Shot this beat-up SCL hopper on the Brown Sand Co. wye south of Junction City, GA en route to Manchester. Unsure who the original road was it was built for. I checked the blt-date, and it was 1957. 49 years, and still in service. Can anybody tell me if this was an open-top hopper converted to a covered hopper, or was it originally built this way? I'm quite sure the roller-bearing trucks aren't original equipment. Also look how it's dwarfed by the Chessie hopper to its right. Yep, that Chessie hopper still has C&O reporting marks, nary a CSXT in sight.
Wow... I'm surprised it's still in service, with that extent of frame damage on the left end. I can't say for sure, but it looks like an open hopper conversion. It's very low for even an early covered hopper, and the discharge chutes look more typical of open hoppers.
Looks like the damage is side sill, and end sill only. More cosmetic than anything. Not the center sill. Anyone know the number series? Perhaps not used in any interchange service, but for company work only. If so, they can likely get away with this damaged condition. Boxcab E50
I'm not familiar with the CSX numbering scheme, but something tells me this is for company service only. I'm quite sure the roller bearing trucks aren't original equipment
Looking at a picture like this, reminds me of long ago. Repairing banged up freight cars. Taking a torch to the bent up areas, the smell of paint burning off, and banging away with a sledge hammer, etc, etc. Push, pull, curse, and eventually.... Boxcab E50
Maybe Im blind...but i think those end sills were originally constructed to point up on the ends. Yeah sure, the ladder on the end looks to be a little bent, but the frame appears to be as-built. I believe these were always covered hoppers, but designed from an open hopper.
That is an what is called a dry phosphate hopper. Built to carry dry phosphate, the ACL had large numbers of these cars, some built as late as 1962 and supplied with roller-bearing trucks. The same applied to the Seaboard, but that car strikes me as being a former ACL car. Since I can't put my hands on my SCL roster, perhaps someone who does can i.d. this car.
Pat- I'm sure those upturned ends are derailment damage. You can see the end posts kicked out, and ladders definitely curved. That area on a hopper is not really critically structural. One end houses air reservoir, etc. The car sides, end sheets, and remaining side sill areas really carry the non-center sill load. Boxcab E50
No No, Im pretty sure these were built that way. Notice the frame going across the coupler pockets...if these hoppers were built with a straight frame, wouldn't the frame across the end be designed to go around and not level on top of the coupler pocket? Im looking for another prototype photo to better illustrate my point....
That up-turned end is another good indicator of this car being ex-ACL. On ppg. 73-74 of "ACL Color Guide To Freight and Passenger Equipment" by Paul Faulk show that upward "swoop" to be typical for ACL covered phosphate hoppers. The photos I can find of SAL cars, show a step instead of the "swoop" at the trucks. These cars (of both railroads) were mostly in captive service in the "Bone Valley" phosphate mining area of Florida moving phosphate to marine terminals in southern Florida. However, SAL did run what amounted to unit phosphate trains for "interior" phosphate. Quite a sight to see 60+ covered hoppers of every type and condition pulled by 3 or 4 diesels. Never saw a "unit" train on ACL, but blocks of 20 to 30 cars were not uncommon in a mixed freight. Of course, these cars in two's or three's were common at just about any fertilizer plant. Someone issued resin kits for (I think) one of the ACL phosphate cars, unfortunately, I didn't get any when they were available.
Strange indeed, if built that way. The question would be why. Of all the thousands, and thousands of cars I built, or repaired, none had ends that angled out. All had straight side sills. And vertical end posts. But none were ACL/SAL/SCL. Any that I saw like this, were wreck damaged. Boxcab E50
I was standing next to the car, and looked it over up close & personal. I agree with Pat that this car was built with the upswept end sills intentionally. I wasn't sure of the original owner, but if it's ACL, then how ironic- the "Fitz" Sub that this track branched off of is also ex-ACL, if the RR overpass at Browmville is any indication. At any rate, I figgered this would get tongues to waggin' if I posted this pic, and I was right. And it is much more interesting than the Chessie hopper to its right (and the Chessie hopper has no CSX lettering) No more phosphate for this relic- it's hauling sand now.
I believe these were originally ACL, then became SCL after the ACL/SAL merger. I tried to find kits of these cars, Westerfield makes a U5 hopper, however, i think the U5 was a forerunner of this style hopper...similar shape, but this one is more modern. Never did find any prototype photos of this particular style of Phostphate hopper.
It may be very hard to find a prototype photo. Don't know for certain but it seemed to me that ACL and SAL went to the larger capacity covered hoppers in the 1960's. And, these cars after cleaning could carry much more capacity of any type of lading than could the covered phophate hoppers.
I think a lot of these cars went into sand service starting in the mid 70's.........evidentally, they remained in this role as captive service...i'm sure there are less than a handful of these left.
Well, it looks like I have here as close to a prototype pic as we're gonna get, if what you're saying is correct. Feel free to download & print to use for modeling purposes if you like.
In re. my earlier post. Happened to be perusing my copy of "Seaboard -Route of Courteous Service" by W. E. Griffin, Jr. - there on P. 195, an SAL covered phophate hopper built in 1936 with those upturned ends!! Oh well, at least I thought I was right for a few hours.
Dave... you know more about the ACL/SAL/SCL than I do. Do you know what the official classification (eg: U5, X29, M53, etc...)was of these particular cars? Westerfield has an HO kit of an ACL "U5" hopper, but I don't think what we're discussing is a U5.
CP&E 3207 - Thanks for the compliment, but even more thanks to Mr. Paul Faulk, Griffin, Johnson, Bryan, et al, who captured these two roads in print and photos. When they existed, I was just too caught up in the moment to do any real research. That has only come in the past ten years, and it's been "catch up" ever since. Not having dimensions, it appears to be a U-7 or possibly a U-12 with new sides. The U-12's were supplied by AC&F in 1962 with roller-bearing trucks. Seaboard discontinued class types in the 1950's to the best of my knowledge, but in their rosters their covered phosphate hopper as classified as, "Phosphate (Dry Rock)", and - when Seaboard did use a classification system, they were the "P" class. Unfortunately, my ACL roster continues to elude me. If/when I find it, I'll be back.
