October, 1977
[attachment=9606]
Charlie

BoxcarWapakonetaOH10-8-11 by railohio, on Flickr

For those who can't read it, the road name is Atlantic Coast Line.

[attachment=9609]
Brazilian boxcar I found at a swap meet.

railohio Wrote:
BoxcarWapakonetaOH10-8-11 by railohio, on Flickr

For those who can't read it, the road name is Atlantic Coast Line.

That looks like it's an ex-Railway Express Agency car, Brian: note the stirrup step by the door, along with the vertical grabiron. Here's another, albeit somewhat older, one:




Wayne

Railway Express didn't have any 40-foot cars with REX reporting marks. Some roads leased 40 foot box express cars to Railway Express, but they kept their own reporting marks. The ACL car, it's my guess, had the step at the door and the grab added when it went into MW service (note the window cut into the side). I think the ACL had some 40-foot box express, but they were USRA rebuilds that didn't have the AAR style tabbed bottom sill. The PRR car is an X29, a very, very large class that had some box express cars in it, but they had PRR reporting marks. In the 1930s and 40s, they had Railway Express lettering, but after the 1950s, the ones still in box express service lost that lettering. Walthers still has a set of three available, not sure if this number is in the current set:[attachment=9611]
The one in the photo looks like it may have been in MW or company service, depending on whether the color it faded from was yellow or gray. Again, the step was probably for MW or company service use. But Doctor Wayne is a respectable dude and may have more info than I do!

Thanks for the additional info, jwb. I was aware that the REA cars were leased and carried the reporting marks of their owners. However, I didn't consider the fact that the car in Brian's photo may have been a MoW car. While I know for sure that the white car in my photo was used in express service, it also last served on the Penn Central as a MoW car, in yellow paint. Because I found several photos on-line of preserved X-29s in Railway Express service paint, I, perhaps erroneously, assumed that the extra steps and grabirons (these cars are festooned with the latter ) were from the "express phase" of their long service lives.

jwb Wrote:.....But Doctor Wayne is a respectable dude and may have more info than I do!

I dunno about the respectable bit but I now have more info than I did before your reply. Thanks for helping me to keep learning.

This does, however, cast a shadow of doubt over THIS.

Charlie! Ed! You may need to return those boxcars for some revisions to the added detail. :oops:

Wayne

Having used said X29 box car for storage on the railroad for 10 plus years I can verify the stirrup steps serve no useful purpose in that application. If you had to get in for something you used a ladder so There has to be another reason for the stirrup. Most X29s I have seen used for storage had a small platform or steps that could be thrown in the car when it was moved.
Charlie

I just looked in my book on PRR cars, and though nothing is in print, the only X29 box car with the stirrup step is in REA service. It also carries a 4 digit number and is equipped for high speed and has steam lines. Some roads placed the express cars at the back of the train so the steam lines were not needed.
I have seen pictures of later PRR passenger trains with these cars in the rear too so maybe someone wised up and realized they were losing heat by piping steam through these cars. Even the REA baggage cars have the same stirrup stem and grab iron.

Here's a box car converted to MW service -- an ATEX weed sprayer -- with a step and grab.[attachment=9612]
Browsing through my MW photos (not by me, so I can't post them here), I do note a fair number of boxcars have steps or steps-and-grabs. It's entirely possible that the PRR/PC, with a good supply of former box express cars, transferred them to MW service when express service stopped because they had steps and were otherwise in good condition.

Vermont Railway boxcar used for storage at the Winchester and Western RR Bridgeton, NJ. It has a stencil saying to return to the Lehigh Valley RR.

Bruce[attachment=9623][attachment=9622]

[attachment=9624]

ATSF178610DeshlerOH11-11-11 by railohio, on Flickr

[attachment=9625]

SantaFeChicagoIL3-5-10 by railohio, on Flickr

[attachment=9629]