Western Railroad Discussion > Oldest freight cars running on the Main lines today?

I was asked yesterday what would be the oldest things out there still running on class one roads not counting m of w cars......

boxcars,gons,flatcars,hoppers or such?

presume nothing before the 1960's is left in operable condition now?

Oldest age for INTERCHANGE service is 40 years.

The ex-CNW ore jennies operated by CN on Michigan's upper peninsula are probably the oldest freight cars in active dily service. They were built during the early 1950s.

Two years ago the Lake Superior and Ispeming RR, also in Michigan, was using ore cars that showed a built date of 1937.

greendot Wrote:
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> Oldest age for INTERCHANGE service is 40 years.
>
> The ex-CNW ore jennies operated by CN on
> Michigan's upper peninsula are probably the oldest
> freight cars in active dily service. They were
> built during the early 1950s.

Yeah, there's probably some single examples of weird stuff, like a scale test car or something. But I would have to guess the ore cars are the oldest over all.

Dave
-DPD Productions - Featuring the NEW TrainTenna LP Gain RR Scanner Antenna-
http://eje.railfan.net/dpdp/

Seems like I've seen LPG cars with a build date of 1967... I'll give the Roseville-Carquinez and Carquinez-Roseville trains rollbys in the next few nights to see if I see any.

Ted in Davis

I imagine the oldest stuff would be in captive or MOW service.

The Central California Traction currently rosters 4 ex-WP freight cars, all used in MOW or strictly on-line haulage: 2 flats and 2 ballast hoppers.

CCT 5002 flat and the 2 ballast hoppers were all built 1953-54. The oldest is CCT 5001, built March 1937 and still in service, usually with a crane mounted on it.

Z

While on this subject, why are build dates no longer stenciled on the cars? Couple of days ago I watched a CSX coal train come through Galion, OH, with several obviously brand new hoppers ( paint still glistening ), but no build dates. When did this practice cease, and why? Thanks.

greendot Wrote:
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> Oldest age for INTERCHANGE service is 40 years.

A few weeks ago I saw a couple of Great Northern "Big Sky Blue" wood chip cars on a train over Tehachapi mixed in with the usual BN green ones. I wish I had taken pictures of them.
They had to predate the 3/2/1970 Burlington Northern meger, which would make them around 35 years old, just under the 40 years that greendot said.
I have also seen Frisco box cars with the SL-SF reporting marks. The Frisco was merged into the BN on 11/21/1980. So these cars are in the 25 year range.

mp349

I saw a string of DMIR ore cars (not mini-quads) a couple of weeks ago in blast furnace trim service. Built dates were all late 40's, early 50's. As far as general revenue, doesn't the 40-year rule pretty much mean that anything built before 1965 can't be used in interchange service without waivers from the FRA?

We had several CSX covered hoppers in service on our line built in the 60's. The oldest one was C&O 600226 with a built date of 5-64. We sent them back a month ago and I believe they are in service in IN.

Last year when the UP track crew was working the coast line I noted a few CNW flat cars rebuilt for MOW service with build dates of 1942 Also there were some old 30 ft UP " Route of the Streamliners " flats I saw down the LA area earlier this year with 1937 dates Of course all are updated with roller bearings

The small Cryo-Trans (CRYX) reefers in the 1000/1100 series are made from insulated ATSF cars built by Paccar in 1968/69.

Still plenty of DWC (DWP) bulkhead flatcars and CN 50ft boxcars from the 1960s running around in revenue service.
WC had old junk exSoo Line and B&O gons from the late 1950s/early 60s used for hauling pulpwood in Wisconsin.
Alot of those are stored and/or have been cut up. Most had no floors in them just the steel framework and crossbracing! Some had fishbellies where the Conductor would have to almost get on his knees to do a air test and check for brake cylinder pistons because not all where mounted in the trucks. True junk.

Rail1

NYCSTL8 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> While on this subject, why are build dates no
> longer stenciled on the cars? Couple of days ago
> I watched a CSX coal train come through Galion,
> OH, with several obviously brand new hoppers (
> paint still glistening ), but no build dates.
> When did this practice cease, and why? Thanks.


The build dates are still shown, on the bottom line of the "consolidated stencil" (the black rectangular box usually found near the bottom of the side, toward the right).

Similar question was asked just last month; Here's the link:
http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?1,926299,926345#msg-926345
-Wes

greendot Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Oldest age for INTERCHANGE service is 40 years.
>
> The ex-CNW ore jennies operated by CN on
> Michigan's upper peninsula are probably the oldest
> freight cars in active dily service. They were
> built during the early 1950s.


Oldest cars for interchange is 50 years if the railroad applies for a ten year extension.

Most if not ALL of the junk CNW ore cars have been scrapped at Escanaba, MI. Thank God. Those cars could be a real b**** to run! They ushaully had kickers and broke in two easily if you didn't nurse them along while throttling up. Starting them from a stop took care, especially into the late 1990s most/all had friction bearing trucks. You could NOT start those trains with the slack streched it was impossible because of the friction bearings. So you would have to back into them a little bit to bunch the slack and start them or stop bunched if possible. It was easy to get drawbar keys or drawbars on those damn things. 30 mph all the way made for a LONG trip. Not to mention the air flow took forever to get down to acceptable levels in the winter, especially at night.
There have been several derailments over the years due to axles/bearings burning right off! Nobody working in TY&E misses those things!

mp349 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> greendot Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Oldest age for INTERCHANGE service is 40
> years.
>
> A few weeks ago I saw a couple of Great Northern
> "Big Sky Blue" wood chip cars on a train over
> Tehachapi mixed in with the usual BN green ones.
> I wish I had taken pictures of them.
> They had to predate the 3/2/1970 Burlington
> Northern meger, which would make them around 35
> years old, just under the 40 years that greendot
> said.
> I have also seen Frisco box cars with the SL-SF
> reporting marks. The Frisco was merged into the
> BN on 11/21/1980. So these cars are in the 25
> year range.
>
>along this line, saw several NP chip cars as recently as yesterday, while riding a cascades train btwn tacoma and pdx. not an uncommon sight. btw, they were spotted at rocky point on a columbia and cowlitz train...2 units and a slug of cars on the trestle.

Many of the BNSF 57' refrigerator car fleet is from the 60's as well. Don't have the details here at work but remember many are ex-GN. Robert DelGrosso's BNSF freight car book has all the details.

greendot Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Oldest age for INTERCHANGE service is 40 years.
>
> The ex-CNW ore jennies operated by CN on
> Michigan's upper peninsula are probably the oldest
> freight cars in active dily service. They were
> built during the early 1950s.

Is there any way around this? That is...if a 40-year old car were taken to a major shop, retrucked, had all new air components and draft gear, and major structural rehab, would it be allowed a waiver, and the clock could start ticking again? Or is it 40 years...PERIOD. I realize that there are probably not many 40 year old cars that are economically viable, but there may be a few exceptions (special service cars, etc.).

Also, what is the rule regarding passenger equipment? Since there are a good number of cars older than 40 years of age still operating in mainline service (many, if not most of Amtrak's baggage cars, many Class 1 business cars)...I assume that this does not apply to these cars...or, when they are given a full-scale, quality rebuild, does this start the clock ticking again on these, too?