MT B&M Weathered Boxcar - question about era

[dave n]

I bought a MT B&M weathered boxcar (last month's release I think) at a show a few weeks ago, not realizing that it had a roofwalk....and I model 1995.  So, a question....did this class of car make it to the non-roofwalk era, and if so, into the '90's?  I like the look of the car and the weathering, and am debating if I should do some minor surgery to remove the roofwalk or just sell it.

thx
Dave

[nkalanaga]

One way to find out would be to go here:
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/railroadList.aspx
and see if they have a picture of the car.  Most of their pictures seem to be from the late 70s or later, and are dated, so if the car is there, you can see when the picture was taken.

I usually look in the car number list, by number range, as finding a particular number is both tedious and unlikely.

[garethashenden]

I can't read the number on the MTL car, but based on the size and location of the logo I'd say it's comparable to this car, still in service in 2005. http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1701203

[Ian MacMillan]

No you would not have seen that car in train service in 1995,  or anywhere close to that date.  That car would have been in wreck train service, a shop storage car, or seen on a dead track to some business and used as storage.

The railpictures.net car is a Seico car and can still be seen in service. Athearn makes this car.

[daniel_leavitt2000]

B&M was so dysfunctional through the 90's, they dropped cars anywhere they could. While this car would not have seen service in the 90's, the weathering level indicates it was long since abandoned. Cars like this literally littered the railroad in Boston at their Summerville yard, Waltham, Ayer and other towns with any need (or capacity) for storage.

In fact, if you check the photos area of nerail.org, you will see they didn't start scrapping in earnest at their Billerica yard until 1996. 

[dave n]

Great - thanks guys.  Not the answer I was hoping for but no biggie.  Makes me wish I would have picked up the weathered SOO car that I had in my hands instead ....