Car Bodies in rail cars

[nelsb01]

Watching railroad videos on YouTube today -- started watching one entitled "Assembling a Freight Train". This was produced by the Santa Fe Railroad, but there was not a year that I could find. The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway ceased operation in 1996 when it merged with Burlington Northern.

Check out the screen shot -- I have heard and seen pictures of automobile bodies being shipped inside box cars, but never like this in gondola cars.

Anyone have an idea which manufacturer would be doing that?

[V8COOPMAN]

Originally Posted by nelsb01

Check out the screen shot -- I have heard and seen pictures of automobile bodies being shipped inside box cars, but never like this in gondola cars.

Anyone have an idea which manufacturer would be doing that?

Can't answer your question, but Chevy did it with new Vegas in the '70s.




Ford and many others did it too!




Coop

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[mercman from oz]

Bruce, my best guess is that these vehicles are 1953 or 1954 Plymouths?

[nelsb01]

Peter,
As the other pictures show -- those are completed vehicles. The gondola has just finished bodies in them.

[blucar]

When I was a teenager, still in high school I worked for a Ford dealer, "Stoddard Ford" in Idaho Falls, ID. I usually worked for the Body Shop prepping car for paint or New Car prep.
One of our tasks in new car prep was to go to the rail yard and unload new cars from the box cars they were shipped in. It was a tough job unloading the cars, they were double stacked on ramps that were raised and lowered manually. The cars were then taken out of the box cars using floor jacks.
The cars were shipped 'dry', no fluids or battery's. We would install fuel, oil ,coolant and a battery once the vehicles were out of the box cars and on the loading dock. The necessary supplies were transported from the dealership to the rail yard in a pickup that we drove from the dealership. Of course since the vehicles were shipped dry we had to prime the engines with fuel after we put two gallons of fuel in the tank.
We would usually drive the new cars to the dealership six at a time followed by the service truck. On many occasions there would be several cars that we could not start, they were towed to the shop.
When I see old promo films showing new Fords being driven from the factory, I know for a fact that the film is strictly a promo film.
I think the vehicles were shipped dry to save weight, which would save a lot of money in shipping costs.
I had a friend that worked for the local Chevy dealer, they used a similar system for new car transportation and new car prep as Ford did.

[Lanny]

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In the blow-up picture in post #3, it appears that the REAR of those bodies
are facing upward.
It looks like the rear roof sail panel where the back glass would fit up to it.

If it was the front of the car facing upward, then that would be the "A" pillar
where the windshield would fit up to it, but there is NO "A" pillar that would
be that wide.

Man, it's tough to tell what year and make they are though.
The wagons look like '60 Fords.





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[mercman from oz]

Train load of unidentified car bodies.
Are they easier to identify when this picture has been rotated?

[38 coupe]

Looks like 1955 Studebaker to me, but I could be off a bit.

[Lanny]

Thanks to mercman for twisting the picture like that. Now the
roof on the wagons do NOT look like the '60 Ford, not enough
slant at the rear roofline pillar.
Too bad that the sedans are light colored, easier to see the lines
on the darker colors.




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[mercman from oz]

Comparison Shot - 1954 Studebakers, as suggested by 38 coupe

[truckdog62563]

I’m glad you guys settled on Studebakers. I was thinking that too. And iirc, didn’t Budd build bodies for Studebaker? Stu

[Lanny]

I would NOT bet against 38 coupe, I think he is prolly correct.




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