What’s it used for?
Looks like a tobacco car.
A tobacco car?[%-)]
I’ve never heard of a tobacco car.
It’s a “tobacco” car,generally used for transporting “hogsheads” of tobacco.
Those cars are "Several years old too !!!
Very cool - never heard of that.
The Southern Railway was quite an innovator when it came to developing freight cars suited to specific types of service. Those “portholes” in the roof (which sloped inward, by the way) were actually skylights to illuminate the remote ends of the interiors. These cars predated the 86-foot hi-cube box cars by a year or so.
I’ve seen a couple of them up here. I doubt that they’re being used for tobacco hogsheads any more–in fact, most of them should have been retired due to age by now.
…I don’t dispute the type of car this is…It just happens to remind me of a railroad car designed specifically to carry Chevrolet Vegas {and on their nose end too}, back in the 70’s…Each section on both sides hinged down and the car was moved up on it and fastened and then each section was raised up and connected in place and in so doing the cars were hauled standing on their noses {front ends}…and all inclosed inside the rail car.
Thanks for the info guys. I shuold have mentioned this was taken in 94’ on the Modoc line.
There last days were used to transport Goodyear tires out of the plant here in Danville, VA. There may have had other uses, too.
Q. How do you make an otherwise perfectly good TOFC trailer leak?
A. Put a load of cigarettes in it.
Way back when, when I was with ICG Intermodal, we’d haul cigarettes out of Louisville, KY. These loads suffered an unusual amount of “water damage” to their lading. Some of 'em even had “water damage” to the cigarettes when there had been no rain.
How could this happen? I’m still not “sure”, but I am “sure” that the guys on the receiving dock all got free “water damaged” smokes. It was just another factor we had to build into the freight rate. Let’s see, origin terminal costs, line haul, equipment costs, destinatiion terminal costs, free smokes for the guys on the dock, what’s the competitive truck rate - well yes, we can make a good buck on this . Here’s your rate.
When did you load out of Louisville,and where was the location ??
We live about 12 blocks from the P & L Yards (ex ICG).
Their intermodal was located at 15th & Kentucky Streets then; 1988 thru now)
I used to talk to the people there all the time.
Would those be the Vert-a-Pac cars?
The guys on the dock get the freebies! Buddy of mine worked air freight and any boxes damaged were opened and handed out to the employees. Did I mention they hauled a LOT of movies?
He has a large collection now.
Dang, I thought for sure they were the infamous “Shackle Cars”.
Well,during “off season”,they may have been used for other things.!![:D][}:)]
You are so right they were a real innovation when they cam into use in the 1970’s/1980’s.
Atractor trailer. (length then45’) could haul 40 of th hogsheads and that car at about 85’ could haul about 140 of the hogsheads, rolled in like spools.
Yes, sir. That was them, OK. (They went “that-a-way”.)
…On the question…“Vert-a-Pac” cars…I don’t remember the specific name of the cars, just remember they were created specifically to carry Vegas…on their ends.
Concerning the Vert-a-Pac cars. I think the total number of autos loaded per railcar was 24, 12 on each side loaded on their nose, roof to roof. The autos had to be designed so the fluids would not leak. The doors of the railcar had a big hook while the auto had a removeable “eye” to lock in the hook. A special fork lift truck operated the doors which became a ramp when loading or unloading. ACF built the 89’-4" low level flat cars in their St. Louis plant with the superstructure built by St. Louis Car. Southern Pacific owned the cars and made a fortune hauling the Vegas from northeast Ohio to California. Later they stripped off the superstructure, added ACF trailer hitches and used them in TOFC service.
…Just a side bar to the above Vega story: I was in the Lab that was developing the manual transmissions…{5-speeds}, for those cars and early on some of the prototype Vegas we had to work with were equipped with 2 and 3 rotor Wankle engines…!! Near the end of the program we had some Vega test cars that were in almost production trim…Looked like production cars, with finish and parts looking like production, etc…and then the program was shelved and the Wankle engine never became an option for the performance Vega…Anyone remember the Cosworth Vega…A high performance 4-valve, 4-cyl twin overhead cam, etc…Believe they were 122 ci…Today, those are VERY rare.