Here is Ed Hawkins' response to the leased SHPX covered hopper
longevity question.
Hol
On May 1, 2013, at 8:59 AM, HOL WAGNER wrote:
I've misplaced your personal e-mail
address, so I'm using this one. Al Hoffman was just here yesterday and I
could have gotten it from him, but the inquiry below just came through
today. Don't know if you have more definitive information now on the
leased SHPX hoppers than you did way back when, but knew you would be the
person who would have the answer to this question if anybody does.
Thanks.
Hol
Hi Hol,
Unfortunately I don't
know a thing about the longevity of SHPX cars leased to CB&Q and how long
the railroad continued to lease them. Based on what I've learned from seeing
other SHPX leased cars, both covered hoppers and tank cars, if the lessee
stencils on a new car was small (1"), the car was on a short-term lease. A
long-term lease of 10 years allowed the lessee to have their company name in
larger-size lettering and other graphics applied.
If this logic
prevailed on the SHPX covered hoppers leased to CB&Q, then they on
short-term lease of probably one year or maybe less. Without having access to
any SHPX lease records, it becomes a case of finding a later in-service photo
of a car originally leased to CB&Q to see who leased the car. I have not
found any later photos of cars from the two series of SHPX cars originally
leased to CB&Q (25578-25587, painted black, built 2-48, and 25588-25562,
painted gray, built 3-48).
Ed