Banner on box cars

@rattler21 posted:

About which year were paper and canvas banners banned from the outsides of box cars?  Thank you, John

Must admit that in all my years of Railfanning (going back to 1945) and working in the railroad industry, since 1962, I have NEVER seen any paper nor canvas "banners" on the side of a boxcar.

I cannot attach photos because of copyright restrictions.  Banners would have been on each side announcing, "5,000th car load of tires...................."  or some such milestone.  John

Sure not paint?

Or the banner could be on the car for the official meeting of the "suits", and taken off later.

I agree with Dominic Mazoch.  It was applied for the photo and removed before movement.

Think about it . . . even if a banner were pretty well secured to the car, miles and miles of air turbulence could rip it loose on one end, and it would be dragging and waving until it got caught on a switch stand, ripped it off of the ties, and threw the turnout underneath the passing train.

Strictly there for the photo.  Same goes for the motion picture East of Eden.

@Trinity River Bottoms Boomer posted:

In the motion picture East of Eden, that starred James Dean, his father hires the railroad (Filmed on SP with box cars lettered Southwest Pacific I believe it is) to ship several cars of iced down lettuce that carry large banners on their sides.

Has this practice been banned or has it just gone out of style in Century 21?

Well, that was a movie...

Rusty

Then there was this fantrip out of Denver with Lionel Lines FEF3 844.  Heard they used magnetic signage to cover "Union Pacific" on the tender.  Back in the day, they did not have that product.  But even if they did, the thing could fall off.  Or carried off....

@Dominic Mazoch posted:

Then there was this fantrip out of Denver with Lionel Lines FEF3 844.  Heard they used magnetic signage to cover "Union Pacific" on the tender.  Back in the day, they did not have that product.  But even if they did, the thing could fall off.  Or carried off....

They also used a vinyl "decal" when 3985 operated in disguise as CRR 676 on the Clinchfield Santa Train in 1992.

Rusty

There are pics of the 1947 Friendship Train with banners hanging from the boxcars.  This was a unique, one time train so it may not have had the same rules, or was exempt.

@CAPPilot posted:

There are pics of the 1947 Friendship Train with banners hanging from the boxcars.  This was a unique, one time train so it may not have had the same rules, or was exempt.

Looking at the photos, it appears the banners were hung on the cars at loading or display points.  Outside of the special paint jobs some of the cars had, there don't appear to be any banners in the photos of the Friendship Train in transit.

Rusty

Yes those banners were definitely a "one day event", promoting a one-time large shipment of some product. I seem to remember one on Great Northern from the 1920's for a special shipment of potatoes for example, I've seen others for the first shipment of taconite pellets from a taconite plant, for special loads of lumber, logs...even tampons. I suspect the banners were nailed on the car or cars when at the starting point, pictures were taken, the cars ran to where they were going, more pictures were taken, and then the banners were removed. It's such a rare event - I don't know if there has been such a shipment for like 50 years - I doubt there is any regulation about it.

The OP might be thinking of the lettering rules that came in effect in the 1930's regarding the so-called "billboard reefers"? This would also be different for paint schemes on freight cars that were sometimes put on for a year or so regarding some event. In the 1950's the Soo Line had some boxcars that advertised the upcoming anniversary (1956 IIRC?) of the locks at Sault Ste. Marie for example.

Were there not RI and RDG boxcars painted for special events or anniversaries on their lines.  And PS had one for the 10,000th PS1 boxcar?

Yes, the Rock Island had a design in the 1950's for their 100th anniversary. But those were painted on the cars and remained for some time, not 'one time' banners attached to cars.