Nostalgia & History > CB&Q Detector Car

I found this guy in Rochell, IL on September 5, 1964.

Marty Bernard

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MartyBernard Wrote:
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> I found this guy in Rochell, IL on September 5,
> 1964.
>
> Marty Bernard


Are these home built or who was building these Cars at that time?

Jerry Martin
Los Angeles, CA
Central Coast Railroad Festival

How about the Zone 90 speedboard in the pic?

Nice!

BSB

GP25 Wrote:

> Are these home built or who was building these
> Cars at that time?

They were an AAR standard design, and several railroads had similar two-car detector sets. Santa Fe had four of them, built by Buda or by Jacob Press' Sons Inc.

http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?11,3363820

SP had at least two sets.

http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?11,3260632,3261411#3261411

Milwaukee also had several:

http://www.northeast.railfan.net/images/milw802.jpg
http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/milw/milw-rd800ads.jpg

Rock Island had a similar AAR Rail Detector unit also, RI 1800A & B. Here's a pic I found up for auction. I saw this set as a kid and think it was painted silver with maroon on side and possibly top. In later years I always thought it was one of the old RI motorcars that was equipped as a detector car, but I never found any facts to substantiate this. In later years, the 1800 A&B were painted the RI MOW orange and trimmed in silver.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 04/05/14 17:20 by rrman6.

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BigSkyBlue Wrote:
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> How about the Zone 90 speedboard in the pic?
>
> Nice!
>
> BSB

Absolute 'racetrack' west to Savanna, Ill. -- and up the Mississippi towards the Twin Cities!

Pat from Littleton, CO.

"Zephyr" 90 ?

rrman6 Wrote:

> In later years I always thought it was one
> of the old RI motorcars that was equipped as a
> detector car, but I never found any facts to
> substantiate this.

Buda marketed a model 619 "motor car" whose chassis could be fitted with a number of different bodies, including a "27-passenger full length body for passenger service." I don't know how many Budas were actually used to haul paying passengers, but that body appears to have been the basis for the "power unit" of the two-unit rail detector car.

A number of railroads also had the "De Luxe Inspection Car" version, which clearly provided a level of comfort somewhat above the humble Fairmont. Santa Fe used one of these cars (9159) as the power unit of an even earlier two-unit rail detector set, towing a wooden trailer with the detector gear:

http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?11,893717

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Some of the other possibilities. Brochure courtesy the Western Railway Museum Archives.

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Thank you so much for sharing the Buda products photos. My grandpa worked for them for many years as a tool builder and layout man.

Steve

The Illinois Central had at least one detector car such as shown.

Shot it in Carbondale, IL in the early 70's.

Thanks to Evan for the sales brochure reproduction.

Be Well,

Tim Colbert K3HX



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/07/14 10:39 by K3HX.

Not sure which of the RI images is the as delivered scheme, but here is a picture I got off Ebay. My Overland model of this car is painted the same.

Brian Ehni

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