To add to the modelling aspect, we were one of the larger warehouses servicing 600 dealers in Chicago, northern Illinois, southern Wisconsin, eastern Iowa, and northwestern Indiana. We had an inside rail dock that held nine 40ft boxcars. We normally received one switch per day, usually late in the afternoon.
Sometimes a second switch would be added taking place around midnight.
-------- Original message --------
From: "Bill Hirt whirt@fastmail.com [CBQ]" <CBQ@yahoogroups.com>
Date: 8/7/16 3:39 PM (GMT-06:00)
To: CBQ@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [CBQ] 60 ft and 86 ft Auto Parts Box Cars
Larry,
For most of us that model, your information is very useful (and
space saving). I've noticed a lot of parts warehouse looking
through various railroad's industry and siding guides, so there
was probably a pretty steady stream of cars to support them. Those
60 and 86 foot cars take up a lot of modeling space.
Bill Hirt
Group,
Let me take this in a slightly different direction, but I
think, still on topic.
I worked for 30+ years for the General Motors Parts Division
in a local parts warehouse (Parts Distribution Center). Our
function was to supply dealerships with genuine GM parts. If you
remember the Goodwrench jingle "Keep that great GM feeling with
genuine GM parts!" that was us.
Our warehouse was located in Broadview, IL on the Indiana
Harbor Belt. We received our inbound loads via 40 & 50 foot
boxcars, mostly eastern roads. I never saw anything larger.
With that, my guess is that the larger cars were used to
transport parts between the manufacturers/suppliers and the
assembly plants.
Larry Owen
Bolingbrook, IL
Sent via the
Samsung Galaxy S7, an AT&T 4G LTE smartphone
-------- Original message --------
Date: 8/6/16 10:58 AM (GMT-06:00)
Subject: Re: [CBQ] 60 ft and 86 ft Auto Parts Box Cars
Tom,
I have not seen any of these cars in actual consists that
have been posted. You might recall the recent Trains magazine
article about the BN merger. In the article, it says the BN
had no online auto plants that it served. That reduces the
possibility of these cars showing up regularly on the Q. The Q
did contribute cars to auto plant and auto part pools. The
recent Operations SIG publication Dispatchers Office had a
several page article by Brian Holtz about RBL pool cars for
the Schlitz breweries. The railroads made money on these cars
because they were in constant service, paid daily per diem,
and often never saw their home rails. I've read in books and
articles about the GB&W that many auto parts cars to the
Twin Cities would take the Ann Arbor ferry across Lake
Michigan to the GB&W. It avoided the Chicago congestion
and was faster. That was the primary lifeblood of the
GB&W. They could easily turn these cars over the MILW at
Winona. When deregulation came, the railroads changed rate
structures and that was the end of the ferries and pretty much
the beginning of the end of the GB&W as then existed.
There was also a C&O ferry to Milwaukee which cars could
be turned directly to the MILW for hauling to Ford plant in
the Twin Cities.
Bill Hirt
Does anyone know what routes the longer 60' and 86' auto
parts box cars might have traveled on the Q?
I cannot recall seeing photos of any of these long boxcars
running between Chicago and Mpls/StP. It got me to wondering
if there were any auto plants along the line or at either
end that would be serviced by these longer cars. That might
account for not seeing any photos or references.
Has anyone ever researched this or does anyone recall
photos of these long box cars running on the C&I in the
late 1960's?
Tom Mack
Cincinnati, OH