Grand Trunk Autorack Question

Model railroading in all scales and gauges. HO talk welcome :)
GreatLakesRailfan
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Grand Trunk Autorack Question

Unread post by GreatLakesRailfan »

Not sure if this should be here or in the Modeling area, but I'm sure ~Z~ or AARR will move it if need be. 8) (edit: Thanks ~Z~!)
(Admin edit: you can thank AARR)

In HO scale there's a model of a Grand Trunk enclosed autorack that has a solid blue body and I think either a silver or white roof. I'm familiar with the GTW autoracks that have blue racks with silver side panels on a blue flatcar, but I don't recall seeing a blue flatcar with blue rack and blue side panels in person. Is there a prototype for the HO scale model, and if so, was it a one-off car, or were there multiple cars painted that way?

Thanks!
~ Charles W.

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DaveO
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Re: Grand Trunk Autorack Question

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Figured someone would jump in.
Based on a google image search for GTW autorack...
There were several series that were all blue on the sides.

cr6903
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Re: Grand Trunk Autorack Question

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There was also a variation of Blue panels, with the yellow "trailer Train" flatcar. Not near as common as the others, but I do recall seeing them on a few occasions.

GreatLakesRailfan
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Re: Grand Trunk Autorack Question

Unread post by GreatLakesRailfan »

DaveO wrote:
Sun Oct 24, 2021 6:53 am
Figured someone would jump in.
Based on a google image search for GTW autorack...
There were several series that were all blue on the sides.
Thanks. I found 2 pictures of the car decoration that I'm looking for. And a bunch of pictures of HO scale models.

cr6903 wrote:
Sun Oct 24, 2021 8:11 am
There was also a variation of Blue panels, with the yellow "trailer Train" flatcar. Not near as common as the others, but I do recall seeing them on a few occasions.
The yellow autoracks with the blue panel with the white GT logo were pretty neat, but they're also modern enough that I have my own pictures of them. I don't recall having seen a solid blue autorack in person. The blue rack on a yellow TTX flatcar seems to be more common than the blue rack on blue GTW flatcar, but both versions have the unpainted (metal color) screens.


For clarification, this is the model I was trying to describe. I'm sorry, I should have included the image in my original post.
Image

Both of the images I found were on Pinterest and had zero information attached, such as when the photos were taken. I can obviously search RR Picture Archives and the freight car photo site, but I was hoping someone might know when the autoracks were painted this way or if they were part of a fleet of cars that may have been assigned to a particular customer or cargo- I have a very vague recollection of seeing a picture of a solid blue rack (possibly a single or bilevel car with enclosed sides and an open roof?) at or containing a load shipped from the Ford plant in Romeo. I was hoping someone else might know if there was anything special about these particular cars or remember when they were more common.
~ Charles W.

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AARR
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Re: Grand Trunk Autorack Question

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GreatLakesRailfan wrote:
Sun Oct 24, 2021 10:04 am
I have a very vague recollection of seeing a picture of a solid blue rack (possibly a single or bilevel car with enclosed sides and an open roof?) at or containing a load shipped from the Ford plant in Romeo. I was hoping someone else might know if there was anything special about these particular cars or remember when they were more common.
That's an interesting observation because the Ford Romeo plant built tractors until around 1990 and shipped on flat cars. After 1990 it became an engine plant and never used rail service but if it did would have used box cars, gondolas and tank cars. I wonder what an autorack was doing there?
PatC created a monster, 'cause nobody wants to see Don Simon no more they want AARR I'm chopped liver, well if you want AARR this is what I'll give ya, bad humor mixed with irrelevant info that'll make you roll your eyes quicker than a ~Z~ banhammer...

GreatLakesRailfan
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Re: Grand Trunk Autorack Question

Unread post by GreatLakesRailfan »

AARR wrote:
Sun Oct 24, 2021 10:37 am
GreatLakesRailfan wrote:
Sun Oct 24, 2021 10:04 am
I have a very vague recollection of seeing a picture of a solid blue rack (possibly a single or bilevel car with enclosed sides and an open roof?) at or containing a load shipped from the Ford plant in Romeo. I was hoping someone else might know if there was anything special about these particular cars or remember when they were more common.
That's an interesting observation because the Ford Romeo plant built tractors until around 1990 and shipped on flat cars. After 1990 it became an engine plant and never used rail service but if it did would have used box cars, gondolas and tank cars. I wonder what an autorack was doing there?
Thanks AARR. You just confirmed my suspicion that I was recalling the wrong thing. Did autoracks move over the Romeo Subdivision?
~ Charles W.

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AARR
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Re: Grand Trunk Autorack Question

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GreatLakesRailfan wrote:
Sun Oct 24, 2021 3:00 pm
Thanks AARR. You just confirmed my suspicion that I was recalling the wrong thing. Did autoracks move over the Romeo Subdivision?
Yes, auto racks did move over the Romeo Sub they just didn't stop in Romeo unless they were bad-ordered. For a short period of time GTW operated a Port Huron to Flat Rock train over the Romeo Sub. I don't know why they chose this route but it was an eye opener for railfans to see large trains there.
PatC created a monster, 'cause nobody wants to see Don Simon no more they want AARR I'm chopped liver, well if you want AARR this is what I'll give ya, bad humor mixed with irrelevant info that'll make you roll your eyes quicker than a ~Z~ banhammer...

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