[CBQ] 50ft end door auto cars

["Fred Crissey" <fhc925@frontier.com>]

When I was transferred to Detroit in May 1964, the movement of autos in box cars was just about over.  Autos by rail were now moving on bi and tri level auto racks.  On the second or third day I was in the office the NYC called asking for disposition on a CB&Q 50ft auto box car being released from Cadillac service that day.  I called Mechanical in Chicago for instructions and passed the information back to the NYC.  The NYC guy told me that was the last Q car in the pool.  Someone in our office then told me that was also the last Q box car in auto service.  The cars were sent to Eola (I think) and the Evans loaders were removed at the Reclamation Plant.  The cars were then put into general service.  The end doors were supposed to be welded shut.  A year or two later I got a call from my pals at the GTW.  The war in Vietnam was heating up and GMC Truck and Coach was building some kind of military vehicle in Pontiac and the GTW was looking for 50ft end door box cars that still had working end doors.  The GTW guys said that their mechanical dept. was very efficient and their car ends were all welded shut.  I called Mechanical in Chicago and they found about a dozen Q cars that they had not been welded shut yet.  I had them sent to the GTW at Pontiac.  This T&C pool lasted a couple of years and the cars then returned to general service.  We handled the movement via GTW-CBQ-Grand Island-UP-SP to Oakland.  I wonder if the end doors ever got welded shut on those cars and why didn't I keep that last car number.

Fred Crissey

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