Clewiston, FL, summer 2010. The locomotive is a GP11, a rebuilt of what initially was a GP9. Interresting to see that some cars still ride on Bettendorf/journal box trucks nowadays... Dom
That would limit any such cars to non-interchange, maintenance of way, idlers, or? What is that car USSC 7777? Do you have a photo of it?
Well, USSC is (or was) United States Sugar Company. It kind of looks like it may be a scale test car, and if that's true it wouldn't need to meet interchange requirements.
Unfortunately I've no dedicated picture of this car else than in its consist. But the pic below could give some clues. I don't know what's this car's purpose. But as said above, this train is run by US Sugar Company, which is one of the biggest sugar hauling railroads in the world. This company purchased the local shortline South Central Florida Express a while ago and its assets consist of the shortline (formerly a CSX branchline), and a dense network of tracks that run within sugar fields. One can look on Google Earth, it's very interresting. During sugarcane harvest, one can oftenly spot 50-car trains with a single 4-axle locomotive at the point (here a GP38-2) going to the mill in Clewiston. Unfortunately, many unavoidable "no trespassing" panels are displaid here and there... As of that Bettendorf equipped car, I guess it deals with some sort of maintenance. In my opinion it can't be interchanged. And, as far as I know, it can't be used for any commercial transportation. But as USCC is an industrial railroad, maybe rules are different... Dom
Curious. It doesn't look like anything for carrying a load. If a flat car of some type, rather unusual. Looks like far more than just an idler.
What's the trick here? Inusual rebuilt unit? "Foreign" leasing company far from where it's usually seen? Dom
Yes, I've been wondering since the day when I took the shot. Unfortunately I've no more opportunities to go to Florida ans I can't get any answer... And BTW when I used to go there I didn't have the idea to go to USCC/SCFE headquarters and ask them... Dom
This was it. Although, I successfully managed to screw the photo up. (It's what I get for not rolling down the window)
Hmmm. I don't see any other re-markings, so it's not a leaser. BNSF must be re-shuffling their roster numbering system?
That's a cool Schnabel unit and load. There's even a caboose in the consist... Interesting to note that on the right of that horribly patched/renumbered BNSF loco is a car with an untouched ATSF reporting mark!