Take a look-see; wow, thirty years since the absorption of our road and this baby is still rolling around as-delivered with original reporting marks. She was in a west-bound loaded grain train headed out of Minot, ND this morning behind the morning Amtrak train. Covered Hopper 86652.
Re: Guess what I saw in Minot, ND this morning! That's cool! What's the deal with the green hopper and SLSF reporting marks?
Re: Guess what I saw in Minot, ND this morning! Ethan - Just before the BN merger in late 1980 eek, the SLSF was due to receive an order of 300 55ft, 100-ton, 4750 cu ft LO covered hoppers from Pullman-Standard. The Frisco people, being nice guys rolleyes, specified that they all be received in the BN "Gangreen" color. Keith's pic posted today shows what we got. Ken
Re: Guess what I saw in Minot, ND this morning! According to Marre and Sommers' Frisco in Color, These were delivered shortly before the merger. The idea was that once the merger occurred, BN could just re-letter them, but that never happened. Paul
Re: Guess what I saw in Minot, ND this morning! Ya gotta love it. I still see Frisco cars at Chaffee every now and then. The Frisco still rides the rails!
Re: Guess what I saw in Minot, ND this morning! Nice catch, Keith. Why the heck you in Minot? Did you not get enough cold in KC this winter? Except for maybe Fairbanks and Duluth, Minot has to rate as one of the coldest places on Earth. (in my book anyway)
Re: Guess what I saw in Minot, ND this morning! I was in Minot on business that only took about 2 hours yesterday, but because of flight times, I had to spend the night. It gave me some time to visit with an old friend (the former majority owner and service manager of the Toyota dealership; 1962-1989) and some time to do some railfanning this morning (high today was 2 F). I traveled ND and SD for two years and knew where to go to see the most. I never thought I would see what I did! I'm now back home in KC for the night and off to St Louis tomorrow; plan to hook up with Ken Wulfert in the evening.
Re: Guess what I saw in Minot, ND this morning! Nice catch. Nothing like being at the right place at the right time (especialy with a camera). I haven't seen a Frisco car in quite some time but Iim always looking
Re: Guess what I saw in Minot, ND this morning! Shouldn't have to look to far... There's one in Carona that isn't gonna leave
Re: Guess what I saw in Minot, ND this morning! That's a nice thing to hear, Jim. What types of cars do you see there? I'll have to look in my notes for the number, but in the mid-90s, I noted an SL-SF covered hopper in Chaffee. A few years later, I saw the same on in Mexico, MO on KCS rails (Gateway Western at the time). It was surprisingly emotional! Keith, thanks for sharing this one. Now...I just hope to see some layout update pics from you!
Re: Guess what I saw in Minot, ND this morning! Part of the time my job places me a little north of downtown St Louis. You occasionally see Frisco cars. I didn't have a camera but I made a few notes. 7/23/08 Hopper 81192 BNSF East track south bound @1445 8/12/08 Red Hopper #? couldn't read (HLMX) BNSF East track n/b @0850 8/12/08 Red Hopper 87635 BNSF East track n/b @0850 12/23/08 Red Hopper 87764 BNSF East track n/b I didn't write the time At this point BNSF, NS and UP are starting to converge going into downtown. Amtrak and the TRRA also frequent the rails.
Re: Guess what I saw in Minot, ND this morning! Charlie, Thanks for catching my lapse in time (and math). I have corrected my original post.
Re: Guess what I saw in Minot, ND this morning! Gee, can it really be 30 years the SLSF has been gone? Good grief! Ken
Re: Guess what I saw in Minot, ND this morning! Wow, it still looks great. I caught this one in 1991, in Bottineau, North Dakota: http://www.pbase.com/mecrharris/image/55519114.jpg As plain as they are, they still make you do a double take when you see them!
Re: Guess what I saw in Minot, ND this morning! Chris, the car I saw most recently in Chaffee was a white ribbed hopper with Frisco written in big black faded letters. Sometimes when I have a home health therapy patient in Chaffe I'll go train watching for a few minutes. It may be BNSF but I still love it.
Re: Guess what I saw in Minot, ND this morning! For the rest of us southerners, Bottineau is northeast of Minot, on the upper leg of a huge wye that has its center in Rugby, ND (the Geographic Center of North America) with Minot on the western leg.
Re: Guess what I saw in Minot, ND this morning! Nice pic on eBay (#130371746638) of SLSF "big green" covered hopper SLSF 86688. Neat number! This is a sister to the one klrwhizkid saw recently in the Dakotas. Ken
