Here are a few…
50’ Boxcars cut down to haul 48’ Intermodal Trailers (53’ Trailers made these obsolete)
Coal Rotary Gondolas now used to haul scrap metal
Woodchip Gondolas used to haul crushed automobiles
Pulpwood Flatcars used to haul emergency sectional track
Pulpwood Flatcars converted to haul ribbon rail
Bulkhead Flatcars cut down to haul angle iron
Cabooses converted to ribbon rail laying machine cars
One more thing…
Years ago Southern Railway converted a number of 40’ Boxcars to MOW equipment sheds and used their centersills as signal bridge abutments.
Also consider the number of re-purposed passenger cars over the years: sleeping cars to coaches, sleeping cars and coaches to baggage cars, RPO’s to express trailers, etc.
Also Amtrak converted some F40’s by gutting these engines (retaining the cabs for push-pull operation) and making them into baggage cars with roll-up doors.
Do not forget the Monon that made Whole Passenget trains out of Troop Sleepers after WW2 Bought them Cheap and made them look Real Nice for 1/4 of the cost of Buying New if the reports are true.
While Monon did have a few express box cars rebuilt from troop sleepers, the new passenger trains were rebuilt from ambulance cars.
Stourbridge Lion:
Any trout in that stream?
Ed