Equipment Information

North Shore Line 1502 is among the earliest “piggyback” flat cars preserved. It was designed for small truck trailers to be driven onto it and secured for shipment over the railroad, a forerunner of the trailer-on-flat-car (TOFC) and container trains that became ubiquitous on railroads towards the end of the 20^th century. After the North Shore Line stopped TOFC freight service this car was sold to the Chicago Transit Authority, where it was used in maintenance-of-way service.

COMPARE ME WITH: TTX 470902, an early example of a mainline railroad “piggyback” flat car that was built in 1955. The TTX car is much larger and more modern but uses exactly the same design principles as CNS&M 1502.

Builder: Standard Steel Car Company
Year Built: 1926
Length: 40ft 7in
Width: 8ft 6in
Height: 3ft 6in
Weight: 37100 lbs
Brakes: HC1012
Trucks: Arch Bar
Description: Double Truck Flat Car (Ex CTA S-107)
Arrived: 1995
Condition: Incomplete / cosmetically restored / not operational

Photo gallery

Ownership History
1926-1963 – Chicago North Shore & Milwaukee #1502
1963-1995 – Chicago Transit Authority #S107
1995-present – Illinois Railway Museum, Union, Illinois

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