Northern Pacific Railway 41

The Northern Pacific Railway car 41 was refit by the NP shops in 1926 as a scale test tool car.

It was built as a Grand Trunk Railway boxcar  and originally carried number 22550.  Built by Canadian Car and Foundry circa 1912, it was carrying freight from Canada to a destination in the United States. While traveling in a train on the Northern Pacific Railway, it was involved in a derailment and written off.  Under rail car interchange rules, the Northern Pacific had to compensate the Grand Trunk for the loss of their boxcar.  To recover what value remained, the wreck was dispatched to Minnesota where the NP shops reconstructed it into a maintenance car, specifically to carry tools required to service and repair rail car scales.  (Most freight rate are based on weight so accurately weighing a car is important.)  In 1972 the Burlington Northern Railroad – successor to the Northern Pacific – donated the car to the Museum.