Nostalgia & History > Freight Car Friday

For Freight car Friday I thought that I would show a couple of Northern Pacific Flat Cars.
1. Robert W "Bob" Johnson caught this Northern Pacific Flat on 4-18-89 at Havre MT.  This is only NP car that I have seen painted blue with yellow lettering and it is not Big Sky Blue. I have talked to several rail fans but have not found out as to why the NP painted this car blue or  if there were more cars painted this way or what they were used for. Anyone have any ideas?

2. I caught this Northern Pacific Flat in Tacoma WA in June 2010 with BNSF 921003 reporting marks.

Thanks for looking, Hope you enjoyed.

Tom  

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MOW I think. It was in Tacoma for awhile back in that era.
RB

> This is only NP car that I have seen painted blue with yellow lettering
> and it is not Big Sky Blue. I have talked to several rail fans but have not
> found out as to why the NP painted this car blue or . . .
I don't believe this was painted by the NP. This car was always in Havre at the diesel shop and used for storing hoods and diesel assemblies as far as I can find out. I suspect it was done by the paint shop there, perhaps so it stood out and no one would load it and steal the car they had specially equipped. There was a lot of rancor between the NP and GN guys after the merger, and I have to wonder if there's a story related to that. Someone needed to ask the old heads at the shop a couple decades ago.
steeplecab