SOU-NS MOW Wheel Car-New Orleans 05-14-1997

Norfolk Southern's Oliver Yard has a small shop for repairing cars. Part of that role is replacing wheels as needed, and that means that occasionally a car has to journey to New Orleans with a load of wheels to supply the shop. 

The car on this day was SOU #911268, and the build date for this flat car was September, 1938, so it was in its 61st year of service when I shot this picture at Oliver Junction, just north of Florida Avenue and Oliver Yard. If there is one thing that railroads (at least well-run roads) can do, it's squeeze 25 cents out of a nickel. Long after this car stopped earning revenue for the Southern and then NS, it's still providing a vital MOW service. 

SOU #911268 MOW wheel car on the NS at Oliver Junction NOLA 05-14-1997

SOU #911268 MOW wheel car B-end on the NS at Oliver Junction NOLA 05-14-1997

SOU #911268 MOW wheel car wheelo load and rub rail on the NS at Oliver Junction NOLA 05-14-1997

SOU #911268 MOW wheel car COTS stencil on the NS at Oliver Junction NOLA 05-14-1997

NOPB-New Orleans Public Belt 1990s Box Cars

During the per diem days of the 1970s and early 1980s, the New Orleans Public Belt (NOPB) had a fleet of 50' sliding-door and plug-door box cars in an eye-catching peach scheme with the classic belt logo.  Even faded, it was still an attractive scheme.

NOPB #4316 50' FMC SDR box car on CSX at Arts and Agriculture Streets NOLA 09-09-1995

By the mid-1990s most of the NOPB peaches had left the roster, some repainted and others receiving only new reporting marks. The FMC-built cars kept the peach color much better than the PS-built cars which tended to turn yellow with time and some of which looked as much orange as peach.

TASD #79001 X-NOPB FMC 50' SDR box car at Elaine Avenue in CSX Gentilly Yard NOLA 04-02-1996

HS #5301 X- NOPB 50' PS SDR box car on CSX at Elaine Avenue NOLA 12-23-1995

HS #5322 X- NOPB 50' PS SDR box car on CSX at Elaine Avenue NOLA 12-23-1995

QGRY #77029 50' FMC XP Plug Box Car [Possibly X-NOPB] on NS in Bellevue, OH 08-2005

The Pacific Northwest region provided many of the cars the NOPB picked up.

NOPB #6427 X-SCNT FMC 52' DBL-SDR box car on CSX siding south of Almonaster Avenue below Jourdan Road flyover New Orleans LA 04-1995

NOPB #6401 X-McCloud FMC DBL-SDR box car in the CSX Gentilly Yard at Elaine Ave 11-12-1995

NOPB #6424 X-McCloud FMC 52' XP DBL-DR Box Car on NS North through Oliver Junction NOLA 05-18-1996

NOPB #6428 X-McCloud FMC 52' XP DBL-DR Box Car on NS North through Oliver Junction NOLA 05-18-1996

NOPB #6448 X-McCloud FMC 52' XP DBL-DR Box Car on NS North through Oliver Junction NOLA 05-18-1996

X-RBOX cars also made an appearance on the NOPB box roster.

NOPB #5005 X-RBOX 50' FMC SDR box car at Jourdan Road in CSX Gentilly Yard NOLA 04-02-1996

NOPB #5010 X-RBOX 50' Berwick SDR box car CSX Gentilly Yard 01-14-1996

The NOPB then picked up a number of X-Southern 50' sliding-door, exterior-post box cars.

NOPB #7025 X-SOU PS 50' SDR  box car south on NS through Oliver Junction  NOLA Summer 2000

NOPB #7031 X-SOU PS 50' SDR  box car south on NS through Oliver Junction  NOLA Summer 2000

NOPB #7090 X-SOU PS 50' SDR  box car south on NS through Oliver Junction  NOLA Summer 2000



NOPB #7056 50' Exterior-Post Box Car X-SOU NS Oliver Junction New Orleans 04-09-1998