[CBQ] PRR H34C or H34D Covered Hopper and RBBQ RBL Insulated Boxcar at Oregon, IL

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

I ran across a very interesting photo on eBay showing a PRR H34C or H34D covered hopper at Oregon, IL in 1965:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Amateur-Original-Photo-Slide-1965-Oregon-Illinois-Burlington-RT-RR-Train-4960-/123701708716?hash=item1ccd3247ac%3Ag%3AYpcAAOSwVZ1ck6DY&nma=true&si=0phcaohxUek8u0A9lFIB7Lu9CKg%253D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

The covered hopper is actually sitting on one of the two freight house tracks. I was excited to see a non-CB&Q covered hopper at Oregon. My first guess is that this would be going to the sand plant, but it seems odd that an empty PRR covered hopper would be so far off-line for a load. The PRR H34 class covered hoppers were heavily used in sand service, but a lot of it was apparently foundry sand out of sand plants in Pennsylvania. So I am wondering if there might have been a foundry in Oregon that may have used foundry sand? Any insight into what this car might be doing in Oregon, IL would be appreciated!

Second, notice the outside braced insulated boxcar (RBL) behind the locomotive. That doesn't surprise me as I imagine it is for Carnation and I have other photos at Oregon of green/yellow RBLs and older ice reefers at Oregon. This car is part of RBBQ series 79800-79899 built by Havelock in 1965! RBBQ indicated these cars were actual CB&Q cars, not leased to Burlington Refrigerator Express (RBBX). There are several "spotting features" identifying these cars:

1. Outside braced

2. Notice the flat plate just to the left of the Burlington Route herald plate. This is for the "HYDRAULIC CUSHIONING" letter plate and because these cars were only 50', the plate had to be located right next to the BR herald plate. In the 60' cars these plates were separated from the BR herald plate. 

3. According to BB 12 page 37 on Reefers: "these 1965 cars had their 10-foot-wide plug door positioned slightly off-center to the right of each side. The wide off-center door, coupled with the comparatively short length of the cars and the fact that the door opened to the shorter end of the car, led to an unusual feature on these cars: the door stop had to be positioned right in the lower center of the Burlington Route herald." Now, take a look at the photo link. You can clearly see the dark door stop in the Burlington Route herald (which, BTW, matches the location in the photo on page 37 of BB 12)!

-- 
Tom Mack
Cincinnati, OH

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