Question about UP Boxcar colors

UP started painting boxcars yellow in the 1960's.  It's also when the "Automated Railway" slogan appeared.

Plus boxcars without roofwalks (as shown by your image) were mandated in 1966 for new construction and all rolling stock (except covered hoppers) by 1974.

Rusty

What purpose is served by eliminating roof walks?

That was an AAR safety mandate to keep crews from the roof of moving equipment.

Thx figured it was safety related, but didn’t consider workers walking on moving trains.

When I started working on the railroad in 1974 there was an ongoing program to cut the running boards off the tops of boxcars. Also included in that program was to cut the end and side ladders down and move the handbrake where it could be operated from ground level.  Doug

@David Ogletree :  David the yellow UP boxcars are really nice.  You know as owners and operators of our own railroads we can run whatever we like regardless of what actually happened in the 1:1 world...so "run um if you got um".  By the way, I noted your address.  In the 1980's my wife and I lived at 14 LaSalle St. Needham, MA while Uncle Sam sent me back to school at MIT.

Best wishes

Don

@Don McErlean posted:

You know as owners and operators of our own railroads we can run whatever we like regardless of what actually happened in the 1:1 world...so "run um if you got um". 

I've said it before: these questions are not asking for permission, they are asking for information. We know that we can run anything we want. We own it.

Not running what you don't want to run is simply the same thing as running what you do want. Reasonable correctness gives me pleasure; the opposite does not. That big, modern boxcar would look pretty absurd behind a steam or diesel locomotive of 1940 - 1955. Why do that?

Thanks guys. I rather should have posted a picture of the actual MTH cars which I own. Here's one from a recent e-bay posting:

They're terrific looking cars, and I have both sets in perfect shape. But I've been concerned for some time that they were outside of the era I am trying to model. I just couldn't find anything specific about UP boxcar colors and dates in service on the web. Sounds like I should probably be on the lookout for a couple of nice sets of brown UP boxcars.. Thanks for the help as always!

P.S. I assume either 40' or 50' cars would be appropriate for this era, yes? I think the 50' cars were introduced in the mid-30's, from what I've read.

David O.

The Union Pacific painted cars Armor yellow if they were equipped with a cushioned underframe. This is usually a long travel hydraulic cushioning instead of the typical iron and rubber draft gear.   This was not just boxcars but any kind car, including flatcars and cabooses, that had a cushioned underframe. After the UP MP merger the MP people took control and had all cars painted to the MP standard freight car colors, which was the end of yellow on freight cars. However, the list of cars overlooked one type of car, so the UP people continued painting them yellow. The overlooked car was auto racks.

@David Ogletree posted:

Thanks guys. I rather should have posted a picture of the actual MTH cars which I own. Here's one from a recent e-bay posting:

They're terrific looking cars, and I have both sets in perfect shape. But I've been concerned for some time that they were outside of the era I am trying to model. I just couldn't find anything specific about UP boxcar colors and dates in service on the web. Sounds like I should probably be on the lookout for a couple of nice sets of brown UP boxcars.. Thanks for the help as always!

P.S. I assume either 40' or 50' cars would be appropriate for this era, yes? I think the 50' cars were introduced in the mid-30's, from what I've read.

David O.

Sorry, those cars are not decorated in a 40's 50's schemes.  From what I can find, this is a scheme introduced around 1962.  Plus they also have Kartak ACI lables which were applied in the late 60's and discontinued in the late 70's.  Plus the consolidated lubrication stencils (black rectangles near the bottom of ladders) are also from the 1970's.

The body style for these particular cars is appropriate for the late 40's on.  BTW: One door is missing on the car in the upper right...

Rusty