Bangor and Aroostook
The BAR's first all steel boxcars were purchased from Magor Car
Corp. in 1938 and 1945. These 1932 AAR design cars were in use
through the 1960s and most were repainted in the then current
"large BAR" scheme as shown above left Originally
numbered in the 65000 series the 6 was eliminated in the early
1950s and a few were also renumbered into the 3000 series. The
cars were stored during the 1970s although several survived in
maintainance of way service as shown by the late 1970s photos
above.
Probably the most unique derivative of the 5000 series 1932 AAR
boxcars was gondola MWM106 shown in the late 1970s at BAR's Derby
Shops.
In 1950-53 the BAR purchased 500 40' insulated plug-door boxcars
with charcoal heaters mounted underneath. The cars bulit by
Pacific Car and Foundary were numbered 2000-2499 and were
intended for potato shipments in the winter and paper shipments
in the summer months. Originally delivered in the "State of
Maine" scheme, in the late 1950s several of the cars were
repainted solid red with a large winged red, white, and blue
Bangor and Aroostook shield. In the early 1960s several of the
cars were also repainted in the then current boxcar red with
large "BAR" scheme. A few of the cars were modified
with V-shaped floors and conveyor belts to handle bulk shipment
of unbagged potatoes and numbered in the 2500 series. For a brief
period in the late 1970s some of these cars were painted in a
simple boxcar red scheme and assigned to dedicated service for
Great Northern Paper in Millinocket possibly for the transport of
wood plup between the Millinocket and East Millinocket mills. In
the early 1970s, most of the 2000 series cars were converted to
woodchip gondolas in th 3700 and 3800 series and painted forest
green with the white triangle logo.
In 1954 the BAR purchased 500 40' boxcars from American Car and
Foundry (ACF) numbered 4000-4499. These cars all had a unusual
style of end corrugation called "Dartnaught" by
modelers and were delivered in the red white and blue "State
of Maine" scheme but were repainted during the 1960s into
the boxcar red "Large BAR" scheme. A few were repainted
with the BAR shield to the right of the door and a small BAR on
the left above the number in a font like that used by the New
York Central and Merchants Dispatch Transport. During the mid to
late 1960s most of the 4000 series were converted to wood chip
gondolas and painted in the "large BAR" scheme. The
chip cars were repainted forest green with the triangular logo
during the 1970s. Although the BAR purchased only a handful of
new 40' boxcars from Pullman Standard in the 1950s, It purchased
second hand in the early 1960s a group of 200 1947 built 40'
PS-1s and numbered them 9000-9199. These cars were the first to
be converted to wood chip gondolas in the 3400 series and are
represented here by a very battle weary number 3426 above.
During the 1960s and 1970s the BAR operated a small fleet of
Fruehauf built piggyback trailers. These trailers often travelled
on 50' Trailer Train flats and could be found far from home as
shown by the photo above of a Southern Pacific San Jose to San
Francisco freight.