Nostalgia & History > WAG running extra (#73): Rock Island weed sprayer

I told a friend the other day that I have more than enough scanning to do to keep me busy until at least 5 or 6 years after I kick the bucket. So I can scan “all the live-long day” and not feel like I’m making much progress. But as I scan through a given cluster of source material (slides, negs, prints) I always seem to have 1 or 2 of the images jump out at me and beg to be posted right away. This converted weed sprayer is the latest. Not quite as fancy as the Santa Fe sprayers I worked in the late 70s. But the Rock Island was sliding inexorably toward bankruptcy. I believe I read somewhere that 1964 was the last year the Rock operated in the black…

1. CRI&P 95270, ex-motorcar # 90XX(?), sits between work assignments in Topeka, KS on June 12, 1964.
Original BW negative by William A. -Art- Gibson (WAG) Jr

Thanks for looking!
Lance Garrels (santafe199)
Art Gibson (wag216)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/23/22 04:06 by santafe199.

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A historical beauty. What a treasure she was!
Bob

I dug out my copy of Edmund Keilty's Doodlebug Country and found that the 9070 and 9090 were converted to weed spray cars with the 95270 much more closely resembling the 9070. If that's the case, it mentions that it had operated as a "Junior Rocket" at one time with the passenger section being removed in 1948. The car may still exist as it went to Sperry Rail Service in 1971, becoming their 138. 



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 02/15/20 01:56 by OldCond.

OldCond Wrote: > ... The car may still exist ...

Interesting info, thanks! It suddenly makes me wonder what is the oldest, continuously running carbody in the RR industry.
And how would you even search for it???

Lance/199

Not counting the equipment operated on tourist/museum type railroads, I would guess that the oldest cars in continuous service would be the two axle scale test cars. I can recall handling a few over the years that were former PRR cars and would easily be over a hundred years old if still in service. I imagine some business cars, probably in private hands, are getting up in years too. 

Thanks a bunch for posting this!  At some point, I'd love to build a model of one of these two.  Unfortunately, I can't seem to find color photos of this one, which proves to be problematic.  Perhaps Art or someone else can chime in on that?

- Jeff Carlson

Oh, heck.  BNSF's two test cars, "Kootenai River" and "Canon Diablo" are both over 100 at this point.  They'd certainly be in the running.

- Jeff Carlson

OldCond Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Not counting the equipment operated on
> tourist/museum type railroads, I would guess that
> the oldest cars in continuous service would be the
> two axle scale test cars. I can recall handling a
> few over the years that were former PRR cars and
> would easily be over a hundred years old if still
> in service. I imagine some business cars, probably
> in private hands, are getting up in years too. 

According to the roster that I have, this had originally been the 9070, and was converted into this form in September, 1959.

- Jeff Carlson

santafe199 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> 1. CRI&P 95270, ex-motorcar # 90XX(?), sits
> between work assignments in Topeka, KS on June 12,
> 1964.
> Original BW negative by William A. -Art- Gibson
> (WAG) Jr
>
> Thanks for looking!
> Lance Garrels (santafe199)
> Art Gibson (wag216)

You got it right, Jeff. 9070. wag216