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Lomita (CA) looks to push boxcar out of town
http://www.rypn.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=40273
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Author:  rock island lines [ Mon Jan 23, 2017 8:41 pm ]
Post subject:  Lomita (CA) looks to push boxcar out of town

Lomita looks to push railroad rusted boxcar out of town
http://www.dailybreeze.com/lifestyle/20 ... ut-of-town

Quote:
A 1913 wooden Union Pacific boxcar that sits across from the Lomita Railroad Museum will be removed for safety reasons, city officials said.

The rusting, deteriorating boxcar has sat across 250th Street from the museum for decades.

City Manager Ryan Smoot said officials looked into fixing up the 104-year-old boxcar, but were told it was “beyond repair,” he said.



Image

Author:  Randy Hees [ Mon Jan 23, 2017 10:27 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Lomita (CA) looks to push boxcar out of town

Thanks for the lead... email sent to the City Manager... it would be a good add to our collection.

Randy

Author:  Charlie [ Tue Jan 24, 2017 12:18 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Lomita (CA) looks to push boxcar out of town

Yeah, just look at all that rusty wood. I don't think it looks any worse than the steam locomotive. Oh oh...

Author:  Richard Glueck [ Tue Jan 24, 2017 11:20 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Lomita (CA) looks to push boxcar out of town

Whatever the condition, it looks like an opportunity for one museum to benefit from the lack of interest of another. My guess would be a group of locals can't see anything beyond "a boxcar", and wouldn't know a significant artifact if it fell on them.

Author:  robertmacdowell [ Tue Jan 24, 2017 12:27 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Lomita (CA) looks to push boxcar out of town

Notice how they're going straight for "it's junk to us, therefore it's junk to everyone... and therefore that excuses us from making an effort to find it a new home". Everybody does that.

Author:  Dave [ Tue Jan 24, 2017 2:07 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Lomita (CA) looks to push boxcar out of town

Randy has already stepped up, so there's a good home in the offing. It's interesting to contrast this thread with the one about the inherited collection that needs to be disposed of, starting with the headlight. Some amount of specialized subject knowledge is necessary to responsibly deal with railroad aritfacts - the individual asked for it while the Lomita professionals didn't. Interesting.......

Author:  Les Beckman [ Tue Jan 24, 2017 4:35 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Lomita (CA) looks to push boxcar out of town

Anybody have an idea as to the original Union Pacific road number for the car? Looks like its present lettering may not be an authentic U.P. lettering scheme.

Les

Author:  QJdriver [ Tue Jan 24, 2017 4:43 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Lomita (CA) looks to push boxcar out of town

Beyond repair ??? The wheels and journals may be worn, but I don't think this qualifies for the "Biggest Basket Cases Reborn" discussion. Matter of fact, my engine was built the same year, wish she looked as bad as that boxcar does. Lomita must be a nice, dry climate.

Author:  David A. Vago [ Tue Jan 24, 2017 5:50 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Lomita (CA) looks to push boxcar out of town

My knowledge of Union Pacific boxcars is not exhaustive, so take this for what it is, but I do know that excepting a few 50' cars, UP strongly favored double-sheathed boxcars.

However, the two angled pieces of U-channel that form part of the bracing on the car ends were a subtle hallmark of car construction on the Southern Pacific, which did own a sizeable fleet of single-sheathed cars. The placement of the door stops, and a few other subtle details like unique-looking car bolster end above the truck and the full top-to-bottom flat reinforcers in the far left side panel, are consistent with such details on the SP's B-50-13/14 classes of cars, of which there were a bit more than 7200 built for the SP and its subsidiaries.

If the side ladders are composed of angle stock for the side rails with one web of the angle facing the car side and the rungs bored directly through the other, outward-pointing web (as opposed to bolted to the flat, outwardly-oriented faces of the side rails according to more typical practice), then it is almost unmistakably one of the SP/T&NO/Pacific Electric cars.

See this link: http://sunshinekits.com/flyersbyroad.html and scroll down to the Southern Pacific section for various B-50-13/14 flyers detailing the history and detail variations of these cars.

My guess is that this is in fact a SP car with somewhat more recent Union Pacific lettering. This could be entirely fanciful, or, even if applied incorrectly, may or may not be legitimately based on some existing paint evidence that was still present showing UP ownership (such as through a one-off equipment trade, a post-merger donation from the MOW department, or a wreck salvage).

Would be interesting to know for sure.

Best,
David A. Vago

Author:  Dougvv [ Tue Jan 24, 2017 7:18 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Lomita (CA) looks to push boxcar out of town

Hi,

I love the comment at the newspaper web site

"How is that "beyond repair"? Looks to be in good shape to me....My guess is there's an ulterior motive in play here....What do they want to put there?"

Doug vV

Author:  Al Stangenberger [ Tue Jan 24, 2017 9:55 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Lomita (CA) looks to push boxcar out of town

David A. Vago wrote:
My guess is that this is in fact a SP car with somewhat more recent Union Pacific lettering. This could be entirely fanciful, or, even if applied incorrectly, may or may not be legitimately based on some existing paint evidence that was still present showing UP ownership (such as through a one-off equipment trade, a post-merger donation from the MOW department, or a wreck salvage).

The lettering font looks very modern, IMHO not appropriate for a 1914 car (at least when built).

Author:  Brian Norden [ Tue Jan 24, 2017 10:30 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Lomita (CA) looks to push boxcar out of town

The front page of the Museum's website says that they have a 1913 Southern Pacific box car.

Lomita Railroad Museum

It says:
Quote:
Exhibits
On display is a Southern Pacific Steam Locomotive and Tender, a 1910 Union Pacific Caboose, a modern all steel Santa Fe caboose, a 1923 Union Oil Tank Car and a 1913 Southern Pacific outside-braced wood box car. Learn more
So it seems like the car has an identity problem. If it is a car from 1913 it may have been in MW service before coming to the Museum.

Author:  Randy Hees [ Tue Jan 24, 2017 10:52 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Lomita (CA) looks to push boxcar out of town

A railfan review found on line says that the car is UP 51406, and was in service at US Naval Weapons Depot, Seal Beach before coming to the museum.

A quick review of a 1917 Official Railway Equipment Register does not show a UP car by that number, nor a Los Angeles and Salt Lake car... UP was renumbering cars in 1917, so the car, if from the LA&SL may have been renumbered when that line was merged into UP... also noted... UP and SP were briefly merged after the Harriman take over, then in 1912 forced to divorce... So it could be a car to an SP common standard design ordered for UP...

A quick report on possible preservation. I have spoken to the head of Parks and Recreation, and they are open to a donation to the Nevada State Railroad Museum. I have started the process of a review by the Collections Committee, and will be making a quick trip to Lomita to inspect the car. Assuming we proceed with the acquisition we will ask our "Friends" group to fund the move. The head of Parks and Recreation noted that the wood was very rotten... For our crew replacing car siding will be easy, but for a Parks department it might prove expensive via a outside contractor.

We continue to work to add interpretive museum displays to our existing operation, which is tourist train centric. We currently only have a single box car on what was historically a freight oriented branch line. This would be a nice addition.

Randy

Author:  softwerkslex [ Wed Jan 25, 2017 6:58 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Lomita (CA) looks to push boxcar out of town

Win-win

Author:  Dennis Storzek [ Thu Jan 26, 2017 12:54 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Lomita (CA) looks to push boxcar out of town

Randy,

I've been following the discussion about this car over on the Steam Era Freightcars Yahoogroup, but maybe ought to point out here a few things every freightcarologist knows... If you could gain entrance to the interior of the car, you will likely find the reporting marks stenciled somewhere; on the wall plate near the door was a common spot. Also on the doors, and truck bolsters, also, so if these parts became separated in a wreck they could all be reunited. Some roads also stenciled the underframe near the brake cylinder. These are often painted over in later years, but are sometimes visible in strong light.

Any chance on making arrangements for someone local to take a look?

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