[net.railroad] Reporting Marks

lipman@decwrl.UUCP (02/28/84)

From: super::alcock  (Bruce G. Alcock)
	Yes, it is good to see all the information that is being distributed
by this group.  As an add on, I for one, would like to see if we could
oftain the freight car data-base.  The abbreviations for each owner are
called reporting marks.  Each one is unique.  They can be from 2 to 4
characters in length.  Some roads such as B&O use the ampersand.  This
is the only non-alphabetic character that I have ever observed.  Every
car is uniquly identified by its reporting marks plus number.  The
car number usually appears right below the reporting marks on the side
of car.  Reporting marks plus number are painted on the bottom left
or right side of the car (on both sides) and on the ends.
	The shortage of freight cars in the 70s prompted a number of
investors to buy freight cars especially through the equipment trust
certificate mechanism where a number of investors would get together
and finance the purchase through a holding company.
Many short line railroads made money by buying and then
leasing large fleets of cars, usually box cars.  During the recent
recession, many of these cars were diverted to siding and put into
storage.  Specialty cars are usually supplied by a limited number of
companies:  GATX, or General American Transportation is larger owner
and operator of tank cars (they bought Union Tank Car).  Only recently,
they have gone out of the tank car building and repair business, but
will continue as operator/owner of such cars.  When they enter into
a long term lease, the reporting marks usually are those of the leasee.

	bruce alcock
	Digital Equipment Corp    (DECX)
	Nashua, NH

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ntt@dciem.UUCP (Mark Brader) (03/01/84)

Bruce G. Alcock's interesting article on reporting marks includes this:

	They can be from 2 to 4 characters in length.  Some roads such as
	B&O use the ampersand.  This is the only non-alphabetic character
	that I have ever observed.

When I lived by a CP Rail (ex Canadian Pacific Railway), I kept a list of
railway cars seen and their reporting marks.  So I couldn't miss observing
that the Southern Railway uses "SOUTHERN", while CP Rail's US subsidiary
(whose full name I can't think of right now) uses the full usual form of
its name, "SOO LINE".  Of course, it may be that only 4 characters are
significant, and the rest is just comment (as we would say).

For those of you who live far away, the first word in the placename Sault
Ste. Marie (Michigan and Ontario) is pronounced Soo -- it's either an old
or a bastardized French pronounciation -- and hence the railway name.

Some railways use more than one reporting mark, by the way.  CP Rail has
"CP", "CPAA", and "CPI".  This classifies their cars in ways that matter to
them, for instance, when they enter the United States.  In this case AA
stands for "as (if) American" and I for "international".

Reporting: Mark Brader