopper cars themselves. SAL used coal from lots of different roads, including the close roads like C&O, L&N, N&W, Virginian, etc., and photographic evidence demonstrates that they usually traveled on SAL in blocks. But this photo - if my short-term memory serves me correctly - shows lots of different cars from NYC, NKP and Reading, to name a few. I've never seen an SAL photo which shows this variety of cars. It gives licence for SAL modelers like me to have a few more interesting cars!" (He is very thankful for Propst and Marty sharing these photos with the rest of us.)

    • SD Marty 1954 photo, somewhere on the C&O. Another photo from which to model a whole scene. Note the overall mix of the colors of the autos. All in the blues and greens, from light to dark. (Okay, the overall photo seems a little shifted in the blue, but still, only one red car that I can see.)
      Wayne Beachy said the location is Main St. Station in Richmond, VA. He said the switcher is pushing the cars into the train shed dead end tracks. This was on the other side of the station from a Seaboard freight train photo (see above). C&O had tracks on one side of the station and Seaboard had tracks on the other. He identified the photo as looking in the opposite direction from the Seaboard photo. This photo is looking south, the Seaboard photo is looking north.

    • SD Marty photo of a cut of cars.

    • SD Marty 1963 photo of a wreck.

    • SD Marty photo of another wreck, this time at Nora Springs. (This one reminds me of the multi-person dragon costume you see in celebrations of Chinese New Year, kinda' of snaking down the street.) Tim O'Connor pointed out that the car appears to have a radial roof, squashed Dreadnaught ends (very squashed), and a modern plug door. He asked if anyone can identify it?
      Propst said it's a DCI double-door single-sheathed box car, and the plug door is from another car in the wreck (puts new meaing in "kitBASHED"). He will be sending other photos of these cars (in better condition) shortly.

    • Bill Eno 1965 photo of a wreck. Propst said the CNW crashed on the old M&StL main by the Eno farm in Aug '65. The easy opening lumber car is CP 255621. Note the crewman taking pictures. The guy to the right that looks like he just got caught with his hand in the cookie jar is Bill's dad. (Propst said maybe he was planning a new corn crib!)

    • Propst said: "I told you guys Bill Eno was a farmer. This was not that uncommon, the elevators had to move cars somehow and being farmers....." so here is a Bill Eno photo of a Deere Trackmobile. Note the coupler on the front!

    • Propst said: "I thought I'd introduce you to the two fella's that make these jpegs possible. First the photographer. Soph Marty's self portrait taken in the wee hours of the morning on the Twin Cities Rocket at Albert Lea, MN Dec '68. Next you will notice a high school age kid with the movie camera that walked into the frame while Soph was shooting a wreck, both the RI and Milw washed out at Nora Springs IA and crashed in May of '63. The kid is Jim Hunt. I wouldn't introduce the two for 20 years. Then it would be another 10 before Jim scanned the images I'm sending."