Norton Abrasives locos/rolling stock

Teditor Jan 24, 2015

  1. Teditor

    Teditor TrainBoard Member

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    Is anyone able to point me in the direction for information, or does anyone have information relating to the Norton Abrasives 44 tonners and in house rolling stock, mainly after unit numbers.
     
  2. Jerry M. LaBoda

    Jerry M. LaBoda TrainBoard Supporter

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    You sure you haven't mixed up the prototype's GE 44T with something in N-scale, or maybe I am? Google shows nothing in N by this company...

    http://photos.nerail.org/s/?p=134120
     
  3. Teditor

    Teditor TrainBoard Member

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    I have that photo, I am making decals for a fellow N scaler and he has asked for them to fit a Bachmann 44Tonner, it has been stated that there was another loco that had white print on a blue background, I was after the road number for that unit as well as road numbers for their captive in house rolling stock.
     
  4. JMaurer1

    JMaurer1 TrainBoard Member

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    The ONLY info that I could find was this (and it's probably not very helpful):

    Norton company had its own locomotive I remember a 44 tonner that was around until at least the 1980s.They may have had 2 back in the 1960s and before .They had a large fleet of 70 to 80 boxcars that were castoffs from New England railroads most were wood outside braced cars and a few steel cars. They had a few covered hoppers maybe home grown or one of a kind type castoff from railroads. I think I remember a flat car but am not sure. The paint scheme in the 1970s was a pale yellow with blue lettering herald similar to the Norton signs at that time.

    These were all used for in plant switching of material not for interchange. A large maze of tracks went all over the plant.. There was a yard at the west end of New Bond street this where the B&M shoved all the interchange cars but the plant switcher moved them from there. There was a siding on the south side of the Gardner line where the B&M switched covered hoppers. There were also a couple of sidings at Barbers Junction also switched by the B&M lots of B&M box cars and B&M piggyback trailers there in the 1960s ,shipping department I guess. Norton is the big reason for piggyback on the B&M in Worcester I am told this lasted in to the 1970s. On Google Earth you can see the small yard some of the sidings and intraplant trackage. There was much more up to the 1970s.


    Currently there very infrequent service a couple of cars a couple of times a year .Back in the 1990s they converted their power plant to burn coal or oil, for a few years perhaps a dozen hoppers at a time were brought down by Guilford. Have not seen any of that for a number of years.
     
  5. Teditor

    Teditor TrainBoard Member

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    Jeff,

    Any information is of assistance, one would think there would be a roster with loco and car numbers somewhere.
     
  6. JMaurer1

    JMaurer1 TrainBoard Member

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    You would think...but I can't find it. I did find two pictures of a Norton boxcar and a pair of hoppers.

    http://www.vistadome.com/trains/rs/norton_2.jpg
    http://www.vistadome.com/trains/rs/norton_hopper.jpg

    Since the cars were used only for interplant service, they look to only have a car number and the Norton logo.

    There are hints of some B&M 40' OB boxcars being sold to Norton where they were used in interplant service until they were donated to the Railroad Museum of New England in 1979-80. Unfortunately, they have been restored to B&M paint but they do give the Norton numbers (319 & 323). Another former Norton car was DL&W 43651 which became Norton 309 and looks to be a 40' DS wood box.

    "The boxcar was sold to Norton Abrasive Co. in Worcester, MA, in the late 1950s. Norton re-numbered the car to #309 and painted it bright yellow, and used it in the company's inter-plant railroad. The boxcar was transferred to the RR Museum of New England and moved to Essex, CT, 1980-1981. It was acquired by the NPS in an exchange of equipment in 1993, and was restored to its historic DL&W appearance 1997-1998."

    http://www.hscl.cr.nps.gov/insidenps/report.asp?STATE=PA&PARK=&STRUCTURE=&SORT=1&RECORDNO=1684

    That's all I can find...hope it helps.
     
  7. Teditor

    Teditor TrainBoard Member

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    Jeff,

    Thanks for the assistance, every bit helps, I have taken a guess on the hopper numbers as they are the ones requested for the project, funny how little info there is, though the info on boxcar #309 is very in depth.
     

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