A friend had mentioned that there were some older railcars at the former Allis Chalmers plant in Milwaukee (West Allis?) He had mentioned a depressed center flat and some other cars?
Does anyone know what’s there? Any pics by chance? Also the actual location of the plant and who owns it now?
I’m wondering if there is any preservation potential if this is a unique car(s).
Thanks much in advance, [:D]
Maybe just being used for storage of access cars? [:o)]
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Originally posted by dblstack
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Greetings,
That is Avalon Rail Car. They refurbish old passenger cars. Also sitting very near the Avalon Building is the old Allis Chalmers Ring Gear Car. I believe that Lionel put out that car in production.
I recently toured Avalon Rail with the NMRA Industrial SIG Convention. I will post some pictures of Avalon Rail and the AC Car shortly.
Keith
I remember seeing that car (or one similar to it) under load. I’m sure that one of the museums in eastern Wisconsin or northern Illinois would be glad to take the car off their hands if they were willing to part with it.
I finished getting the photos together.
Here the Allis-Chalmers Gear Car, I think, correct me if I’m wrong. Of course the legs are not part of the car, just modelers getting photos.
A close up of reporting marks for AC #400.
Inside Avalon Rail Car in West Allis, WI they work private cars, they do much of their own work including furniture work and trucks.
More work at Avalon Rail Car
This was also parked near Avalon Rail
Keith
Hey Keith,
Thanks very much. I think I remember hearing that the manager of Avalon was the son of Bill Gardner from Wisconsin Southern Ry … and formerly of Northern Railcar in Cudahy. Or so I seem to recall. Is Avalon near 35th and Capitol Dr in Milwaukee?
Thanks again - great photos.
Isn’t that AC gear car the opposite of a depressed centre car? if so, just what adjective would you refer to so you could describe this type of car, a lot of strange words come into play.
Actually I believe that Avalon Rail was formed when several employees left Northern Railcar (the company run by Bill Gardner’s son and now defunct). Northern Rail Car was originally at the old Milwaukee Crane Bldg in Cudahy, and then moved to 37th and Villard area.
I believe you are right in that it is the opposite of the “depressed” center flat car, maybe a “happy” center flat, or maybe “joyful” center flat car. Just a few thoughts.
Keith
Nice shows. Ok what is that car used for?
I believe it was used to move the large ring gears made by Allis-Chalmers in the day. I believe the car was only used in plant, I don’t believe it was an interchange car. However I don’t have any photos of it in use.
But I do believe that Lionel made an Allis-Chalmers Gear car.
Keith
It looks to me that AC 400 is actually ACN 400 or ACM 400 when I enlarge the picture of the close up of the reporting marks. After looking at the National Railway Historical Society’s reporting mark page, I would guess it is actually ACMX 400. http://www.nrhs.com/reporting_marks/aar_reporting_marks.htm
More on the Allis Chalmers ring gear car that Keith Schmidt got to see and photograph during a recent NMRA special interest group Industrial SIG convention here in Milwaukee.
Keith mentions that Lionel had the car in production painted Allis Chalmers. According to one of my train collecting sources, it was catalog number 6519 and was cataloged from 1958 to 1960 with an Allis Chalmers “heat exchanger” as the load. The book says the car was constructed to move heat exchangers to nuclear plants – it does not say whether those are nuclear power plants or weapons plants. So evidently the prototype car did see interchange use, at least as a special move perhaps under special rules. I would suppose once it was converted to plant service only is when it was used to transport huge gears. I guess you could call it a well car for lack of a better term.
By the way, Lionel then used the same body for its missile car and Mercury capsule car.
Dave Nelson
It’s ACMX 400, and is considered to be a well-hole flat car (AAR Mechanical Designation FW).