--- On Tue, 12/23/08, Eric Hansmann <eric@...> wrote:

From: Eric Hansmann <eric@...>
Subject: [STMFC] LIFE: Rock Island train yard 1946
To: STMFC@...
Date: Tuesday, December 23, 2008, 6:23 AM






Rob Kirkham wrote:
Kind of makes me wonder how many of these cars are identifiable. ....? Reminds me of some of
the most enjoyable pages on the Steam Era Freight cars web page.....

============ ========= ========= =======

Well, I've got the morning off, so I'll take a crack at this.

Here's that link again:

http://images. google.com/ hosted/life/ f?q=Locomotives+ source:life& prev=/images% 3Fq%3DLocomotive s
%2Bsource:life% 26start%3D18% 26ndsp%3D18% 26hl%3Den% 26sa%3DN& imgurl=499ba8323 0c2fb3c

I downloaded the image to my computer and opened it in Photoshop. I used three main tools;
magnify, the Sharpen filter, and contrast and brightness adjustments. I was able to determine
the following details.

As a point of info, the car numbers are not easily determined on this photo, if they can be
seen at all. Without a car number, it is difficult to determine exactly what class or kind of
car is pictured here. Any updates to these comments are welcomed.

Track 1
Rock Island 77189 (?) - USRA double-sheathed box car
Southern Pacific xxxxx (?) - 40-foot, composite, drop-bottom gondola.
Next four cars are very similar single-sheathed box cars, but photo enhancement fails to reveal
any reporting marks or numbers. The first car in the line seems to have end and side ladders,
but it is difficult to determine.
Cars beyond this are difficult to determine.

Track 2
Unknown refrigerator car - it seems to be painted with dark sides and a white fascia. A small
portion of a circular herald can be seen but not enough detail is available to identify.
PFE refrigerator car; wood-sheathed. - A Southern Pacific Lines circular herald can be seen at
the far end, but there is no car number.
KCS 25037 (?) - 40-foot steel box car. This car seems to have a 7/8 Murphy end, so it may be a
rebuild.
Next two cars are refrigerator cars, but details are difficult to determine.

Track 3
Much of this track is empty or has low height cars that cannot be seen. The few cars on this
track are too far away to determine.

Track 4
PFE refrigerator car; wood-sheathed - A Union Pacific herald can be seen at the far end, but
the car number is unreadable.
PFE refrigerator car; steel-sheathed - A Union Pacific herald can be seen at the far end, but
the car number is unreadable.
Refrigerator car - A herald can be seen at the far end, but the car number is unreadable. It
looks like an ART car that was discussed here recently.
PFE refrigerator car - A Union Pacific herald can be seen at the far end, but the car number is
unreadable.
A couple more similar refrigerator cars are on this track, but details cannot be determined.

Track 5
Much of this track is also empty or has low height cars that cannot be seen. The few cars on
this track are open top hoppers.

Track 6
Just the end corner of an odd composite car can be seen. The steel structure reminds me of a
Seley hopper.
Canadian National composite gondola with what seems like a load of run-of-mine coal.
Illinois Central twin offset hopper with a much finer coal load.
40-foot steel box car - GM&O? The reporting marks are not readable, but there is a recognizable
(yet unreadable) banner painted to the right of the door.
Rock Island Howe-truss, single-sheathed box car.
Unknown refrigerator car
Tall, single-sheathed door and a half 50-foot box car. Reporting marks and number are
unreadable.
Cars beyond this are difficult to determine.

Track 7 and Beyond
Past this last track, smaller details are difficult to determine. A Santa Fe herald is visible
on a reefer just beyond the IC hopper on track 6. The tops of a couple of tank cars can be seen
just beyond that car. Just to the left of the tank cars and back another row of cars, it looks
like there may be Dominion/Fowler car. The framing structure looks similar as does the
lettering placement, but positive ID cannot be made. Panning further right, a lone stock car
(Northern Pacific?) and a B&O wagon top box car catch the eye.

Many reefers and many single-sheathed box cars make this an interesting scene. I wish there was
another image from a different angle.

Eric Hansmann
Morgantown, W. Va.
- for now


















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