Western Railroad Discussion > gondola genealogy quest

This open freight car, plus 6 more like it with undecipherable car numbers, was dragged westbound from Denver last week and passed by the VRF camera above Big and Little 10 curves. Can anybody here recognize the prototype origin of this freight car and write what it is: gondola or hopper; and decipher its current number ?"67015"?, and then identify its assigned car number series when new (or young) to facilitate searching for its heritage?

Trainpacer  

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This is a gondola. Hoppers dump from the bottom. Note the colored end, that is the rotary coupler end so they can go through a car dumper. Most likey built as a steel coal car. Someone might id the original owner by the orange end.
RB

It's a Thrall 4000 cf coal gondola.  The orange paint suggests a former D&RGW car in the 13000-13396 series.  Herzog also has some cars like this:
https://www.greatdecals.com/DRGWGONNS.html
https://www.flickr.com/photos/diesel-doctor/53375645538

mike woodruff
north platte ne

Yea...its a thrall bathtub gondola.  Built probably in the 1980's for powerplant coal, now used for scrap metal, construction debris, and MOW use mostly.

Also of possible OGEX ownership.  There may be others too.  Common rotary marking included yellow, orange, red, white, sea foam green, even blue.  I can't read the initials on the image.  D&RGW did buy some used cars with orange ends.  Looked it up and OGEX cars became D&RGW 13314-13396.  All other D&RGW cars like those had blue ends.  The color guide to D&RGW freight cars had a typo, calling them OEGX.  While Thrall built a lot of this style, Transco, Darby, and possibly Berwick also built some.  Basically looking the same, including the Transco built Santa Fe cars used at the York Canyon to fontana, CA trains.  Berwick is better know for their bathtub style as on UFIX trains.

RR



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/28/25 22:00 by koloradokid.

Used to see those all the time down here on the MoPac in Austin with the SATX coal train. They were black with red ends. SATX reporting marks.

Would also see the ones on the Katy east of Austin owned by the LCRA for the Fayette Power Plant. They were green with yellow ends. FPPX or LRCX reporting marks.

Ricky
Austin, TX