While sitting at the crossing waiting for a southbound solid train of autoracks to get out of the yard here in Parsons; I saw two apparently new auto rack cars[absolutely no graffiti!] At any rate the reporting marks were CNA 712992, and similarly, the other car in the same number series. and at the opposite end from the car number was www.cna. and the appropriate weight markings as well as Plate F. The lettering was in the style of CN’s running noodle. But when searched on the internet you get the CNA insurance company’s sites… Is this a new reporting mark for Canadian National or CN/IC? Anyone have any answers?
CNA isn’t a new mreporting mark for CN, they have been using it for a while. CNA is used on leased cars, cars with a long enough lease to justify remarking and/or repainting. CPAA fufills the same purpose at CP.
Thanks, everybody… I guess it was the website of CNA insurance that threw me. I sort of thought it was Canadian National, on the basis of the lettering style; the new car style was also something new. It is not often you see a change in the style of construction and to see the pierced sides go all the way down and hidint the frame rails was a departure from the usual.
Not quite, Mr. Beaulieu–those aluminum auto racks, for example, were delivered from the builder with CNA reporting marks, as have been a number of box cars and covered hoppers.
CN uses the CNA reporting marks to distinguish CN-owned or leased freight cars that were built in the United States (such as those auto racks, built by Freight Car America–by the way, Ed, those particular cars are not articulated; the aluminum construction accounts for their rather unusual appearance, with closely-spaced ribs and solid walls). Quite often these have been relettered–I used to see a lot of auto-parts box cars relettered CNA (and renumbered) from various GTW series.
Lately, with a few notable exceptions (those auto racks again, for one) the practice has been to assign the reporting marks of a subsidiary (a former predecessor) to certain cars for whatever reason–one series of former CNA box cars is now lettered WLO, for example.
There doesn’t seem to be a problem any more with Canadian-built equipment on U.S. Railroads, though at one time some CN subsidiaries had special reporting marks for such cars (DWC, as opposed to DW&P; CVC, as opposed to CV). And while you don’t see anything lettered DW&P any more, there have been some secondhand covered hoppers, some brand-new box cars, and both new and secondhand center-beam flat cars appearing within the past year with DWC reporting marks.
Assumption got the better of me…they were right between some CSX articulated racks, and a KCS articulated set….the KCS had square holes in a pattern instead of solid sides, although like the CSX cars, the sides went down past the sill and had skirts, it was white, and had a logo, I think Kansas City Southern Liner in red script.
So I just assumed the CN car was articulated also…still a big car, and awful shiny…hard not to notice it in a train of “normal” autoracks.
Wonder how long the polished aluminum will stay shiny?
Some of the old DW&P 50’ NSC Boxcars had been completely repainted in the original DW&P paint schemes from the 1970’s and 1980’s sometime between 1999 and 2004.