Property Record
500 Railroad Ave
Architecture and History Inventory
Historic Name: | Soo Line #36400 Fowler Grain Car |
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Other Name: | Colfax Railroad Museum |
Contributing: | |
Reference Number: | 246046 |
Location (Address): | 500 Railroad Ave |
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County: | Dunn |
City: | Colfax |
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Year Built: | 1915 |
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Historic Use: | rolling stock |
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Other Buildings On Site: | Y |
Demolished?: | No |
Demolished Date: |
National/State Register Listing Name: | Not listed |
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Additional Information: | This car is constructed of horizontal wood boards with supporting diagonal bracing boards. It has a flat roof and sliding vertical board doors covering large openings on the side walls. The car was built by the American Car & Foundry company as a “box car” that hauled freight, but the interior has markings for load lines for various grains. The car was retired in the 1950s and used as a tool car, then stored in a Soo Line rail yard. The museum purchased the car in 1996. This car was an innovation in hauling grain by rail. It avoided grain loss by using a construction technique that allowed wood inserts to be placed to keep the car tight as the wood cured and shrank. It is the only one of 500 made for the Soo Line in 1915. |
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Bibliographic References: | NRQ, August, 2023. |
Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |