Thursday, October 14, 2010

133,330 bottles of beer on the wall...

This isn't what you think it is. It is not 12,525 gallons of Bud Light. Beer is transported in refrigerated boxcars, or in shipping containers that are then loaded onto a train (or truck) for shipping. Cheap wine may be transported by tank car, but not beer.

This is a water car, which is strategically parked in territory prone to forest fires. The railroad fills them with water in the spring, and they sit at remote locations to be used in case of a fire. The railroad can hook up a locomotive and take them to places otherwise inaccessible. Since these cars sit for long periods of time in out of the way places, and generally are ignored unless there is a fire, they are susceptible to modification.

Years ago, on one of our camping trips up the hill, they guys and I were waiting for the next train to photograph. Since we had time to kill, we poked around, investigating the rail infrastructure including the parked water cars. One of the guys worked in advertising, and happened to have some stickers in his vehicle. I don't know who had the idea, but we all thought it amusing to apply the sticker to this car.

This photo is from earlier this fall, at least 10 years after the sticker was applied. I am greatly surprised how well it has withstood the ravages of time and weather.
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