Did you ever see something that just NAGS at ya? While on the Facebook page for the Ironhorse Railroad Park in Chisago City, Minnesota, I came across a section showing some photos of recent additions to their collection. One of those photos was of UP #908372. Where did I see that car before? Couldn't find it on the usual internet places I looked, and then I remembered starting this thread on drop bottom gondolas. Could that have been where I remembered it from? As you can see by the above...YES! And just so you won't have to look any further, Jason Midyette quickly answered my above question by advising that UP 908372 is indeed a MofW number.

Now for one of the other photos in that group of photos of the Ironhorse Railroad Park recent additions; C&S (Burlington Route) steel 40' box car # 1771. I know I've seen a shot of that car somewhere before...............!

Les

Les and all,
The Western Railway Museum sent the Sugar Beet gondola ex Southern Pacific to the San Louis Opismo Railroad Museum last summer.

And just to pick nits, the proper name of the Western Pacific Railroad Museum at Portola is Railroad. I was there in November and did not see the car; but I is a big place and was looking at passenger cars.

Ted Miles, WRM Archives Volunteer

Ted -

Western Pacific RAILROAD Museum. Looks like that was my mistake earlier in the thread. Thanks for the correction.


Les

This one?

I somehow missed this thread the first time around, but since it came back up, is the NP car at Toppenish the same one that used to be on display with Great Northern 454A (F7 in fake NP paint) behind Bandana Square in St. Paul?

Richard -

I looked on the internet for an old photo of the equipment that was displayed with the F7 at Bandana Square, but was unable to locate one. However, my educated guess is that it is the same car. I did find a mention that the railroad equipment there at the Square was given to MTM and the NP drop bottom gon at Toppenish is "on loan from MTM" thus the guess that it IS the same car.

Maybe someone has an old photo that could confirm it or perhaps someone from MTM could advise.

Les

Weyerhaeuser had several drop bottom gons converted to log cars on their Oregon California & Eastern RR. They cut the box off and added log bunks. All were scrapped. Between 1977 and 1984 I worked at a large scrap yard in Seattle. We scrapped a lot of UP and Milwaukee drop bottom gons. We also used them as scrap cars for shipping to the mill. When I couldn't get the doors closed we just dropped in a box car door in as a false bottom. We had about 40 gons and ballast cars we used to shuttle scrap between the yard and the Bethlehem mill.