Author Topic: Pool cars, Auto Parts, and yes, GN 60' PS box cars.  (Read 1000 times)

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wcfn100

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Pool cars, Auto Parts, and yes, GN 60' PS box cars.
« on: November 05, 2014, 01:55:07 PM »
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I know I said I was done.  I even promised. But Staffan Ehnbom from the Yahoo MFCL was nice enough to send me the AFE about these cars.  The AFE is from the GNRHS archives and I thought I'd post it here for anyone who's interested in this sort of thing.  For those that don't know, an AFE is an 'Authorization for Expenditure". It's the paper trail of how and why RR spent money.  Anything from buying freight cars to a new stapler would have some sort of paper work.

I'll let people read it for themselves.  It gives a good idea about how pool service cars worked and how the RR decided on it's own participation.



One thing to note in regards to another thread is that the GN already had 15 cars in assigned auto parts service that these cars would replace.  At which point the other car would be 'returned' to the GN as if to say when assigned they weren't really GN property.

I also got some info on the Atlas PS-1s we were (supposed to be) talking about.  I'll post that later today.

Thank you Staffen and GNRHS.

edit:Tried to make image bigger, let me know if it isn't working. And here's the link to the car in question. http://canadianfreightcargallery.ca/cgi-bin/image.pl?i=gn139501&o=gn

Jason
« Last Edit: November 05, 2014, 02:08:11 PM by wcfn100 »

C855B

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Re: Pool cars, Auto Parts, and yes, GN 60' PS box cars.
« Reply #1 on: November 05, 2014, 01:58:34 PM »
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Essentially, "GM told us to buy these cars or we lose their business." Tough crowd.
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cv_acr

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Re: Pool cars, Auto Parts, and yes, GN 60' PS box cars.
« Reply #2 on: November 05, 2014, 03:33:28 PM »
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wcfn100

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Re: Pool cars, Auto Parts, and yes, GN 60' PS box cars.
« Reply #3 on: November 05, 2014, 03:42:27 PM »
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All or some of these in the same pool?

http://canadianfreightcargallery.ca/cgi-bin/search.pl?build_date=1966&keywords=Flint&display=full

CGW, GN, NP, UP

Maybe not the second UP car because it's a different style, but the other cars are the same and all say GTW at Flint.

I had asked about the CGW and if the different roads in the pool were mentioned and that's when he sent me the AFE. 

Jason

nkalanaga

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Re: Pool cars, Auto Parts, and yes, GN 60' PS box cars.
« Reply #4 on: November 06, 2014, 01:20:42 AM »
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Thank you!  So, unlike the 86 ft cars most are familiar with, these were used to ship parts FROM the factory to dealers/retailers/etc, and ultimately the consumers?  Interesting.  I never thought of the auto industry using dedicated cars for that.

For those who don't know him, Staffan Ehnbom is one of the GNRHS's most prolific reference sheet researcher/writers, specializing in freight cars.
N Kalanaga
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cv_acr

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Re: Pool cars, Auto Parts, and yes, GN 60' PS box cars.
« Reply #5 on: November 06, 2014, 03:36:59 PM »
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Thank you!  So, unlike the 86 ft cars most are familiar with, these were used to ship parts FROM the factory to dealers/retailers/etc, and ultimately the consumers?  Interesting.  I never thought of the auto industry using dedicated cars for that.

Maybe I just missed it but I didn't see where you picked up on that?

I would rather expect from a parts factory in Flint to multiple assembly plants. I think that retailer/dealer volumes would be LCL.

nkalanaga

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Re: Pool cars, Auto Parts, and yes, GN 60' PS box cars.
« Reply #6 on: November 07, 2014, 01:49:21 AM »
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Because as far as I know there were no assembly plants in Great Falls.  If there were, I've never seen any mention of them, and that's in the general area I model.  As for volume, I was thinking of a regional distributor, which would then truck the parts to individual dealers/retailers/etc. 

If there was an assembly plant in Great Falls, I'd love to have some details on it, including whether it was still operating in 1974 (my era).
« Last Edit: November 07, 2014, 01:51:33 AM by nkalanaga »
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sirenwerks

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Re: Pool cars, Auto Parts, and yes, GN 60' PS box cars.
« Reply #7 on: November 07, 2014, 06:17:08 AM »
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So it sounds like my information source was right, no online (manufacturing/assembly) plants.  I was obviously wrong about the pool part.  I'd like to see what the destination facilities looked like in Great Falls, etc..  If Nick is right, they were warehouses.
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cv_acr

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Re: Pool cars, Auto Parts, and yes, GN 60' PS box cars.
« Reply #8 on: November 07, 2014, 09:39:55 AM »
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OK, you guys definitely know a lot more about the GN's geography than I do.

Are Grand Falls, Fargo and Portland interchange points with other railways?

nkalanaga

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Re: Pool cars, Auto Parts, and yes, GN 60' PS box cars.
« Reply #9 on: November 08, 2014, 02:33:51 AM »
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Portland is a major interchange point, with both the SP and UP.  Great Falls and Fargo, not so much, but they are the major cities in fairly sparsely populated areas, so would be logical distribution centers.  Portland is also a very large market in itself, probably serving most of Oregon and parts of southwest Washington.

Great Falls had an interchange with the MILW, but unless the car was going to somewhere between Great Falls and Harlowton it wouldn't make much sense to interchange it there.  The GN and MILW also had an interchange in Butte, and for points east of Harlowton it would make more sense to send the car in from the east.

Fargo had a Soo Line interchange, as well as the NP, that I know of, but the GN interchanged with the Soo Line lots of places in the upper Midwest, and the NP in several, so again, it probably wouldn't be a major interchange point for auto parts.
N Kalanaga
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