I caught a Seaboard System boxcar with CSX reporting marks #161425 in the UP yard here In Pine Bluff,AR.I also caught a Montana Rail Link boxcar #21190 going into the yard.Those are rare catches for me.I’ve never seen a Seaboard System boxcar here before and I’ve seen Montana Rail Link stuff here a time or two.I glad to catch something rare today.
Those two are relatively rare anywhere. CSX usually is pretty good about repainting box cars out of previous paint schemes (just try and find a Chessie box car anywhere if you don’t believe this!). The MRL box cars can go anywhere, of course, but the further away from home they are, the rarer they become–and you’ll usually see them traveling to connections via BNSF, rather than UP.
Even if they aren’t rare everywhere, those MRL box cars are interesting. Cars in this particular series began life as Railbox cars, built by Pullman Standard; they came to MRL via the Southern Railway. They were rebuilt for MRL by adding about four inches to their height, at the roof-line; that’s enough to be noticeable when you’re looking at it.
It’s good to see that someone else pays attention to something besides the locomotives. You’ll find a couple of other freight-car freaks here, too.
What is behind the engs is more important than the engs themselves–that is what pays the bills. Even though I haven’t been involved in photographing for several yrs, my personal slide collection has over 1000 of them and I’d be surprised if I have taken 50 eng photos. Just never have been a movive power fan. Seen one eng, you’ve seen them all.Now frt cars…that’s different.
The Seaboard System scheme was rare to begin with because it was only applied for about 3 years between the Family Lines System and CSX TRANSPORTATION eras. With CSX repainting they immediately became elusive after 1997. What is even equally rare are the Family Lines and early CSX TRANSPORTATION Boxcars.
Now Montana Rail Link Boxcars must have a dedicated destination where they are always rolling through on the CN mainline between Chicago and Battle Creek, MI. The Montana Rail Link Double-Door High-Cube Boxcars are frequent on the CN in Michigan.
Andrew
The last time I saw a Seaboard System box was around four years ago. I saw a Family Lines box just recently, very rare indeed.
However, Chessie, Family Lines, and Seaboard System are alive and well on CSX’s fleet of well-oxidized covered hoppers.
That they are, I’m surprised they’ve made it this long.
Here’s an old SCL box in VA:
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1089095
I saw 2 Chessie boxcars on another discussion forum.
I’ve seen a few Seaboard System hoppers in our area. Oddly, I see a fair amount of MRL boxcars. They are usually bringin in cardboard from Wisconsin.
Caught this going through Ames, IA on thu UP main in summer 2007
Same spot, a year earlier. Haven’t seen a chessie box since.
I saw a Chessie System boxcar, with CSXT reporting marks, about a week ago on a UP freight passing through Salt Lake City. MRL boxcars are uncommon, but they do show up on occasion.
Other rare cars I’ve frequently seen are Western Pacific covered hoppers, a Rock Island boxcar with speed lettering, and a pair of Milwaukee Road boxcars with SOO reporting marks. Back when SP, and for a time UP were running the Geneva Steel coal trains, I’d occasionally see some Clinchfield hoppers mixed in with the usual CHTT, Rio Grande, C&NW, and UP hoppers. And probably the rarest cars I’ve seen are a Toronto, Hamilton & Buffalo gondola, and a Erie Western covered hopper.
Yesterday on the MBUVP, I saw 3 Seaboard hoppers (patched CSX) and 1 Chessie centerflow (patched CSX) at Grand Marsh, WI. Photos to come later…
Phil
What kind of trucks are those under the Seaboard box? They have these ‘‘rods’’ going under the bearings. I’ve saw many of these kinds of trucks while switching but never gave it much thought. What is the purpose of these rods?
The rods hold the wheelset to the truck when the entire assembly is lifted. This was an ACL idiosyncrasy, later adopted by SCL. The rods make a lot of rattle crossing over diamonds or frogs, making it easy to distinguish these cars without particularly looking at them.
I saw 2 Chessie boxcars last week come through here.