01-20-2009, 07:37 PM
I would not be surprised if all three answers are correct. The cars may have originally been built as early container cars, but the newer stack cars and husky stacks would have rendered the cars obsolete within 5-10 years. They would no longer be practical to be used for containers, but by filling in the back side of the side bracing and removing the roof, they become pulp wood cars. Another railroad that either didn't need pulp wood cars or had a need for a car to handle ties might have figured out how to modify the car for mow tie service. I wonder if there are other uses that the railroads put these cars to. Considering that the life expectancy of a new freight car is 40 years before a complete rebuild is needed, and that railroads don't like to replace equipment prematurely, I would not be surprised if they found other uses for theses cars.