By the late 1970’s, 50-ton hoppers were not uncommon, but their ranks were quickly dwindling. Here a Reading survivor visits Allentown Yard in its final years.

In 1964, the Nickel Plate Road was absorbed into the Norfolk & Western empire. Fourteen years later, many of its cars were still roaming the nation’s rail system. Here a classic offset-side two ... (more)

New Jersey’s fifteen-mile-long Rahway Valley was another short line that took advantage of the ICC incentive per diem boxcar rates of the late 1970’s. By the mid-1980’s, the rules were again... (more)

With more letters in its name than miles in its route, the Lake Erie Franklin and Clarion Railroad joined the per-diem boxcar craze of the late 1970’s. Here one of those cars passes through Alle... (more)

Wonder how the flour and sugar for your bread and Twinkies gets to the bakery? Believe it or not, oftentimes by rail! An airslide hopper with lettering for Hostess products is seen passing throu... (more)

GASX (GATX Corporation) stock car in use by Great Markwestern Packing Company. At least on Conrail, loaded, these would be the first cars behind the locomotives on intermodal trains, and there wou... (more)

One of many Norfolk Southern trains with John Deere machinery in the consist heads east on the Chicago Line. At least six of these trains have passed through northwest Indiana within the last ten ... (more)

New York short line Fonda Johnstown & Gloversville, part of the Delaware Otsego system, acquired ten Evans all-door box cars in 1979. One of them is seen here in Binghamton, New York, not long bef... (more)

A Detroit, Toledo & Ironton PS2 covered hopper rolls through Reading, Pennsylvania.

Fresh from Pullman-Standard’s Butler, Pennsylvania plant, one of a string of Rio Grande covered hoppers rolls through Conrail’s yard in Allentown. I don’t know what routing sent the cars eas... (more)

An Illinois Terminal box car is seen passing through the west end of East Penn Junction, Pennsylvania.

The Erie-Lackawanna acquired a large number of new hoppers in the early- to mid-1970’s, and a lot lasted intact well into Conrail’s existence. Here a car built in April, 1974 rolls through Rea... (more)

A baker’s dozen years after the Great Northern was merged into the Burlington Northern, an unaltered 50’ GN boxcar rolls through Lilly, Pennsylvania.

The Williamsport-Berwick local heads west with new Chessie System boxcars built at Berwick Forge & Fabricating Corp. Within the month the last W-B local will run to Berwick and return on these rai... (more)

”When Empty Return To…”

Well, maybe not this time. This Air Products and Chemicals liquid oxygen tank car is on a one-way trip to an appointment with a torch. The PC mill gon... (more)