Equipment Information

CGW W52 is a railroad flat car assigned for use with a crane, in this case North Western 6363. Flat cars used for this purpose were known as “idlers” because they didn’t carry anything but simply “sat idle.” The idler’s purpose is to provide a buffer underneath the boom of the crane so that the crane could be hauled from either direction. This car was built for the Chicago Great Western as a standard flat car numbered 3733 before it was converted for use as a maintenance-of-way car in 1948. It was later operated by the Chicago & North Western while retaining its CGW reporting marks.

Chicago & North Western (CGW) W52 Details

Builder: Pullman-Standard
Year Built: 1936
Length: 54ft 5in
Width: 10ft 5in
Height: 7ft 1in
Weight: ??? lbs
Brakes: AB
Trucks: Barber RB
Description: Idler Flat for C&NW 6363 / ex-CGW 3733
Arrived: 1990
Condition: Complete / unrestored / operational

Ownership History

1936-1948 – Chicago Great Western 3733
1948-1968 – Chicago Great Western W52
1968-1990 – Chicago & North Western (CGW) W52
1990-present – Illinois Railway Museum, Union, IL

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