Re: [CBQ] Military Loads

["Tom Mack via groups.io" <thommack=yahoo.com@groups.io>]

On Tue, Dec 2, 2025 at 07:02 PM, Rick Keil wrote:

Did the Q handle much military traffic.

My wheel reports from the late 1960's indicate four military loads, including one that is most probably an M48A3 or M60 battle tank.

 

CB&Q 94114 FM-3A flat car on train NP E614-1-24 eastbound was headed via the Q to Terre Haute, IN. The load is TANKS (plural), but at 12 tons, this could be tanks as in steel storage tanks.

 

The next two are definitely military. Both cars were in CB&Q Train 97 headed westbound (north compass), but on two different dates.

 

ERIE 8119, a 53' 6" 70-ton flat car (Sunshine Models made these cars as kit #30.11 in HO) was carrying TANKS to Proving Ground, IL with consignee Savanna Ordnance Depot on CB&Q Train 97 on 08-26-1965. But the weight was only 12 tons. Assuming that the load is correctly plural (TANKS not TANK) implies a weight of 6 tons average per vehicle, which seems very light for a military tank. But maybe these are military vehicles. Someone else may be able to hazard a guess.

 

USNX 28722, a 50' boxcar with 10' door opening, was carrying 25-tons of a load simply called "Military" to Proving Ground, IL with consignee Traffic Office on CB&Q Train 97 on 06-04-1966. I doubt this was a military vehicle in a boxcar. Probably munitions?

 

The next load, in 1968 and weighing 50 tons, is almost definitely an M48A3 or M60 battle tank since both were in the 50 ton range and used in the Vietnam war. I did some quick research, and the the M60 weighed 50.7 tons, with the M60A1 weighing 52.6 tons, according to Google AI. Wikipedia says the M48A3 tank weighed 49.6 tons, which rounded up would be 50 tons. In 1968 I would think this is most likely an M60, but historically this could be an M48.

 

NP 62388, a 50' flat, is carrying a TANK (singular) weighing 50 tons.  This load was on GN train 88 on 05-03-1968 routed QEJBO (CB&Q to EJ&E to B&O) with an ultimate destination of CULBERTSO PA consignee LETARMDEP, which would be the Letterkenny Army Depot in Chambersburg, PA. While Google maps indicates Culbertson, PA is about 31 miles from the depot, MapQuest shows it right at the entrance to the depot - https://www.mapquest.com/us/pennsylvania/culbertson-492932276. Google AI confirms Letterkenny Army Depot's maintenance facilities serviced tanks during the Vietnam War. 

 

So I think we can safely say there is definitive movement of an M48 or M60 over the Q between Mpls/StP and Chicago in 1968 on an NP flat car. BTW, this series NP flat car (NP 62300-62494) was made by Exactrail in HO and the cars were lettered with a capacity of 158,000 pounds (79 tons) - plenty of capacity for a single 50-ton tank. So you can even get a prototype model of this flatcar for the Rapido M60 load. 

 

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Tom Mack
Cincinnati, OH
Modeling Chicago-Mpls/StP 1965-merger

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