Category Archives: Rolling Stock

Freight Car Friday #30 – SSAM 208036

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When the Algoma Ore Properties mines and sinter plant in the Wawa area shut down in 1998, Wisconsin Central took all of the original AC 8001-8100 series bathtub hoppers and rebuilt them with side extensions and new bottom outlets for ballast service. These cars have sophisticated pneumatically operated door mechanisms that can be operated by remote control (note the lettering identifying each outlet gate A-D and the equipment box and small solar panel on the right hand side of the car).

The cars are renumbered in sequence by adding “20” in front of the original AC number, so this was originally AC 8036.

Once Canadian National purchased the Wisconsin Central in October 2001, these cars really started to spread out across the system and I found this example in Jasper, Alberta on a family vacation in August 2004.

Freight Car Friday #29 – BFPX Pulpwood Flatcars

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In the early 2000s, Besse Forest Products operated a loading spur alongside the former ACR Steelton yard for loading export pulpwood, and their privately owned flatcars could be seen around the Sault Ste. Marie area. This pair represents one such series of flatcars owned by Besse, a 52’6″ car rebuilt with side stakes.

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Photographed August 18, 2004 at Sault Ste. Marie.

Freight Car Friday #28 – AC 10728

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AC 40′ flatcar 10728 loaded with the wrecked body of hopper car 8444 in October 1993 at Steelton shops. Photo courtesy Blair Smith.

The flatcar appears to be a former 2201-2250 series car. These were officially in service and listed in Official Railway Equipment Registers from the early 1940s to early 1970s, although a number lasted longer in work service. The 10xxx series numbering on the Algoma Central was reserved for work equipment.

Several hopper cars, GP7L-m 102 and SD40-2 184 were wrecked in a 1993 derailment caused by a washout.

Freight Car Friday #27 – WC 35021

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One of a pair of WC flatcars at Agawa Canyon Park loaded with dumpsters on July 28, 2014. Since there is no way in or out of the park except by rail, this constitutes the waste collection and garbage service for Agawa Canyon. Prior to the CN takeover, this service had a couple of AC 2300 series cars assigned.

This car (and its twin coupled next to it) are from WC series 35000-35049, a 50 car group acquired from Kimberly-Clark in 1993. Originally built as pulpwood cars with side stakes in 1977 by National Steel Car, the stakes were removed when acquired and renumbered by Wisconsin Central.

The cars that were later acquired by WC in 1997 as AC 238500-238559 were also originally part of the same original batch of 150 Kimberly-Clark  cars (KCWX 1000-1149).

CP 336702 65′ Gondola Painted and Lettered

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Over a few evenings the past week I got this car painted black and applied all the lettering. After languishing on the back burner for about a year, it feels good to put some attention towards finishing this project off.

The body was airbrushed black and then given a shot of GlossCote to prepare for decals. Lettering is (mostly) from a Black Cat set for 52′-65′ gondolas.

(The black sure is difficult to photograph well, particularly with the crappy lighting I have available in my apartment.)

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The digits of the car number are all individually applied. It would have of course been necessary to apply several numbers individually in any case to form the correct number, but also because of the narrow space between the ribs the numbers in this case had to be applied with almost zero spacing between them. The spacing of the C.P. initials was similarly reduced.

For this car I also applied the data to actually match the numbers on the prototype photo, and also a little trimming of the spacing was required for everything to actually fit. I left the capacity line off as this was no longer required and started to be painted over on many cars in the early 1980s and I hand painted a bead of black over where this would have been lettered.

The NSC builder’s logo and dimensional clearance Plate C stencil came from a Highball Graphics CP Rail flatcar set, and the nailable steel floor data stencil (rectangular data block to the right of the panel with the Plate C stencil) was included in the Black Cat set.

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Interestingly, in the prototype photo of 336702 that I have, the end reporting marks are in the modern italicized CP Rail font, which would not have been in use in 1965 when the car was built. This was probably re-applied at some point due to weathering of the original lettering on be end. I chose to reproduce this detail and used the small end reporting marks/numbers from a Highball Graphics CP Rail gondola set.

Now this car is almost ready for some basic weathering to complete its in-service appearance.