Here's a pic I took in Rolla during one of my combined fishing/Frisco trips with Kurt in the early 1980's. I don't have SLSF 22022 in my Frisco box car diagram book, so it must have been a renumbering. Can anyone in the group determine what the original number of SLSF 22022 was? I took the pic because I liked the number! The car is in the later "economy" paint scheme for boxcars. Still OK, but not nearly as nice as the original decor. Ken
Ken, Looks like a Springfield Shops rebuild from 1978. The ladders have been cut down and roof walks removed. The U-1 wheel inspection stencil (black box with yellow dot on the right side) helps date the image. In 1976 the railroad's General Manager signed an order requiring the new larger lettering and font. At the time the railroad was rapidly installing video equipment car readers at major yards and terminals to help track car movements. The bold, larger numbers were easier for the technology of the day to read and record as trains passed the installations. This helped the clerks speed information for new switch lists, reporting car movements, notifying customers, etc. Hope this helps. Thanks! Mark
