Last year, while looking for info on Monon boxcars on the internet, I found a listing for a photo on the Railroad Picture Archives photographic roster for the Monon and pulled up this picture:

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPi ... id=2554201

The photo of grounded Monon 1299 was taken by a gentleman by the name of James Gamble as he and some friends were on a rail photgraphic safari through Montana and he spotted this car sitting there in Butte. I contacted him about the address and he gave me some info on location, but not an exact address. I also contacted Michael Seitz, through RyPN, and he gave me a reference to some possible background on the car from this Train Orders thread:

http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/r ... ?2,1960409

There were a number of additional thumbnail photos of the car on that Trainorders thread, but I am not a member so couldn't make them larger. The survival of this car so far from its "Indiana home" is interesting. If the history on the Trainorders thread is factual, then the car itself is very interesting as it is apparently a single sheathed wood boxcar (possibly USRA) that was later rebuilt as a steel car.

I would like to determine the owner of the car (junkyard where located) but have not been able to find out that info. Certainly our museum, or the Monon Railroad Historical-Technical Society is in no position to try to acquire and move the car at this time, but who knows about the future? But establishing a contact with the owner, seems at least like a sensible thing to do at this time.

Thanks for anyone who might be able to help determine ownership.

Les Beckman (member Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum and MRHTS)