Here is a picture of the recently arrived Trailer Train TOFC flat at IRM, from the IRM on-line photo gallery. Appropriate trailers for this car are still in use in BNSF company service at their Cicero company stores. Both are corrugated aluminum, one painted in an early BN scheme, and one in CB&Q lettering.

Tom

IRM

Point of some interest: the car behind the TTX piggyback in Tom's photo is Amoco (AMOX) #9499, the tank car donated to IRM at about the same time as the TTX car. #9499 is described in detail in the 3/14/01 brief.

> Point of some interest: the car behind the
> TTX piggyback in Tom's photo is Amoco (AMOX)
> #9499, the tank car donated to IRM at about
> the same time as the TTX car. #9499 is
> described in detail in the 3/14/01 brief.

Also note, these photos are by James Kolanowski and are from the Picture Gallery on the IRM website.

Also, here is a photo of the recently restored CB&Q caboose, in the background of both pictures. It is shown in service on a museum caboose train.

I see the TTX car has poling pockets. I didn't realize that these long cars dated back that far.

> I see the TTX car has poling pockets. I
> didn't realize that these long cars dated
> back that far.

This car was built in 1958. It was one of the FIRST order of cars built for TTX; some of these cars were built by the Pennsy (which was the railroad most involved with getting TTX off the ground), and some by the CB&Q. This one was built by the Burlington, and is the only one of the original series preserved.

The Museum of Transportation in St. Louis also has an old TTX piggyback car. This is ATTX #470833, built in 1955 for the PRR with the same number. It was tranferred to the new Trailer Train firm when that was formed a bit later and kept its PRR number. It's good to see another similar but slightly different car also be preserved. Ours came to us as it was used in later years as a general service flat, with no provision for carrying trailers, and the ATTX reporting marks.


Museum of Transportation
rdgoldfede@aol.com

Ah, typos. The IRM TTX car was built in 1955 by CB&Q in Havelock, IA. 10 cars were built. It was to the same plan as 50 cars built by the Pennsy. Remember that PRR was a mojor moving force in establishing the TTX company. In fact, in the early years the Pennsy performed much of the administrative and support work for TTX, such as accounting, and then billed the new company for services. This car is 74 feet long vs. the present day 89 footers so can only hold perhaps two trailers at 32 feet each. Interestingly, the car is basically ONE piece. From end to end the deck, frame, underframe, bolsters, etc consist of a single massive casting mfd by General Steel Castings. Now, there would be a project for a modeler.


68trolley@home.com

> Ah, typos. The IRM TTX car was built in 1955
> by CB&Q in Havelock, IA. 10 cars were
> built. It was to the same plan as 50 cars
> built by the Pennsy. Remember that PRR was a
> mojor moving force in establishing the TTX
> company. In fact, in the early years the
> Pennsy performed much of the administrative
> and support work for TTX, such as
> accounting, and then billed the new company
> for services. This car is 74 feet long vs.
> the present day 89 footers so can only hold
> perhaps two trailers at 32 feet each.
> Interestingly, the car is basically ONE
> piece. From end to end the deck, frame,
> underframe, bolsters, etc consist of a
> single massive casting mfd by General Steel
> Castings. Now, there would be a project for
> a modeler.

For the record, Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum (North Judson, Indiana) has two TTX flat cars:

TTX #479727 is a class F85b car built by Pullman-Standard in March 1960.

TTX #475037 was built in the Pennsylvania Railroads Altoona Shops in June 1951 and was originally numbered in Pennsy's 475300 to 475559 series. Trailer Train purchased eighty six of these cars from the PRR. The car has a cast steel frame.

Both of the cars were donated by TT to HVRM in June of 1989.

Incidentally, the museum is considering converting TTX #475037 back to a Pennsy flat car and would appreciate if anyone has its original Pennsylvania Railroad number. Thanks.


midlandblb@cs.com

In Re: TTX #475037 was built in the Pennsylvania Railroads Altoona Shops in June 1951 and was originally numbered in Pennsy's 475300 to 475559 series. Trailer Train purchased eighty six of these cars from the PRR. The car has a cast steel frame.

Here is a photo of a car from this series, termed an F30d in Pennsy parlance. The link below, to prr.railfan.net, has more information, including diagrams. Could it be that Trailer Train incorporated these cars into their roster without renumbering them?

Tom
rrhistorian_hotmail.com


PRR Class F30 - 50' all steel flat cars

> In Re: TTX #475037 was built in the
> Pennsylvania Railroads Altoona Shops in June
> 1951 and was originally numbered in Pennsy's
> 475300 to 475559 series. Trailer Train
> purchased eighty six of these cars from the
> PRR. The car has a cast steel frame.

> Here is a photo of a car from this series,
> termed an F30d in Pennsy parlance. The link
> below, to prr.railfan.net, has more
> information, including diagrams. Could it be
> that Trailer Train incorporated these cars
> into their roster without renumbering them?

> Tom
> rrhistorian_hotmail.com

Tom:

Thanks for posting the photo of the Pennsy TOFC flat. As for the possibility of TTX using the same Pennsy numbers, please note that the TTX number for our flatcar is OUTSIDE of the Pennsy series numbers. I talked to a gentleman at TTX a couple of years ago and apparently TTX renumbered the cars in the same series (475xxx) but started at a certain number (probably 475000 or 475001) as the cars came into their shop with no regard to the original PRR numbers. He also could not equate the Pennsy numbers to the TTX numbers.

Nice thought though.

Les Beckman

midlandblb@cs.com

Our car at IRM is a class F39C and is painted a Tuscan Red with white letterring. Again we see the Pennsy influence in color choice. Interestingly, all the early cars were painted this Tuscan red vs. the familiar TTX yellow we all see today. Our car was modified for different types of cargo service throughout its life but never lost its original colors. It had been downgraded from piggyback service before the repaint program took hold.

According the PIC posted on another reply yours is also a cast car but shorter, for a single trailer.

Another footnote, the TTX company tries to never renumber a car. The letters ahead of the number change to reflect the type of assigned service but not the number. You are welcome to visit our site to view and match paint as it is very close or dead on to Pennsy Tuscan red - per TTX research and restoration. Contact me if you are coming and I will try to schedule to meet you and give you the 25 cent tour.

Bob Kutella


68trolley@home.com

> Also, here is a photo of the recently
> restored CB&Q caboose, in the background
> of both pictures. It is shown in service on
> a museum caboose train.

A friend of mine worked for the GN and then the BN after the merger. He related a tale worth telling here.

After the merger, a new trainmaster was assigned to a terminal out west. Innocently, he asked the yardmaster, "Where are the waycars kept?" After the laughter subsided, the yardmaster was heard to say, "Waycars! Hey, we got us a Burlington guy here!"



pullman@privatecarservice.net

> According the PIC posted on another reply
> yours is also a cast car but shorter, for a
> single trailer.

True

> Another footnote, the TTX company tries to
> never renumber a car, The letters ahead of
> the number change to reflect the type of
> assigned service but not the number. You are
> welcome to visit our site to view and match
> paint as it is very close or dead on to
> Pennsy Tuscan red - per TTX research and
> restoration. Contact me if you are coming
> and I will try to schedule to meet you and
> give you the 25 cent tour.

> Bob Kutella

Bob:

Thanks for the tour offer; might take you up on it someday.

As for your statement that TTX "tries to never renumber a car", our source was an article that appeared in the Pennsylvania Railroad Historical Society magazine although I don't know the exact issue. The article was copyrighted in 1989 and is by Ian S. Fischer. It was entitled F30A AND RELATED CLASSES. Quoting from that article:

"The 5,000 car program which the Pennsylvania announced in September 1950 included 250 class F30d flat cars ordered from Altoona Car Shops for May 1951 delivery. These flat cars were numbered PRR #475300-475549."

Later in the article, Mr. Fischer (when discussing TrucTrain and Trailer Train Service) states:

"During 1957 and 1958, 86 of these F30d were transferred to Trailer Train Co. which renumbered them TTX #475001-475086."

So, in THIS case at least, TTX did renumber the cars. And we still have not idenfified the Pennsylvania number of TTX #475037.

Les Beckman (Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum)

midlandblb@cs.com

Sorry if I did make my reply clear. When TTX was formed all member railraods who joined the company had to buy in or pay some from of 'dues'. Often this took the form of transferring some rolling stock to the then new company. So renumberings did occur as TTX set up their own numbering system and digested these acquisitions. What I should have added was that - once assigned a TTX number - that number stays with the car. When many class 1's begin to scrap out or retire a car series they consolidate numbers to make large blocks of 'empty' numbers available for newer cars. This is contrary to the TTX practice of assigning different letter reporting marks but keeping the same TTX number.

Bob


68trolley@home.com