Western Railroad Discussion > What's the oldest fallen flag railroad still seen on freight cars

What would be the oldest fallen flag railroad whose cars can still be seen running today?

The CNW cars are everywhere hard to believe it's been decades now! 

You guys are sharp what's the oldest fallen flag one might see in a train?

Chuck 

yup still see quite a few CNW cars, Also see a few Southern boxcars and hoppers used in buffer service for ethanol trains.  A shortline near me has some Rock Island cars still in service.
JC

An ACL covered hopper a few years back. I know the SCL merger was more than 50 years ago, so I don't know how it survived with the large black "A" "C" "L" on the flanks.

I'm assuming you mean actual cars, not reporting marks....but some credit due for creative re-use of falled flag reporting marks.

I'm sure that the breakup of Conrail stuff still has some PRR and NYC marks out there to handle the NS vs. CSX breakup, but not original cars.

The local one that blows my mind is the 'fresh' PSR reporting marks on non-interchange stone hoppers on the Buffalo & Pittsburg when the Pittsburg & Shawmut was merged out of existence about 20 years ago.  And the cars are ex-CSX, LEF&C, Rock Island, you name it, all aged out for interchange.

There's a lot of old RBOX cars out there dating back to mid-70's that have been re-stencilled to various other owners, they are now at or near 50 years, and looking it.

Still see the occasional 70s-era WP car in revenue interchange service. WP was absorbed by UP in 1982.

Saw a WP boxcar and some ATSF open hoppers in the Tehachapi area last week.

We may need to separate the conversation by what cars are running with the fallen flag paint but not reporting marks and what could be running still with the paint and the original reporting mark.   The reporting mark fallen flags would likely only apply to road that have been acquired in full by another entity that still is using the fallen flag reporting marks.   There are going to be many more that have had the "bandit" type restenciling of reporting marks with limited other paint applied on the car to cover up the original paint.   

There are still a lot of MP hoppers and gondolas in service.  Rock Island covered hoppers in captive service on the NKCR and ex-RI covered hoppers in UP trains with different reporting marks.

Dumb question but what is the oldest a freight car can be and still be in service at a Class 1 railroad?

What is it that usually condemns an old car?

Did see a Southern boxcar out here recently!

Chuck

randgust Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I'm sure that the breakup of Conrail stuff still
> has some PRR and NYC marks out there to handle the
> NS vs. CSX breakup, but not original cars.
>

I still see a lot of "NYC" reporting marks on CSX rolling stock (usually in CR paint but not always).

But I can't ever recall seeing "PRR" marks on NS rolling stock.

RailDawg Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Dumb question but what is the oldest a freight car
> can be and still be in service at a Class 1
> railroad?
>
> What is it that usually condemns an old car?
>
> Did see a Southern boxcar out here recently!
>
> Chuck

50 years, but I believe there are exceptions for rebuild/renewal programs that can extend the life in interchange service.
 

Jesse6669 Wrote:

> 50 years, but I believe there are exceptions for
> rebuild/renewal programs that can extend the life
> in interchange service.

Did not know that.  

So we can still freight cars from 1975 and possibly before.  

What were the big railroads in 1975?

Chuck 

Rock 

RailDawg Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> What were the big railroads in 1975?

There were something like 56 Class 1 railroads in 1975.

Still Some red D&H covered hoppers running around the Dakotas in grain service. 

Hard to beat that (incorporated in 1823). The cars themselves are somewhat more recent. 

I've seen some old woodchip cars (now used in cottonseed service) with the Great Northern logo still showing on the side, albeit quite faded.  

RailDawg Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Jesse6669 Wrote:
>
> > 50 years, but I believe there are exceptions
> for
> > rebuild/renewal programs that can extend the
> life
> > in interchange service.
>
> Did not know that.  
>
> So we can still freight cars from 1975 and
> possibly before.  
>
> What were the big railroads in 1975?
>
> Chuck 

Cars built before, I think, 1972 were good for 40 years. They could be rebuilt for an extension for another 10 years. Those built after 1972 were good for 50 years. I don't think they are eligible for a life extending rebuild.

Once they age out they can't be used in interchange, but can be in used in single line service.

They can also be used in MOW service. Which is probably the last service an old car can provide.

Posted from Android

A lot of Conrail auto racks still around. Saw 2 today.
Dennis

Posted from iPhone

Last year I saw a BNSF tie train with a CB&Q gondola and an MKT boxcar on a UP work train, both on Tehachapi. I can't really speak for revenue cars.

-18_lbs

For me it’s probably ex-Rock Island box cars seen up on the KYLE, which happens to be ex-Rock Island “Rocky Mountain Rocket” mainline territory in north central Kansas…

Posted from iPhone