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US freight cars in Cuba
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Dennis Storzek
Those appear to have narrow frames and added panels to make the ends wider, and are short cars. Didn't the NC&StL have some 36' cars rebuilt with Youngstown steel sides. The thought occurs to me that they weren't "trapped" by the revolution, more likely purchased second hand in the fifties.
Dennis Storzek |
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Steven D Johnson
This article is from the Summer 2017 issue of the NC&StL Preservation Society’s newsletter, The Dixie Flyer.
From what I can determine, L&N sold off a bunch of those 36 ft. NC&StL boxcars just after the merger. I know some also went to Mexico. I have a slide of one of those cars, still in the yellow stripe scheme, lettered for one of the Mexican railroads. Will have to dig it out and report back.
Steve Johnson Nashville, TN
From: main@RealSTMFC.groups.io [mailto:main@RealSTMFC.groups.io] On Behalf Of John Riddell
Sent: Thursday, February 23, 2023 12:20 PM To: main@RealSTMFC.groups.io Subject: [RealSTMFC] US freight cars in Cuba
There are a number of US freight cars still in Cuba in various places. In Santa Clara at least four US-built boxcars exist in an historical exhibit that were part of a 17-car armored train operated by the Batista regime during the revolution. These US-built boxcars had been armored and curiously were painted with the distinctive three yellow stripes commonly painted on boxcars of the NC & St L. They appear to be rebuilt single-sheathed cars with inverse Hutchins ends.
John Riddell
Sent from Mail for Windows
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Jim Eager
SeaTrain Lines ended service to Cuba in 1951, and in 1953 sold its operating authority to Cuba and one of its rail car carrying ships to West India Fruit and Steamship. West India continued to operate until 1961, but rail service to Cuba was drastically reduced following the Revolution in 1959 and then halted by the Embargo of 1960. US road cars would have been routine visitors to Cuba up to the time of the Revolution. Some US cars may have been sold to Cuban roads, like these former NC&StL cars, others may have been stuck on the island when rail ferry service stopped, but Cuban railroads had been buying US manufactured railcars for some time. ACF supplied seel frame boxcars and flatcars to three Cuban roads in the 1919-1920 period. Later, Mt Vernon Car sold 40' all-steel boxcars to Ferrocarriles Consolidados de Cuba (Consolidated Railroads of Cuba):
1947 – 250 steel Box, MtVC Lot 10320, photo of car 17190, 17204, AAR 10-0, 6' YSD, 3/4 EIDE, Murphy panel roof 1952 – 350 steel Box, MtVC Lot 11###, photo of car 17322, AAR 10-6, 6' YSD, R3/4 Dartnought, Murphy panel roof I have also seen photos of 40' 10-6 cars with 8' YSD, R3/4 LIDE, and Diagonal-panel roof, and an ex-CP minibox. Jim Eager |
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Jim Eager
Photo links:
FDC 150392, ex FCCC MtVC -52 https://www.railcarphotos.com/PhotoDetails.php?PhotoID=124179
FDC 150774, ex-FCCC MtVC -52 https://www.railcarphotos.com/PhotoDetails.php?PhotoID=63039 FDC 150827, ex-FCCC MtVC -52 https://www.railcarphotos.com/PhotoDetails.php?PhotoID=130827 FDC 150889, ? https://www.railcarphotos.com/PhotoDetails.php?PhotoID=124836 FDC 151271, ex-CP https://www.railcarphotos.com/PhotoDetails.php?PhotoID=85872 Jim Eager |
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As far as I know (I don't know everything!) the so called "dartnot" or "dartnaught" ends were only manufactured by ACF. Of course they could have been supplied to Mt Vernon or anyone else, instead of procuring ends from SRE (Standard Railway Equipment). ACF produced two versions of the ends (with and without little dimples along the outer edge). I had thought that Matt's photo showed the dimples (a definite ACF trait), but now I see I was mistaken. That 150889 welded car certainly looks like it's from the 1950's rather than 1940's, based on the features Jim lists along with the style of the sill tabs. On 2/23/2023 8:42 PM, Jim Eager wrote: Photo links: --
Tim O'Connor Sterling, Massachusetts |
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Robert G P
Was the Ex CP minibox sold to Cuba? On Fri, Feb 24, 2023 at 10:04 AM Tim O'Connor <timboconnor@...> wrote:
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Jim Eager
No idea. It could have been, since Canada maintained trade with Cuba, or it could have been marooned when rail ferry service ended.
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