Western Railroad Discussion > GN railcar still in use...2024!!!

Hi guys! Nothing spectacular here...just an old junker MOW scrap tie gondola....but...it's a prior Great Northern gon, built in '67, and still in use to-day on the BNSF. 

I caught it up at Balmer Yard in Interbay, Wash., a couple days ago, sitting in the auto tracks south of the hump yard...there in support of some recent work going on in the yard and along the mains. 

I'm sure she's had a rough life...and BNSF has tried hard to cover up her heritage...but if you look close, you can still see it. There's still some herald there, a GN lesser stencil, and some CB&Q trucks.... Enjoy! 

Tex

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Couple more pics....looks like it was built in Chicago.

Look above the car identification #....and you can see the GN stencil. 

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Cool. Been a long time since I've seen GN reporting marks on any rolling stock. No CB&Q, NP, SP&S or SLSF either as far as I can recall.

I have seen some BNs and some ATSFs though.

Ya I see lots of BN and ATSF reporting marks…but very few GN…if any.

I guess it’s pretty special to find pre-1970 merger cars today.

Posted from iPhone

There's a handful of GN and NP cars like this and flat cars hanging around. CB&Q seems to have a few more left with old coal gons in tie service. I have never seen a SP&S car though in my time.

This car is more than 50 years old; why isn't it retired and scrapped/ Because it's in MOW service?

trainorderskja Wrote:
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> This car is more than 50 years old; why isn't it
> retired and scrapped/ Because it's in MOW service?

Yes. 

trainorderskja Wrote:
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> This car is more than 50 years old; why isn't it
> retired and scrapped/ Because it's in MOW service?

there's a Geo car or was until a few years ago on BNSF that dated to the late1800's. I moved the Interbay wrecker about 2009 and the flat car/support car was a 1909 product. 

When I hired on in the 90’s there were M&StL, CRI&P, GN, NP, and I think a PRR or NYC I can remember kicking in the yard. Plus others.

Feeling old now.

Regards

Posted from iPhone

Doesn't BNSF also use GN reporting marks for equipment that's leaving the roster shortly?

Posted from Android

Darren Boes
Lethbridge, AB
Southern Alberta Railfan

sarailfan Wrote:
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> Doesn't BNSF also use GN reporting marks for
> equipment that's leaving the roster shortly?
>
> Posted from Android

Yes although I have only seen locomotives with the GN reporting marks before. 

I'm guessing this baby is heading to scrap real soon. Bah! :(
Go

I did see a hopper car in tie service with a CB&Q reporting mark at Lamona, WA on the BNSF Columbia River Sub about 3 weeks ago.

Dan

Cars that are over 50 years old cannot be used in revenue service and interchanged with other railroads. They can be used on the owner's rails, most likely for MOW until they are scrapped. Cars that are 50 years old and are marked for scrap can be transported on other railroads to the scrapper.

SantaFeCF7 Wrote:
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> sarailfan Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Doesn't BNSF also use GN reporting marks for
> > equipment that's leaving the roster shortly?
> >
> > Posted from Android
>
> Yes although I have only seen locomotives with the
> GN reporting marks before. 

And this gondola still has a very faded GN herald on it to mark its provinence. 

J.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/28/24 07:48 by Korigaoka1811.

Very nice! 

There were still blue "Rocky the goat" woodchip cars rolling through Vancouver WA in 2009.  Then they were sold to a lease fleet who patched over Rocky :^{

In 1998 I posted an sp&s lettered flat car that was in use as a spacer car at the Vancouver BC BNSF ferry pier.  Someone looked things up in the system and determined that it wax the last sp&s car remaining in the system.  

Maybe someone can do the same search today -- how many GN, NP or CBQ lettered rolling stock are still on the BNSF?  Is this the last one?  

Ted in Cayucos