John Pignatelli JR. posted:juniata guy posted:The X designates it is non-railroad owned equipment.
Curt
What does CSX mean operated by Chessie System a non railroad?
CSX dates back to the time a few years when naming corporations after their stock symbols was in vogue. US Steel was USX, Chessie was CSX, Trailer Train was/is TTX.
Part of the fun of our hobby is picking up books known as Official Railway Equipment Register or ORERs. They go back to the turn of the 20th century and list all railroad and private owned cars and their reporting marks as well as information on the railroad such as junction and interchange points and railroad contact information. One can spend hours reading them and looking at the car types and weights and sizes as well as what railroads interchange with what and where. In the days before computers and the UMLER and current EDI railroad car data formats they were the encyclopedia of a railroad's train cars.
ORERs, vintage "Official Guide of the Railways" and vintage Car Builders Cyclopedia books are cool collectors items and great railroad reference items to read. Some are pricey but some are dirt cheap and have tons of information. Great train room bathroom books. 
