NS-era SOU Silversides...

[ljudice]

With FVM coming out with the SOU Silversides, I was wondering about this photo:

http://www.krunk.org/~joeshaw/pics/ns/coal-gon/ns11590.jpg

Is that white paint for the logo on bare, weathered aluminum?

Did the entire fleet get sold off/scrapped or did some end up in MOW/Tie or other service?

Thanks...

[C855B]

Now I cannot vouch if what I've been seeing is this particular car design, but I have been recently noticing the odd ex-coal gon relettered for NS loaded with scrap metal. I'll keep an eye peeled.

[bnsfdash8]

As far as I know there isn't any silversides still in service.

Mike: I think you are describing one of NS' "topgons". NS has sold some of them off to various leasing companies for scrap service. You can also find them in MOW service as well, usually hauling ties.

[C855B]

Bingo. Come to think of it, I did notice them because of the "Top Gon" lettering. I've seen them relettered for scrap, and still in NS reporting marks hauling ties.

[jmlaboda]

The "Silver Sides" fleet has pretty much been retired and scrapped since they lacked the larger capacity preferred now on "coal cars".  Shame, really, but the value of aluminum being what it is and the difficulty in rebuilding such cars as this makes other dispositions not very likely.  They really would not have been all that useful in scrap metal service simply because they lacked the large load capacity that most roads now favor.

NS tried several different things when relettering these cars, including putting the white herald on the side.  Placement of the herald varied as well as did the lettering.  What is really sad is that they are not well documented in photos on the web... I have tried some of the best that I know but can't seem to find photos of the cars in NS.

As for the "Top Gon" cars, they are completely different cars types of cars, rebuilt from old N&W hoppers for the most part.  The only thing original on these cars is the underframes, with completely new carbodies being built at least at Roanoke and possibly another shop.  The last time I was in Roanoke I found several strings of frames on trucks behind the NS shops... was really surprised how much was actually stripped in creating these rebuids.

[ljudice]

Thanks everyone...    The shot I linked to from krunk.org is one of the few I've seen in NS "paint" although it's clearly a roller job.

[Mark5]

As of 1998, 719 of the GS1 class were still in revenue service.

[learmoia]

As of July 2011 1 still existed.

[ljudice]

As of July 2011 1 still existed.

Sounds like I'll buy at least one!   

Seriously, if Matt come out with the late dark colored, patched versions, I'm game since I am not going to get that concerned about a couple of years this way or that way.

[Robbman]

The "Silver Sides" fleet has pretty much been retired and scrapped since they lacked the larger capacity preferred now on "coal cars".  Shame, really, but the value of aluminum being what it is and the difficulty in rebuilding such cars as this makes other dispositions not very likely.  They really would not have been all that useful in scrap metal service simply because they lacked the large load capacity that most roads now favor.

  The 'Silversides' (one word) were retired and scrapped becuase having been first built in 1960, they could not get automatic 5-year life extensions with spot inspections.  In 2001 NS applied for ELS and inspected every car of the then remaining fleet   Those that passed got extensions, those that failed were scrapped.  In 2006, the same process occured, but too many cars failed, so it was cheaper to scrap the remaining fleet.

  The same situation occured several years later with the former CR rebodied gons... the cost of applying for ELS combined with the cost of inspecting the car only to have it fail was outweighed by simply scrapping it.


 As for not being useful in scrap metal service... they had the same 286K capacity as any car, with ample cubic capacity... they were just too old.

[ljudice]

Surprised none ended up in tie service - or do the rules apply to MOW cars as well?

Some TopGons are in tie service now, I believe...

[Robbman]

They don't apply to non-interchange equipment... being aluminum bodied and braced, and having a multitude of interior bracing (notably the top chords) they would've been beaten up quickly in tie service.  As Jerry said, aluminum also fetched an obscene price when they were sfs'd.

There are entire trainsets of TopGons (and the H11xR hopper rebodies) in company service.

[jmlaboda]

I am so very proud to be able to say that I grew up with the "Silverrsides", seeing the transition from the orange-red lettering to green and then to see the variety of markings that NS applied.  I have seen cars with white herald and lettering and the patched black lettering... Those trains were always a treat, especially so when the SD24s were a part of the radio control helpers.  Those units, and the flared SD454s really made the trains bound for Duke Power very memorable... and, who knows... the can of soda you buy tomorrow may well have over 2 million miles on it.