Richard Stallworth asked: "I have been told that PRR x31f(?) class boxcars-the turtlebacks never left home rails. Is this true?" No (by the way, X31f is the correct class). Here's another piece

Released to general service: Per a conductors book in my posession, on 3/16/1948, PRR 81840 carried a load of common nails over Sherman Hill on it's way to Portland Ore. Dave Nelson

I would highly doubt that they were confined to PRR rails after the war since there's an 1947 photo that includes the end of one of these cars being switched in Mayfield yard (Scranton) on the O&W

Well, remember, Dave, all the OTHER carriers would have to agree, or convince the ICC to permit it. I don't know that it was a FAT payment, but if so, the ICC would certainly have had an input.

2-28-01 In 1911,MDT had a series of 40' reefers with MDTX initials; I think the number series was MDTX 30000 and up. From a picture in a 1911 Equip. Register the car looked to be the same design

Good afternoon: I have been told that PRR x31f(?) class boxcars-the turtlebacks never left home rails. Is this true? I was told they were designed for hauling jeeps during WW2. What happened

Dave, I suspect we have economics and accidents of history to explain why tank cars and reefers (and to a lesser extent stock cars) were privately owned, but other car types were not. Most of these

Dave Nelson asks: Dave, I think the specialized nature of tank car and reefer traffic had inhibited railroads from wanting to own very big fleets, so private owners tended to do the job, and got the

As it appears it was a smart move to form all of the reefer and tank car companies, why didn't other car types and commodities get addressed this way too? Fer instance, 50' boxcars with auto racks

Richard Hendrickson wrote: Don't know about the others, Richard, but I do know from extensive references in PFE correspondence on official matters that it was indeed considered privately owned. Yes,

Byron Rose wrote: Good point, Byron; I'd forgotten about URT's use of URTC in the 1920s. But the latest example I can find of a car with URTC reporting marks is 1930, so your conjecture about the

Gentlemen, I stole this good idea from Richard Stallworth (he's a buddy of mine and a fellow Seaboard modeler). Mike Brock invited me to the list and I'm happy to be here, and am excited to learn as

I'll try to find time to do this, but it won't happen in the next week or two. No, but see below. Many URTX wood reefers were rebuilt beginning in the mid-1950s with 4-4 Dreadnaught ends and steel

Actually, a separate corporation in which many railroads owned stock: PRR, B&O, ACL, L&N, and Southern were among the major RRs that participated. Unlike PFE, SFRD, ART, and MDT, all of which (as

OTOH, Union Refrigerator Transit Line used URTC into the 30s and then changed to URTX. Could have had something to do with it's purchase by General American in 1930, but I believe URTC was in use

Richard, FGEX was a subsidiary of the L&N, ACL, and some other southeastern roads I believe. Warren SFRD, IC, NP, BAR, CN & CP reefers were obviously RR owned. ART, PFE, MDT(&

SFRD, IC, NP, BAR, CN & CP reefers were obviously RR owned. ART, PFE, MDT(& NRC) were apparently considered to be RR owned, as the companies were direct subsidiaries of WAB/MP, SP/UP and NYC. But

John Nehrich asks: John, read the message again. PFE and MDT (along with SFRD) already existed, with non-"X" marks, when this rule went into effect. PFE at least was definitely considered