Western Railroad Discussion > WW2 Rail Car still in service on Class 1 in 2021!

How many railcars built during World War II are still in service on class 1 railroads to-day? NOT MANY! In fact, this is the first one that I've ever seen. Prior to this, I'd only seen a fire service water tank built in '49, and a MOW rock car built in '47 still in service within the last few years.

I happened to notice this MOW flat to-day, and I saw that it had rivets. I knew it must have been old to have rivets all over it the way it did, so I jumped down and scoped it out for a few minutes. I'm a lousy photographer with lousy equipment, and I didn't have much space or time...but check this out. Look at the build date.

Not sure what kind of flat this is...it had permanently installed rails topside....maybe for transporting MOW equipment? Current number is BNSF 926036...prior ATSF 206073.

---

---

---

Additional pics...

---

---

---

And is this a General Freightcar emblem? Manufacturer? I think that was the name.....maybe not?

---

---

Would be interesting to see the shop dates.  The trucks and handbrake and the rails are obviously added later.  IDK if there's any age limit on non-interchanged home road non-revenue service, so long as they have rebuilt within a specified period of time, and approved for service by a RR mechanical officer.

pdt Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Would be interesting to see the shop dates.  The
> trucks and handbrake and the rails are obviously
> added later.  IDK if there's any age limit on
> non-interchanged home road non-revenue service, so
> long as they have rebuilt within a specified
> period of time, and approved for service by a RR
> mechanical officer.


Ya I'm not sure either? I'll try to talk with the car foreman to-morrow and see about those shop dates.

Poling pockets on an in-service car must be rare by now.

Oliver Barrett

ATSF 206073 is a maintenance of way number too, from a catch-all series for "tool cars."  The build date means it probably started life as a class Ft-T, one of 142 delivered in 1940 by General American Transportation Corp.

BNSF still has a few cars in company service that go back to the WWI era and earlier.  BNSF research and test car 82 Kootenai River is an AC&F product of 1912, and its ex-Santa Fe equivalent car 83 is a Pullman product from 1914.  If Geometry Car 85 is still kicking around, it's an inter-war former business car built by Pullman in 1928.

The Safety Appliance Act only involved the jurisdiction of the federal government over cars that handle commerce in interstate transportation.  It did not have jurisdiction over cars that did not handle commerce.  That included engines and tender which did not handle commerce and all work or company service cars which do not get used to handle commerce.  Except the caboose which handled the waybill of interstate commerce and was covered by the ICC in the handbook of standard appliances such as steps and ladders.  Most railroad have a identifying number series which can be recognized as a MofW number series, such as 0 in front of number.  If the work car still had a link and pin coupler, it can legally still be linked to a split knuckle coupler on the engine but it can not interchange to any other railroad.  It can cross a state line in MofW service linked as not covered by FRA or old ICC.  The MofW car can not be run mixed in regular interstate traffic trains as that would be a violation and possible fine.
When the SAA went into final effective date, many non-compliance cars were moved into MofW service, sold to private railroad, or scrapped and burned. Beyond the FRA laws the AAR has rules on the handling and use of MofW service cars but they are only rules which are sometime bent for special reasons. 
This flat even has MW painted on it next to the number.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/09/21 15:47 by PlyWoody.

Don't know if you ever saw it but the Interbay Wrecker had a flat car attached to it with either a 1909 or 1919 built date on it. When I was over there in 09/10 we moved it from the car shop over to the roundhouse. One of the geo cars is over 100 years old too.

Thanks everybody…some very interesting info to know about. Sounds like this car could make it to 100 years old some day….it’s not too far off. :)

Posted from iPhone

Pacific5th Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Don't know if you ever saw it but the Interbay
> Wrecker had a flat car attached to it with either
> a 1909 or 1919 built date on it. When I was over
> there in 09/10 we moved it from the car shop over
> to the roundhouse. One of the geo cars is over 100
> years old too.

Oh ya! I crawled all over that car and inside the old Derrick. I was also there the day they started cutting it up. What a shame, and a great waste.

Posted from iPhone