LFNW 160 Is Lost Then Found!

The Los Feliz and North Western received a message from Empire Belt Terminal Yard freight agent yesterday:

The Terminal Yard freight agent is endeavoring to locate freight car L.F.&N.W. #160 that left Terminal Yard on Sunday November 19th with cases of beer from local shipper Heileman Brewery. The shipment is consigned to Ace Wholesale Distributors in Zenith.

Car routing was Terminal Yard to Elkhart in train LS-1 and Elkhart to Chicago in train BN-1.

Kar Tracker last shows car arriving in Chicago.

But the freight agent copied the Union Pacific on the inquiry, which left the LF&NW confused:

Will get right on it, though I thought the routing was via ATSF Bay City – that could be the problem!

Terminal Yard replied,

You're right!
From my blog;
L.F.&N.W. 160 will be transferred to the A.T.S.F via the Belt Railway of Chicago's Clearing Yard to continue it's trip to Bay City, California on John B's layout.

Looks like the PC sent the car to the UP.
Very prototypical!

Well, this is the age of punch card computing and incompatible NYC and PRR data entry, so who knows what went wrong. I know first hand, that was when computer operators dropped decks of cards and put them back together any which way.

A call to the Santa Fe got things straightened out, and LFNW 160 was on Santa Fe's local from Riverbank for interchange with the LF&NW at Bay City.

Today's Riverbank-Bay City turn had the Santa Fe's Santa Safety Caboose:

The photographer caught the short train again as it ran past 14th St in Bay City:

Later in the day, the car was delivered to Ace Wholesale Distributing in Zenith by a leased Western Pacific S-4:

Ace Wholesale Distributing is a Thomas A Yorke kit from the 1970s:

Well, the beer from Heileman might be a little late for Christmas, but at least they'll have it for New Year!