You beat me to the NFB video to post...its a great video, I urge all to watch it.

Anyone have a photo of this Rutland boxcar in question?

Scott said:

"Even though I had a major hand in finding the former Rutland car for the museum, I am amazed to see that indeed, a former Rutland car, is one of the last still listed in UMLER as a 40' boxcar. I doubt she'll ever again head out on the mainline but it is curious to say the least. "

RMNE had a number of what we consider "iconic" New England freight cars in mind for our collection: a BAR "State of Maine Products" red/white/blue "potato car", a CV door-and-a-half outside braced auto boxcar, and a Rutland "Green Mountain Gateway" PS-1 boxcar.

I had asked Scott to keep an eye on some known examples of the Rutland cars, and a year or so later, Scott notified us of his find: VTR 445, in private ownership in Montpelier, VT (hadn't been on our list of known RUT cars). We had the car donated, and an RMNE crew led by Al Pomeroy swapped out the original plain bearing trucks for RB trucks. An air brake servicing and some stencil work, and "NAUG 445" was ready for the move to Connecticut.

Yes, time to remove the car from UMLER!

Howard P.

RUT/NAUG 445 at Thomaston, after having original trucks placed back under the car, May 2004.



RUT/NAUG 445 at Thomaston, being scraped and primed, July 2004. This was a "dip job" to give some protection and a better appearance to the car. This is how the car looks today (primer is a little weathered). Those airless sprayers sure put lots of paint on very fast!

Primer was a special product called "FreePrimer" (actually surplus power station primer and paint in 5-gal steel cans from local paint manufacturer Keeler & Long of Watertown, CT-- my own name for the stuff). K&L is now gone, bought by PPG and closed up.

Howard P.

From hanging around in places like North Dakota and Minneapolis, I have the notion that at least some grain doors were reusable steel doors installed for fall grain rushes. Back in the 1970's, when rates were still regulated and there were still rate bureaus, I went with several other T.R.A.In. members to a hearing on passenger-car rates at the Railroad Exchange building in Chicago (a misbegotten episode best not recalled). En route to the hearing room we passed a door labeled "Bureau of Grain Doors." This suggests the supply and distribution of the doors was centrally managed.

Aarne Frobom

While viewing the 765 this past weekend, I spotted a boxcar that could be a 40 footer, but don't ask me where- somewhere between Lewistown and Altoona. Had other things on my mind!!

Robert Yuill

http://www.historicmachineryservices.com

Martin Lofton's article in the November 1990 issue of Model Railroading on grain loading and the use of grain doors is a good basic reference.

By the WWII era grain doors had evolved from simple boards to pre-fab sections that were meant to be reused as wood pallets are today. I would imagine simple boards had a habit of walking away once they were stripped from the cars; assembled grain door panels were more easily identifiable. They were intended to be collected at the terminal elevators, repaired, and shipped back to the grain loading areas. Many western railroads delegated that work to their trade association, the Western Railroad Association, originally the Western Weighing and Inspection Bureau. Google that name, and you will come upon an action by the Railroad Retirement Board that gives the name of the grain door department; Grain Door Reclamation Bureau.

When I first became involved with IRM in 1970 there used to be an antiquated C&NW boxcar on the Arnold Engineering spur in Marengo, the next town west from Union. The car was partially full of grain doors. Apparently this was the Marengo agent's allotment from which he provided grain doors to the local elevator when they received a boxcar for loading. I imagine the number of boxcars loaded dwindled to nothing, and the car never emptied. It disappeared about 1973 or so; foolishly, IRM made no attempt to have it donated.

As an aside, Arnold Engineering was a direct descendant of Bion J. Arnold's engineering firm (noted electric railway consulting engineers from the pre WWI era) and occupied the old Elgin & Belvidere shops along with newer additions. The fore mentioned spur was a portion of the original E&B mainline, complete with heavy current return bonds at the rail joints, still in place after all these years.