Freight Car Friday #28 – AC 10728

ac10728

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

IMG_0092

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).