Rensselaer Journal, Volume 11, Number 18, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 October 1901 — How Cars are Numbered. [ARTICLE]

How Cars are Numbered.

We wonder what number is used to number cars. Did you ever see a car begin with number one t—Arrow Shots. Parr, lnd., Oct. 3,1901. Editor Journal You wonder how cars are numbered, do you ? Not long since, the traffic on an old eastern road had grown so much that it was considered expedient to renumber the rolling-stock. Numbers less than 1500 were used for engines; numbers from 100,000 to 200,000 for all freight-cars, limiting the numbers for box-oars, coal-oars, cattle cars; sand cars, coke cars, refrigerators, etc., while numbers from 200,000 up, were reserved for passenger cars. Of coarse a large range of numbers is reserved in this manner in case the rolling stock should increase to enormous numbers. However, this is scarcely probable, for, as cars wear out, the number, as well as the car is replaced to facilitate the record keeping.