There is a separate thread on vintage freight cars on the Grand Central railroad in the UK. Rather than "hijack" that thread, I thought I'd start this one. What I think makes a good
vintage photo freight is that all the cars COULD have been in service behind the engine pulling the train when it was still in regular service. An example is included. This photo (not sure who took it) was on one of the visits that NKP 2-8-4 #765 made to the Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum. Actually, this is not a perfect consist because NKP caboose 471 actually was built after the Nickel Plate's Berkshires were retired from active service, but this is the only NKP caboose we have at the museum. The point is that taken from the head end, from the side or from the rear looking forward, each of these cars could have, theoretically at least, ridden behind 765's tender when the S2 was pounding Nickel Plate rails.

I have seen other authentic vintage freights, but not many. The narrow gauge lines are an exception. Usually vintage cars are at the front of the train behind the locomotive, then other more modern cars, are used to fill out the consists. Maybe this is "nit-picking", but I feel that historic vintage freights should be exactly that. Let the darts be thrown!

Les

Attached is an example from my archives:

Most steam hauled freight in the preservation era is simply too clean and pristine (such as the stuff in the other thread about the GCR goods wagons). Or it's a bit of a joke, like this one in Australia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Hq6ak2WDBs where the load being hauled is easily within the capabilities of either loco alone (or a much smaller loco, for that matter).

But at least you don't have gunzels hanging out every window spoiling the shot.

With the use of the term goods wagons I assume you do not mean the Great Camera Railroad?

Robby Peartree

Les:
However to help toward the authenticity, as you probably know NKP bay window cabooses did see service behind the 700’s.
Jim Kreider

Jim -

Yes, the first series of bay window cabooses DID run behind the 700's. But the second group (of which #471 is one) came a bit later; perhaps about 1962 or so? If we had thought about it, we could have changed the number of 471 to 431 or something like that for that run. Oh well!

Thanks for the reminder.

Les

An Aussie term....
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/gunzel

Presumably Gricers in the UK or Foamers in the US.....

One interesting anomaly that tends to appear with photo mixed freights:

Something is lost when every last passenger gets off to take photos and the passenger car/combine is empty.

I actually brought my wife along to one photo mixed train in passable "old-time attire" (plaid flannel shirt and blue jeans) and assigned her JUST to sit in the car knitting so at least someone would be a passenger as the train rolled past! And with that argument and my giving up my "seat," she got a "free ride" from the hosts. (You may occasionally get the older rider that will pass up a photo location or two to spare their knees and ride, but you can't count on it....)

Got this shot of Frisco 1630 with its train at the Illinois Railway Museum in 1990:
https://www.railarchive.net/randomsteam/slsf1630_train.htm

Steam era freight equipment, particularly older 40-foot cars, is increasingly hard to find, difficult to move, and expensive to maintain. Keeping it looking presentable while also keeping the federal inspector happy takes resources, and that has to be balanced against the relatively modest income the cars produce. On the other hand an elderly X29 boxcar does look better behind a small steam engine than a modern hi-cube.

Alan Maples
Everett Railroad

I like it when you can avoid the "toy train set" look, where you have one of each type of car. That's the only thing I don't like about this first shot, the train seems odd with the "no two the same" cars in the consist.



While I love the atmosphere of that first shot, for the consist, the shot wins hands down for me. Having a uniform string of cars really makes it work!

When I hit the Powerball Lottery, I'm going to go to Great Falls Montana and buy this junkyard's "Fence". Nearly 40 steam era boxcars! I'll put them back on wheels, get them serviceable and run them behind one (or two) of the Nickel Plate Berkshires. Can you imagine a 40 car train of these?

Those cars are in the back of my mind during this discussion too. There have been photos of them here before, and as I recall the paint on the north side of those cars (I think the google photos you posted must come from the south) is close to their in-service appearance.

Properly attired crew! No @#*&! high visibility vests. No logo caps. No bare arms on steam engine. No radio. In other words, Looks like a railroader!

So you don't think that paint is "in service"? Sure looks correct to me, and I see no signs at all of them having been repainted. Heck one even has "Bad Sill" written on it, apparently as its final bad order. I'm pretty sure he bought these at the yard across the street, drug them across the road, planted them and hasn't touched them since.

I'd sure love to see somebody save this amazing collection!