This is an attempt to compile information obtained from the Southern Pacific mailing list about the S.P. Sugar Beet cars used in the 1950's and well into the very late 1980's. As a teenager back then, I remember watching these trains. I just wish now that I was into railroad photography back then.

Photo by Lowell Amrine

Westbound, entering West Colton Yard, July 1980 in route from
California's Imperial Valley to the Santa Maria Valley.

Lee Gautreaux and Tony Thompson wrote.

These cars were all built after WW II by SP for general service (primarily for wood chips and beets). There were the following classes/car numbers:

These 2500 cars were for Pacific Lines, as T&NO was building tight-bottom composite gondolas at the same time.

In the 1956 re numbering, the cars assigned to sugar beet service went into the 358000 series, but other cars from these classes went into general service number series or into wood chip number series, at least until enough of the big new steel chip cars arrived. That's why there aren't roughly 2500 cars in the number series.

There were other cars modified with side and end extensions for this service later, as the series eventually grew to 359614.

The July 1963 Official Railroad Equipment Register (ORER) lists, 1149 41' inside length gons of 3375 and 3435 cubic feet capy. assigned to sugar beet service in the series 358000-359164.

The 1968 ORER shows 1564 cars

The 1975 ORER shows 1414 cars

The 1988 ORER shows none.

[Lee A. Gautreaux "On my first trip to California in 1989, they were still running, however they had been re-lettered for a private owner, not SP."]

Diane Wolfgram writes,

The "Southern Pacific" is really no problem, nor are the car numbers once you find out what they are. It's the load limit and capacity data, plus all the other little info that is darn near impossible to get from a generic freight car set. Fine N-Scale has the right idea by including prototype decal sets with their kits.
The only source that I know of is Champion Decals, which makes a set in HO. I started trying to decal a set of Demi-Train cars using Microscale decal sets a few years back, but eventually gave up from the cost and eye strain.
I still have 10 assembled and painted waiting for the time that Microscale and/or Demi-Trains gets their act together and puts out a set of Minicals for these cars, as well as their version without the sideboards.
Fine N-Scale has the right idea by including prototype decal sets with their kits

Arved Grass writes,

Is the "Southern Pacific" on the caboose decal set too big? That set should be a good source of reporting marks and numbers (I use it all the time - great number jumble!). Combine with a generic freight car set to get the load limit and capacity info, and you should be set.

While the "Southern Pacific," reporting marks, and numbers can be used from the Microscale caboose set, there are not any practical decals for the capacity and other data stenciled on the car.
I forget - which reporting marks did these cars end up in? H something-or-another. I'll have to look them up again in the ORER.