I have been seeing some usual cars lately. They are in the UP 229500 series and in the G-50-15 class, I think they are classified as GWS. Even though they are 50 ton cars, they are about 90 feet long. They look similar to what a long Thrall container car with side extension (interor bracing for the extensions) that run the entire length of the car would look like. The ends are not as tall as the side. I have tried searching the internet and going to freight car websites that I have book marked but have found nothing. Does anyone know what these cars are used for? It must be some very low density stuff.
These were originally for airplane wings. They didn’t come around here much, so I don’t know whose production they were used for.
There were eight of these cars, UP 229580-229587. Seven still exist, and they’re now considered to be non-revenue. If Alexandria, Louisiana, sounds significant to somebody, a couple of these were being loaded there (commodity unknown).
Boeing used to ship 757 fuselage barrels from Witchita KS to Seattle on BNSF, but I don’t recall if they used UP for any movements. The 757 production line is shut down, and if they were used for them, that would help explain why they are now non-revenue.
Thanks for the information. I wonder if they chuck old ties in there. If they go in randomly, UP might figure that there would be enough air space to have a low effective density.