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B&M Freight Cars Home

Boston & Maine Autoracks

Index

• Builder's Photo
• Classification Card(s) for series
• Specifications
• ORER data
• ORER Notes
• Discussion, General Notes
• Paint Schemes
• References
• Photographs
• Renumberings/Conversions/Dispositions
• Modeling
• Revision History of this page

Builder's Photo

Does one exist?

B&M Classification Card(s)

Does one exist?

Specifications From per B&MRRHS Modelers Notes #18 (Jul, 1990)

Spec	Value
Builder	Thrall (racks)
Lot #
Car Numbers
Quantity
Build Date	1986 (racks)

ORER data and numbers

ORER Size Data

Description			7/1985(?), 254000 series	TTBX 254086	TTBX 963657	TTBX 908776-908871
M.C.B. / AAR Mechanical Designation			FA
Inside Dimensions	Length		89'-4"	89'-4"	89'-4"	89'-4"
	Width		9'	9'	9'	8'-4"
	Height
Outside Dimensions	Length		93'-8"	93'-8"	93'-8"	93'-8"
	Width	At Eaves or top of sides or platform
		Extreme Width	10'-3"	10'-3"	14'-10"	9'-10"
	Height from Rail	To Extreme Width
		To Eaves or top of sides or platform
		To Top of Running Board
		To Extreme Height	16'-8"	16'-8"	14'-10"	14'-11"
Door - Side opening	Width
	Height
Capacity	Cu Ft. Level Full
	Pounds		124000 (?or is this lt wt.?)	124000	127000	81000

Bi-level auto racks, partial enclosures. Rack number known only for indicated car. These cars are in service [as of 1990]

All are TTBX

Car No.	Rack No.
914191
963657
963830
964500
253900
253905	45019
253958
253999
254086
254113
254115
254128
254151
254154
254215
254240
254325
254339
254344
254491
254651
255213
255247
255254
255319
255325
255373
255385
255398
255445
255469

Tri-level auto racks. Rack number unknown. These cars are in service [as of 1990]

All are TTKX

Car No.
908776-908778
908781
908783
908786
908789-908792
908794-908796
908800-908803
908805
908808
908809
908815
908816
908820-908823
908825
908827
908871
908879

ORER Notes

Discussion, General Notes

• Per B&MRRHS Modelers Notes, No 18 (7/1990)

  The auto racks are a new addition to the fleet. Both Bi- and Tri- level auto racks are in service. Only the racks and not the flat cars to which they are fitted are owned by the B&M/GTI. The [flat] cars are owned by Trailer Train Company. The racks are either partially enclosed (bi-level) or fully enclosed (tri-level) and were manufactured by Thrall Car Company.

  (footnote in dimensional section)
  Figures are based on the 254000 series of cars. All cars vary an inch or two in their extreme width and extreme height due to variations in the types and construction of the racks; this is common to all three series of auto racks. The other variation is in the capacity as the racks are also responsible for this. There figures are based on the earlier series of 254000 cars as the car nos. for this series of cars were not listed in the July 1985 Register.

  [I am not sure what this applies to]
  Rack numbers are 45040-45062

• KGA - as I didn't know these cars (actually, the racks) existed, all I have for data is the Modeler's Notes. So I will present that data "as is".
  At some point I hope I will go back and fill in with ORER data.
• Per Jim Eager email 21-Jan-2023:

  Circa 1981 B&M leased a group of second-hand Whitehead & Kales TTKX hinged-mid deck, side-screened (side panels, no roof, [no] doors) trilevels. I have been unable to determine the source of the cars or the total number, but I suspect they may be former Rock Island racks given the timing. The flats were all TTKX PLH10 low-level bowl-deck autorack flats from the TT 908700 and 908800 series built by Pullman-Standard in 1968. These racks were painted B&M blue, including the flats in a few cases, but most were TT mineral red or TT yellow.
  I have found photos of cars 908802, 908803, 908820 and 908827 from this group.

  In the mid-1980s B&M leased two groups of enclosed-side (no roof, [no] doors) Whitehead & Kales/Thrall bi-levels mounted on TTBX flush-deck flats. All of these racks wore the Guilford grey scheme.

  The first group consisted of 30 or 40 racks, nos. 45000-49029 or 45039, installed by Thrall on Job 840 in 1984. I have not been able to find an ICC Recordation for them, but I have identified 28 of the car numbers. All were former TTX PSF20 tofc flats built by Pullman-Standard in 1973-1975, and converted to PSH20M cushioned cars for auto rack service. I have found photos of cars 254339, 255247, and 255319 from this group.
  Identified car numbers & rack numbers:

  • 253900
  • 253905 - 45019
  • 253958
  • 253999
  • 254086
  • 254113
  • 254115
  • 254128
  • 254151
  • 254154
  • 254215
  • 254240
  • 254325
  • 254339
  • 254344
  • 254491
  • 254651
  • 255213
  • 255247
  • 255254 - 45020
  • 255319
  • 255325
  • 255373
  • 255385
  • 255398
  • 255445
  • 255469

  In 1993 some if not all of these racks went to Conrail after being rebuilt to fully-enclosed racks with added roof and doors, remarked TTGX, CR class ML2M.

  The second group consisted of 23 racks, nos. 49040-49062, installed by Thrall on Job 889 in 1986. ICC Recordation 14958 covers the 1986 lease of this group and includes a list of all 23 TTBX car numbers assigned in Exhibit D-1. All but three of the cars were former TTX PSF20 tofc flats, the remaining three cars were former TTCX BSH12 or BSH20 cofc flats built by Bethlehem Steel in 1973-1974.
  I have found photos of cars 253948, 254646, 255917, 255937, 255975, and 256160 from this group.
  For car & rack numbers see attached Exhibit D-1.
  

  In 1994 all but one of the racks from this group went to SOO/CP after being rebuilt to fully-enclosed racks with added roof and doors, remarked TTGX, and painted in red CP Rail livery.

Paint Schemes

As delivered

beige scheme with B&M / GTI reporting marks

References or other data

• ?. "A Catalog of Modern Enclosed Auto Rack Paint Schemes", Freight Car Journal #69 (1996)
  p1 includes B&M scheme:
  Rack color: Grey; Logo: Black & Orange, B&M on left end, Guilford on Right End
  No B&M car photos
• in https://groups.io/g/MFCL/topic/17212897#69060
  see Walther's book "America's Driving Force" - leased(?) in 1981
  Jim Eager speculates these may have been ex-Rock Island cars

Photographs

Page	Car #	Photo Date yr-mo-day		Visible?				Markings									Paint Scheme	Herald	Notes
B&MRRHS Modelers Notes Issue No. included in "page" column
No 18 p6	?	1986		X															hard to see anything
No 18 p6	?	1986				X													"top down" shot of bilevel
Houghton's RailImages On-line photos Pay site If direct link doesn't work, go to top level → "Boston & Maine Railroad" album, scroll thru
BM-368.jpg	TTBX 255247		Y	X	p			TTBX	G	G	N	N	?						COTS on far end of car, hard to see
Canadian Freight Railcar Gallery (as of 29-Aug-2020) "American Railroads" → "Boston & Maine" Then scroll down to find the photo.
	TTBX 254646	1988-11	Y	X	p			TTBX	G	G	N	N	3	N	N	N	yellow flat, grey rack	Guilford "G"	open-top/full side/open end bilevel
TTRX lease cars You may have to join this group to see the photos Alternative URL: https://groups.io/g/BM-RR → Photo Albums → B&M Auto Racks → TTRX lease cars
	TTRX 908822	1987-10	Y	X	p	X											?	?	2 different photos
Photo on ebay (noted on 07-Dec-2020) Identified as "RAILROAD PRINT BOSTON & MAINE B&M AUTORACK TTKX #908827"
	TTKX 908827			X								N	3	N	N	N	blue (rack AND car!)	"BM"	tri-level
Photo on ebay (noted on 03-23-2014) "not found" as of Dec, 2020.
	TTKX 908803
Facebook - Boston & Maine Railway Corporation group Photo posted 09-Sep-2024
	TTKX 908822	1982-06	Y	X	A?														red (?) flatcar w/ blue painted 3 level (open top/ends, but has sides) rack

Renumberings/Conversions/Dispositions

Models

Note Accurail has a "open side" double deck auto-rack (stock # 9210, car # TTBX 908820??) that is of unknown accuracy. Listed on Accurail web site, Dec 2020.

Scale	Manufacturer	Stock number	Car number	Paint scheme	Notes
HO	Walthers	910-8303	(90882?)		Unknown accuracy. Tri-level "shielded" autorack, Expected Winter, 2024

Revision History

File History for THIS page

Date	Who	Description
08-Apr-2020	KG Akerboom	Initial release
25-Apr-2020	KG Akerboom	Added Houghton's RailImages web site
05-May-2020	KG Akerboom	Moved ORER notes into separate section
21-Jul-2020	KG Akerboom	"Photos" table - changed "vertical" text to PNG of "sideways" text; added "Markings" columns
07- thru 16-Aug-2020	KG Akerboom	Added ORER data (History only, not dims or notes yet) for 63 more registers, courtesy of James Kinkaid
29-Aug-2020	KG Akerboom	Added Freight Car Journal reference(s)
29-Aug-2020	KG Akerboom	Added "Canadian Freight Railcar Gallery" photos
01-Nov-2020	KG Akerboom	Added groups.io.BM-RR photos
08-Dec-2020	KG Akerboom	Added ebay photo
12-Dec-2020	KG Akerboom	Added model info
21-Dec-2020	KG Akerboom	Added groups.io "MFCL" info
31-Dec-2020	KG Akerboom	Updated misc stuff
04-Jan-2023	KG Akerboom	Fixed headers and footers...hopefully
22-Jan-2023	KG Akerboom	Added Jim Eager information
18-Mar-2024	KG Akerboom	Added Walthers model
10-Sep-2024	KG Akerboom	Added Facebook photo