JP Barger asked:
"Hi-- Tony Thompson's last message made me think that a 'pareto' list of the
top twenty RR's total freight car ownership in 1950 would be most useful in
thinking about what is under- and what is overrepresented in model form.
Does someone have this data?"

Data compiled by John Nehrich from January 1949 ORER:

Railroads (22 - CN/CP included for comparison)
Pennsylvania - 214,799 revenue freight cars
New York Central - 129,369 cars
Baltimore & Ohio - 102,190 cars
Canadian National - 90,733 cars
Canadian Pacific - 82,397 cars
Chesapeake & Ohio - 80,881 cars
Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe - 78,904 cars
Louisville & Nashville - 68,319 cars
Norfolk & Western - 60,178 cars
Milwaukee Road - 57,475 cars
Illinois Central - 56,516 cars
Southern - 55,368 cars
Southern Pacific - 51,042 cars
Chicago Burlington & Quincy - 49,499 cars
Union Pacific - 46,608 cars
Chicago & North Western - 46,227 cars
Great Northern - 40,480 cars
Northern Pacific - 35,787 cars
Missouri Pacific - 35,022 cars
Reading - 32,032 cars
Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific - 27,997 cars
St. Louis - San Francisco - 26,760 cars
 
Private Car Owners:
Union Tank Car - 42,316 cars
General American Transportation - 41,521 cars
Pacific Fruit Express - 37,635 cars
 
I also compiled a comparison of boxcar fleets for January 1950 and formatted it
on a slide for my clinics - Brian Carlson used it last for his presentation at
the last Greensburg meet.  I'll post it to the files section latetr tonight if
it's not already there.
 
 
Ben Hom