If memory serves the Green Bay & Western was the only other buyer of these 52'6" FGE cars. As Nick Molo mentioned, FGE was more a car assembler than a car builder, and these cars look like they have s

Ike wrote: > References seem to be missing for tank cars used in clay slurry service, not used in the early 60s? Clay slurry (in water) did not become common until the mid '70s, and when it did it was

Bill S wrote: > Fairfax Harrison certainly didn’t/couldn’t adapt and it darn near bankrupted the railroad during the depression. Is this why I can't think of any facilities on the Southern named for h

Ike, the letter shows that the problem of cube vs tare is not a new one. Truckers for years have begged for ever longer trailers because so many of their loads cube out before reaching the weight limi

Older lanterns burned animal oil, for several reasons. The important reason for us collectors is the older glass can not take the heat of kerosene fire. The demand for animal oil increased a great dea

What model and make is it? I use regular lamp oil in my lanterns, not kerosene. Scott Chatfield

While you can still find Southern-painted waffle boxcars on the rails (saw one yesterday), almost every last one has lost its original doors. Does anyone recall when that started? Building cars to use

So I was looking through my Southern general arrangement drawings, a pile that stops in the late '60s, and noticed that the drawings for both the Pullman Big Reds and Greenville Little Big Reds both s

Speaking of coal cars, of which I had zero interaction with during my time at the Southern, and rarely photographed afterwards, there is the question of the "Big Reds". Does the term refer to all the

Lee, First thing, if you're looking for O-scale detail parts, the first place I'd call would be Des Plaines Hobbies. Same for S-scale parts. The horn is a Nathan M-3. The bell is a standard "fabricate

> Just to confirm this is from Oct 1984? Yes. Scott Chatfield

I guess my phone doesn't want to upload directly to this list's file section on groups.io, so I'll just attach the images to this email. Scott Chatfield

In the Archives we have a map printed by the Southern of active coal loadouts in October 1984. Of course it includes the Southern and Interstate lines in southwest Virginia. I took quick pics of the m

What were the different colors used to letter the Silversides? (The aluminum coal gons.) I gather the colors had meanings, either for which power company they hauled coal for or which subsidiary they

Thanks for the replies about the Hogshead cars. Very educational. Completely outside of my work at the Southern in intermodal. If memory serves we did have some tire shipments by piggyback into the At

A few questions about the ever popular hogshead cars. 1) Where they ever in interchange service? Especially in their original role of hauling tobacco "hogsheads". 2) I think most of them spent their l

Thanks Bill and Bob. I just couldn't see that short car being used in a full-length passenger train with E units and 85' cars. A derailment waiting to happen. Scott Chatfield

Is this thing for? https://www.ebay.com/itm/Original-Rail-Slide-SOU-Southern-Railway-403-no-location-4-1964-ex-A-EC/303559401497 Scott Chatfield

A 1977 ETT has a chart for the restrictions but no pictures of the placcards. The 1978 version has pictures of the various diamond placcards with the words spelled out. Both state they were no restric

Paul Schmidt asked: > Anyone have access to a Southern Special System Instructions for the late 1970s (or equivalent document for the era) pertaining to the location of a hazmat car within a train? In