Logging activity is down substantially at this time of the year as weather conditions often make it difficult or impossible in some areas. Therefore it's only logical to find cars for logs and lumber stored at this time of the year. Of course, housing construction is also down at this time of the year as weather also impacts that type of work in all but the southernmost states.

I even found this true in Europe. In 2001, I spent considerable time on a small railroad in Austria. One of their longer sidings was filled up with a string of log cars owned by a private company. A manager of the railroad told me that the company that owned the cars paid the railraod to store them during the winter months.

-- Ernest