Thursday, January 22, 2009

Grain boxcar train consists, 1982

Here are a couple of grain boxcar train consists from 1982, when the use of grain boxcars was beginning to decline:

A westbound CP train of grain empties behind 5523 at Portage la Prairie, June 21 with 69 covered hoppers and these 37 grain boxcars:

CP 140888 - 269733 - 116147 - 120221 - 119027 - 17519 - 119420 - 120000 - 121804 - 17342 - 121679 - 118348 - 123536 -269324 - 21887 - 119298 - 120009 - 119812 - 140969 - 112827 - 119966 - 141744 - 141080 - 116750 - 118514 - 117415 - 114404 - 117380 -112823 - 17204 - 120487 - 121672 - 119493 - 112276 - 115807 - 119118 - 118053 - 121848.

Consist of a loaded eastbound 30-car grain train of boxcars on June 11, behind GMD-1's 1053 - 1054:

CN 420396 - 426630 - 427482 - 483868 - 425755 - 420430 - 425023 - 525183 - 420402 - 487370 - 534717 - 426974 - 479142 - 426011 - 537092 - 421963 - 426502 - 428302 - 424391 - 427304 - 478142 - 426097 - 423732 - 477246 - 428249 - 426374 - 538841 - 426966 - 427854 - 426561 - caboose 79763.

For the modeller or rolling stock enthusiast, these consists give an idea of what car series were still in use, even as Canada, Saskatchewan, Alberta and Canadian Wheat Board covered hoppers were appearing in greater numbers.

4 comments:

jddc.trains said...

I find these last two postings pretty interesting as I was unaware that box cars were once used for grain transportation. Out of curiosity I must ask how do you come across all this information? Switch lists, waybills? This info is a modeler's dream I would think.

Cheers,

Eric said...

Hi Jason, one more on the way - CN grain boxcars. They were much more labour-intensive than covered hoppers, for sure. I took down 99% of the consist information in my posts, trackside. I'm happy to share it with modelers; right now the VIA modelling is very popular, and freight modelling has got to be up there too. The current interest in prototype modelling means that modelers might want examples of car numbers. Happy to help! Eric

Zartok-35 said...

This is very interesting stuff! I'm glad you were paying attention when it was still around.

Eric said...

Hi Elijah, I just wish I could've written faster, I'd have even more consists. Moral of the story: record whatever seems commonplace, not just the unusual stuff. Around the same time I was busy recording newly-built cylindrical hopper car numbers and build dates, since there was great demand not only for grain cars, but new, serviceable grain cars, not just worn-out, fully-depreciated boxcars! Those Alberta, Saskatchewan and "Coke Can" (Canada) cars looked great new. Thanks for stopping by, Eric