RE: (erielack) Black car data boxes, covered hoppers

["Tupaczewski, Paul R (Paul)" <paultup_@_lucent.com>]

>     On most modern freight cars I see painted on the side, a 
> black box 
> outlined in white with car data in it.  It would appear that 
> they have three 
> sections now and had two in later EL years.  Would anybody 
> know the exact 
> dates that they started showing up on cars?  Would they be 
> prototype to 
> appear on an early EL layout 60 - 69?

These are "lube plates" - they contain information on when the car was last lubricated/maintained/repacked. I think it became a Federal law to have these on freight cars as they were shopped around 1974/1975. EL cars repainted post-1974 appeared to receive these. The early "single box" eventually was modified to the standard "two-box-side-by-side" plate.

The latter day "two-box-side-by-side-with-a-small-box-below" was a later change (sometime in the 1980s), where the small box below contained the car's built date.

NONE of these boxes would appear prior to the 1970s.


 
>     Would anybody know what period the usa trains g scale 
> covered hoppers 
> are prototype for?
> 
> http://usatrains.com/usatrains4bayhopper.html


1960's to today.

	- Paul

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