B&O 605290
My nomination for the quintessential Chessie freight car is not a coal car or auto parts box, but the ACF 2700 cuft, or class HC-44 covered hopper. A total of 1300 of these were built in two orders between 1976 and 1979, making them the largest class of covered hoppers on the entire Chessie roster. Interestingly enough, only one other railroad purchased the ACF 2700; the Detroit & Toledo Shore Line RR making these cars an anomaly, at least on the national scale. But if you were on the Chessie, you saw them...usually in numbers! This car was photographed at Willard Ohio on November 24th 1979. It's worth noting that this car is actually a repaint, not wearing it's as delivered ACF paint job. If you look carefully, you can see an October 1979 shop date. There are a few dead giveaways that this is not the original scheme, but a great effort was made by the shop! It beats later repaints in which the bottom sill was painted yellow instead of blue! No photographer listed, JL Sessa collection.
B&O 605290
My nomination for the quintessential Chessie freight car is not a coal car or auto parts box, but the ACF 2700 cuft, or class HC-44 covered hopper. A total of 1300 of these were built in two orders between 1976 and 1979, making them the largest class of covered hoppers on the entire Chessie roster. Interestingly enough, only one other railroad purchased the ACF 2700; the Detroit & Toledo Shore Line RR making these cars an anomaly, at least on the national scale. But if you were on the Chessie, you saw them...usually in numbers! This car was photographed at Willard Ohio on November 24th 1979. It's worth noting that this car is actually a repaint, not wearing it's as delivered ACF paint job. If you look carefully, you can see an October 1979 shop date. There are a few dead giveaways that this is not the original scheme, but a great effort was made by the shop! It beats later repaints in which the bottom sill was painted yellow instead of blue! No photographer listed, JL Sessa collection.