Does anyone know of (or better yet have) a roster or other information on Santa Fe /AT&SF wooden boxcars?

I am trying to track down any history that I can on AT&SF 44942 and 48259, both of which I happend to find in a barn yesterday. (for real. They are of course de trucked bodies, but they have been under cover an off the ground since they were retired around 1935)

Jason Midyette

Got pictures?

Jason -

Very interesting. Underframes...yes or no? Single sheathed (outside braced)?

Hope you find the history of the cars.


Les

The best reference is the following:

Santa Fe Railway Rolling Stock Reference Series -- Volume Four
Santa Fe Boxcars 1869-1953
By John C. Dobyne III
published by the Santa Fe Railway Historical and Modeling Society, Inc.

Finding the information in the book would be quicker if the cars showed (and you noted) the car class. It appears that 44942 is class Bx-W and 48259 is class Bx-X.

The class number is based on the first and last letters of the car type word and then followed by a alpha (and later a numeric) sequence character(s).

Instead of transcribing the information here is a scan of a portion of the write-up about the classes of similar cars.
Orange Empire has a complete example of a Bx-X that never got re-trucked by the Santa Fe: ATSF-49131
The underframe is of composite wood and steel construction.

IRM might have an interest. They had acquired a car from one of these classes. But the truck driver took a wrong turn and hit a low underpass.

Jason -

One of the other questions I should have asked is whether the lettering is still legible. If so, Brian Norden's idea as to car class might be the way to go. BUT, if you are strictly finding the car number from that painted on the inside of the car, the car class may not be discerned. Incidentally, the H&B in the list Brian referenced stands for Haskell & Barker of Michigan City, Indiana.

Les

With the class designation I might have found the necessary page in the book a minute or two quicker. From the scan you can see the class associated with each number series.

The SFRH&MS may have additional information in its reference library collection. Years ago, on behalf of OERM, I obtained the sales date of our car from a Santa Fe car record collector. After he died the Society filled half a box car with his collection to ship it to its collection at Temple, Texas.

HO-scale, resin kits of these classes are available from Westerfield.
Here is the Westerfiled information page for the Bx-W, X, and Y class models. And here is the page for the Bx-Z cars.

Having spent some time sorting and filing in an accessible location the Haskell & Barker drawing collection in the Pullman Library at IRM, I recall there was a LOT of Santa Fe material. Very likely a full set of builders drawings are available for the H&B and Pullman constructed cars; possibly also something for the Standard Steel Car Co. built cars.

Thank you everyone for the replies and information. Now we know that AT&SF 44942 is a BX-W built in 1910 and 48259 is a BX-X built in 1912.

Both cars were retired and moved to their present location (north of Atchison Kansas) around 1935-1940. (from what I could read of the lettering on 48259, its last weigh and repack dates were in 1935). The cars were made into grain storage bins and a barn was built over and around them.

Times have now changed and the barn is in the way, current landowner wants it gone, but does not want to just destroy the cars.

Jason Midyette

Both cars have had their steel underframes removed, along with grab irons and other metal bits. Wood bodies are in amazingly good shape, having been mostly under cover and up off the ground (cars are sitting on brick pillars, about 18" above the ground).

Cars are available and in need of a good home. Landowner is enthusiastic about seeing them saved. That said, it is desired that they be gone by March of 2016. If anyone is interested, PM me. Cars will be relatively easy to get at until it gets muddy.

Jason Midyette

- as a side note, every bit of information I can find on line on these cars (Santa Fe BX-W to BX-Z), shows them with the Santa Fe Herald , reporting marks and car number etc, on the right side of the car. (As 49131 at Orange Empire is presently painted) 44942 and 48259 buck this trend as such lettering is on the left side of the car, as seen below. Did the Santa Fe change the lettering layout between 1910 and 1930? (probably basic info for a Santa Fe fan, but my wealth of trivial tidbits is fairly much limited to Colorado narrow gauge cars)

Jason -

"Landowner is enthusiastic about seeing them saved." Does this mean he would donate them to museums or private owners?

Les

Yes, cars are "free for the taking"

Jason Midyette