Bob, the rules are based on the idea of "home districts". The BCK
belonged to district 16 which includes
New York and Pennsylvania. The rule is that if a car belongs to a
railroad in District X, and the car is now
in District X, or is in any ADJACENT District Y, then - no matter
which railroad it is on at the moment - it
can be sent as a load from X or Y to any other destination on any
other railroad.
So an empty BCK box car in Texas for example would NOT be loaded in
Texas to go to California, but it could
be loaded to go to New Jersey or Virginia or Maine - yet none of
those destinations is "home" to the BCK.
In Maine, it could be loaded with clothes pins and sent directly to
California - without violating any rules!
This is why freight cars famously could travel around for months or
even years and never reach home rails.
Tim O'Connor
On 11/10/2021 6:44 PM, Robert G P
wrote:
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Pardon my ignorance on the matter, but why are
those specific states highlighted? I was under the impression
that any interchange XM car in the continental U.S could be
loaded and shipped anywhere.
Thanks
- Bob
Except many were stenciled for flour service
only and return to Buffalo. We’re they used for other
cargo’s, yes. Car service rule zero, protect the shipper.
Also, what’s forgotten is these cars and their DL&W
and LV cousins did go out west often due to integrated
vertical manufacturing processes. Lots of flour milled in
Buffalo was sent for further processing/use along. I have
lists of photos in Texas at a sunshine bakery.
I have a lot of data on flour/grain moves in and out of
Buffalo but haven’t figured out a good way to present it
that would be interesting.
AHEM. The Buffalo Creek
box cars were XM. They could be loaded by ANY railroad
in
Michigan,
Indiana, Ohio, Eastern Canada, West Virginia,
Virginia, Maryland, Delaware. Pennsylvania, New
Jersey,
New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont,
New Hampshire, Maine, or Rhode Island with any
XM type of cargo and from there be sent to
ANY
destination in North America - under standard AAR
car loading rules.
Where is Tim Gilbert when we need him?? Weren't you
guys paying attention during the YEARS of
discussions we had about car loading rules and why
everyone's box cars went practically everywhere?
More generally, BCK box cars were a small percentage
of the North American box car fleet, so they
were most likely infrequent visitors to western Canada
or California or Texas - But they undoubtedly
did end up in those places sometimes.
Here is a ~1960 photo of BCK 2997 in Oakland,
California.
Tim O'Connor
On 11/9/2021 10:56 PM, Jim Mischke wrote:
Bud and friend:
The Buffalo mills produced a variety of proprietary
flours, mixes and feeds. For a western Canadian
customer, a Buffalo Creek boxcar will do.
Insulated boxcars protect ladings from temperature
extremes. Many are cold but few are frozen. Jars
and canned goods cannot be allowed to freeze, so
that might be a lading for an insulated boxcar.. If
western Canadian grocers want Mott's apple sauce
from New York, an NYRB boxcar will do.
Canada has always been largely self-sufficient with
pre-NAFTA tariff barriers to maintain it that way.
Yet there are many occasions when only an American
product will suffice and distinctive US railroad
cars make their way north.
--
Tim O'Connor
--
Tim O'Connor
Sterling, Massachusetts
