By "growlythings" I presume you mean those rolling smudge pots at the head of the train. In any event, while I could not open the photo yesterday this morning it was done. Unfortunately the angle of view on the GPEX car prevents me from offering anymore than was posted uyesterday about who might have leased it. With a large file of GPEX car photos here for reference, certainly not just limited to New England, I cannot find any with an emblem that could be mistaken for what is seen on the forward end of the GPEX car in the photo. My best guess, however, is that it is either an empty being returned to Florida, occasionally with both tanks full of good New England drinking water, or a load of oragen juice concentrate heading north.
Sorry I can't offer more, Don Valentine
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
--- In STMFC@..., "al_brown03" <abrown@...> wrote:
The file is called ACL912ROCKYMT-1200.jpg
Car in question is the second one behind the growlythings.
Al Brown, Melbourne, Fla.
--- In STMFC@..., "Don" <riverman_vt@> wrote:
--- In STMFC@..., "Bill" <wpmccoy@> wrote:
Warren Calloway sent the photo I've sent to the Photos section of ACL 912 North at Rocky MT, NC in probably 1963 or 64. I know the photo date is outside this group's scope but the second car in the train may not be. It looks like a GAF Pfaulder reefer with a monogram of some sort and the standard GAC gold lettering. I want to justify one of these cars for my 1950s SE era. Any ideas on who the lesssee would be?
Unfortunately I cannot find the photo you refer to in the photo section under "ACL", "Calloway", GPEX, or "milk car" but expect you are probably refering to 6,000 gal. capacity cars of orange juice concentrate from Dunedin, Fla. to Boston for H.P. Hood & Sons, though others unknown to me may also have moved o.j. concentrate in this manner. Hood was still receiving such carloads until it went to trucks in 1972. The steam and passenger signal lines were removed from the milk cars earlier for use in freight rather than passenger service. H.P. Hood, by-the-way, was the largest user of the GPEX cars and the last to use them in milk service. The Richter Vinegar Company, however, was still using them in brine service between Manitowoc, Wis. and Ludington, Mich. as late as August 1978 in which service they spent more time on Lake Michigan car ferries than on actual rail. The L&N and GM&O, thence IC, used a number of them for water cars in work train service as well. At least a half dozen have been preserved at various locations.
Cordially, Don Valentine
