Union Pacific had a group of scale test cars stored at their yard in Winona, MN in spring 2023. They included a variety of designs and predecessor initials. CNW 263633 was in the group and seemed ... (more)
I found this beauty while passing through Helper, Utah. It’s an ex. D&RGW Scale Test car. If you enlarge and zoom in you will learn that it weighs 80,000 pounds, has no air brakes, and must be h... (more)
What has to be the oldest piece of equipment on Conrail’s roster stands within the Reading shop complex. Ninety two years old at the time of this 1983 photo, this scale test car was built by the... (more)
Rio Grande Scale Test car X-450 was used to calibrate track scales throughout the D&RGW system. Buillt by Southwark-Baldwin in Feb. 1945, it continues to serve even today on the Union Pacific Rail... (more)
A relic from the Denver & Rio Grande Western is spotted at the top end of UP North Yard in Salt Lake City. The X-450 was built new for the D&RGW by Southwark-Baldwin in February 1945. The unique l... (more)
A CSX scale car bides time next to an old C36-7 (CSXT 7138) under a favorite tree. The nearest two tracks are the mainlines. For a shot of the Dash 7 from the same location and day, see more)
Seen many of these? Built in Aug. of 1934 and with two axles and weighing 80,000 lbs, this ancient scale test car still plies the rails in coal country. Amazing. It'll be used next week by the USD... (more)
Western Weight & Inspection Bureau Car 910, used on the D&RGW, is 39,000 lbs, about 1/5 the weight of a loaded modern coal car, and about 10x heavier than a typical light passenger SUV.