THE
TRANSFER TABLE
The Wilmington Chapter NRHS Official
Newsletter
Internet Edition
| VOLUME 25 NO. 3 | APRIL 2003 |
Back To Wilmington Chapter Web Site
FEBRUARY 20, 2003 MEETING NOTES
The meeting was called to order at 7 PM by President Phil Snyder with 11 members. The minutes were read by Vice President Ron Cleaves. President Snyder noted that the Special Category for this year's Annual Doug Weaver Memorial Photo Contest was supposed to read as follows: any photo taken from inside a railroad structure or piece of railroad equipment looking out within the last two years. The Treasurer's Report was approved as read by Ralph Stevens.
It was with great sadness that we have to report the passing of long-time Chapter Member Marshall C. Guthrie, Jr. As a result of the mailing of the January newsletter, the Editor received word from the Executor of his estate that Marshall had "passed away recently" (dated Feb. 4, 2003). Unfortunately, no other details were provided and Chapter Members could provide no additional information. He will be sorely missed by all who knew him.
It was reported that the Engine House at Strasburg was broken into and many items of interest to railroadianna collectors were taken. There was also lengthy discussion of the collapse of the roof of the B&O Museum in Baltimore after Greg Ajamian read a report from the Museum and from the Baltimore newspaper via the Internet. Other reports included a Brandywine Valley derailment near old Route 30 in Coatsville. It was hoped that we might get a Chapter Tour of the Concrete Tie plant in Bear, DE in March (but this was not to be).
By the time Frank Ferguson began his program on his trip to China, we had a total of 17 members present. His trip during the Christmas-New Years period 2002-2003 was a steam locomotive fan's delight. At one point, we saw no less than seven locomotives in one spot, all steamed up and ready to run! As always, Frank took some fantastic shots and the cold weather made some images even more spectacular. We even learned to recognize "glint" before the night was over. Another terrific show, Frank!
MARCH 20, 2003 MEETING NOTES
Secretary Dan Frederick read the minutes after President Phil Snyder called the meeting to order. The minutes were approved as read, as was Treasurer Ralph Steven's report. Ralph also read a letter from Greg Molloy reporting the sudden passing of NRHS National Vice President Robert (Bob) Pinsky. National Director who was noted for his work on NRHS News, NRHS News Extra, and Membership records operations among other things since joining the Society in 1985. Tom Posatko reported that he will be attending the Director's meeting in Richmond in April. Trip Director Bruce Barry reported that we will be sponsoring a Toronto Trolley Trip June 7 & 8. Public Relations Director Frank Ferguson reported that CP Rail's #2816 steam locomotive will be in Toronto that week and he plans to get photos of it before the Trolley Trip.
The 16 members present were later treated to a slide presentation by Editor Greg Ajamian. This reporter was absolutely delighted by the wide assortment of intensely interesting and enlightening subject matter that flowed seamlessly from one topic to the next. The vastly entertaining images included views of Windsor Castle, the English countryside, Leeds and York Railroad Stations, plus the York Railroad Museum, Tower, and City Wall - all in May 1995. Next came a variety of Delaware Valley Railroad paint schemes and Reading E-units (902 & 903) before and after number boards, including one of their first excursions through Kennett Square on May 20, 1995. We saw "cabeese behind the hardware store" and even WJ Tower in Elsmere. There were views of Abrams Yard, CR's Philadelphia Yard, and the work train in Elsmere Yard. We saw a spotless Conrail SD-60i that was less than two weeks old and an ancient and rare Family Lines "cabless" unit. The next tray covered "the unusual" from mangled tank cars to Chicago rail crossings to a variety of cranes and wreckers from Clifton Forge, VA to Cresson, PA. Next came a study in "flats"; from cut downs in steel mills to details of a 12-axle in Ohio, helicopter and airplane parts cars and even a flat car without the flat! Of course there had to be the "heavyweight flats"; this time there was an assortment of 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, and 22 axle monsters. Greg gave credit to the many people who provided some of the images: Ed Thornton, Kermit Geary, Craig Bossler, and John Bartley. With precious minutes left before the lights had to go up, Greg managed to cover the last tray with slides of the Dallas Texas Fairgrounds Museum in July 1991 which included UP Big Boy 4018, Frisco 1625 & 4501, UP Centennial 6913, and Santa Fe M-106. Finally there were great shots of the Texas State Railway in September 1991 between Rusk and Palestine with two steam locos. This reporter heard many members say how much they liked the program that evening, and well, had to agree despite a certain bias.
FROM THE EDITOR
... I want to acknowledge an unsung hero of our Chapter, namely our WebMaster, Russ Fox. For quite some time he has been maintaining and upgrading our Chapter's website. He posts our newsletter (at least the text and material that I can send to electronically) for the benefit of our members and to attract potential new members. Indeed, we have received numerous applications for membership (and checks!) as a result of the site. In addition, I have received many requests for information and inquiries and have been able to pass along information and requests to other Chapter Members. I am especially grateful for having the newsletter (and therefore the unofficial meeting minutes) on the webpage because it resulted in a great information connection for me personally around one of my favorite topics, "big flats"! Since Russ is unable to attend most meetings, we rarely get the chance to thank him for the valuable work he does for our Chapter, so I thought I needed to do so here.
CORRECTIONS
The dates & destinations for the Chapter Trips that were listed on the last page of the February Transfer Table were reversed. NOTE the corrected dates & destinations on the last page of THIS newsletter. The Special Category for this year's Annual Doug Weaver Memorial Photo Contest was corrected to read as follows: any photo taken within the last two (2) years from the inside a railroad structure or piece of railroad equipment looking out.
NEWS BITS
For those interested in the Peninsula Railroad's history, Ed Thornton suggests visiting the Talbot County Free Library's Maryland Room. In Ephemera Box 5. is a list of many titles and photos relating to railroading on the DelMarVa. You can view the list at http://www.talb.lib.md.us/mdroom/ephemera/travel.html.
The U.S. Department of Energy plans to bury Baldwin-Lima-Hamilton RS-4TC locomotive OHFX 4026 currently at CSXT's Queensgate Yard in Cincinnati, Ohio. This unit, "L'il Leach," is usually maintained at the DOE Shops in Femaid, Ohio. It will be buried at Clive, Utah when it is retired due to low level radioactive contamination. [The Lancaster Dispatcher via Central Pennsylvania Chapter's The Susquehannock]
The 60-year-old model railroad
exhibit in the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry has been replaced by "The
Great Train Story"; a 3,500 square foot layout, which depicts the railroad's
winding journey between Chicago and Seattle, passing through the Midwest, the
Plains States, the Rockies, the Cascades, and into the Pacific Northwest. Along
the way, trains are involved in industries as diverse as grain commodities, raw
materials for manufacturing, consumer goods for import and export, lumber,
apples, and tourism.
It took 40 people over 12 months to build The Great Train
Story including designers, painters, architects, copywriters, project managers,
and people from a spectrum of professions, all bringing their talents together.
Research began on the new railroad by watching visitors interact with the
existing one. Observational studies provided developers and designers insight
into how visitors interact with a miniature railroad. They found that children
liked to follow the train as it moved around the track. They also noted that it
was difficult for visitors to see into the middle of the layout, making it hard
to see the action. The design and development team then continued their research
by taking an 11-day train trip across the country. They knew Chicago was a sort
of "hub" for railroading in the United States, so it seemed logical to make it a
trip between Chicago and somewhere else. At first Los Angeles was explored, but
Seattle offered more picturesque scenery, and intermodal operations in the
harbor is easier to explain to visitors. The team also discussed several themes
during that trip. They decided that the main theme would be that trains haul
many different kinds of things. The stories they told in the layout would be
elements of that theme: how trains haul passengers, grain and raw materials, and
how trains are part of a larger, intermodal network of transportation systems.
The old (previous) layout was one of the smallest complete
railroad systems. That model railroad was the largest of its kind in the world
when it opened in 1941, covered 2,340 square feet of floor space and was built
on O gauge 2 track, which is 1/48 scale. The various scenes on the model
railroad illustrated the role of the real railroad in U.S. industry and
agriculture throughout the Desert Southwest. It included 1,000 feet of track and
40 switches operated by an automatic control board. When it closed in May of
2002, the model railroad had been in service for over six decades, serving as
one of the most well-known and beloved exhibits in the Museum. It had seen
several enhancements over the years as new technologies helped railroads to
operate more safely and efficiently. It was also one of the first railroads in
the country to run "diesel" engines as they replaced steam engines.
Today, the Museum's new railroad exhibit, The Great Train
Story, once again tells the modern railroad story. The new layout is 50% larger
than the original railroad and has the ability to operate over 30 trains, rather
than the original 10. The Great Train Story follows the winding railroad journey
between Chicago and Seattle, passing through the Midwest, the Plains States, the
Rockies, the Cascades, and into the Pacific Northwest. Along the way, trains are
involved in industries as diverse as grain commodities, raw materials for
manufacturing, consumer goods for import and export, lumber, apples, and
tourism.
The team believed that the need to run the layout seven days
a week required proven, reliable technology. Many layouts today use a
computer controller to regulate the speed of trains and to manage other features
of the layout. The Great Train Story uses mechanical relays and components so
that if there is a power outage or a train derails, there is no computer to
reboot and the layout can begin running again immediately. The exhibit
officially opened to the public on November 22, 2002. Like its predecessor, The
Great Train Story will tell the tale of railroading to generations to come.
[after seeing an item in Railway Age I went to http://www.msichicago.org/exhibit/great_train_story/index.html
for this information]
There are almost daily updates, with new photographs, of the B&O Railroad Museum at their website: http://www.borail.org The B&O Railroad Museum remains closed until further notice.
This copyrighted article was written for the "Transfer Table", the newsletter of the Wilmington Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society by Chapter Member Richard E. Hall © Richard E. Hall 2001
TWO OLD PRR SURVIVORS By Richard E. Hall
Years ago in the era of the
wooden passenger cars, the PRR had hundreds of such cars in service. When they
became too old to economically repair, or were too outdated, the PRR dismantled
the junkers and the better ones often found their way to smaller railroads. The
old wooden cars were retired in large numbers when they were being replaced by
steel cars in the early 1900 era. Most of the old wooden cars from the PRR and
other railroads, and many old locomotives, were sold to the E.H. Wilson & Co.,
who then refurbished them and sold them to the smaller railroads. Some of those
old cars changed hands several times and a few could still be found on
short lines after WWII.
We are fortunate that we have some examples of the old wooden
PRR passenger equipment preserved so close to home for us, the cars in the
collection at the Railroad Museum. The cars at Strasburg have survived
because they were still in existence when the PRR began to assemble what they
termed their "relic collection". In this article, we are dealing with a couple
of the old PRR cars that had been sold through railroad car dealers. One of
these was sold by the well known used car dealer of the early 1900's, the E.H.
Wilson & Company. The second car may have been handled by E.H. Wilson & Co., but
records of the car's history are incomplete. It is a bit of a pity none of the
five PRR class Pk coaches sold to the Ma & Pa by E.H. Wilson & Co. in 1914
survived to find their way to the Strasburg Railroad with some of the other Ma &
Pa equipment. That does not mean none of the other former PRR passenger cars
which were bought and resold by E.H. Wilson & Co. have survived. There is at
least one in a museum and there had been a second coach retired in 1953. The
carbody was used as a cabin by a lake in the southwest, but it had disappeared
by 1980.
The first car has an interesting history which is worth some
brief mention. It is identified as a class Pk coach reported to have been built
in 1886. No record has been found to tell us what the old PRR number was for the
car. It is a most unfortunate situation, but the original numbers have been lost
on most of the old passenger cars, some changing hands two or more times. The
car referred to here was sold through the Birmingham, Alabama office of E.H.
Wilson & Co. and was delivered to the short Dardannelle & Russellville
Railroad in May, 1916.
The former PRR car became coach #10 on the five mile Arkansas short line and remained there until 1936. When it arrived on the D&R, the coach had a "Jim Crow" section installed by the D&R shop because of laws in existence at the time. One side of the car was fire damaged at the North Dardannelle station in March 1924, and was repaired. It was retired in October 1936, and sold to the Rockdale, Sandow & Southern. The D&R shop converted the car to a passenger baggage combine before it was shipped, but retained the "Jim Crow" section. It became RS&S #3 and was sent to Marjorie, Texas in November 1936.
Both the R&D and the RS&S were controlled by the McAlester Fuel Co. of McAlester, Oklahoma. The car was sold to 20th Century-Fox in February, 1945, and was used in eight movies while owned by the movie studio. Perhaps it should be noted the car had been modified several times in the process. The old PRR coach was one of three cars sold to Short Line Enterprises in January 1972, then traded to the Pacific Southwest Railway Museum Association in 1976.
The history of the former PRR car was researched in 1989 by Jim Wakefield, of Arkansas, and a PSRMA member, for the San Diego Railroad Museum. It is compiled here from information provided by Bill Schneider of the museum, back in 1989 while I was helping identify it and another interesting former PRR car in the San Diego Railroad Museum collection. The research was completed as best as could be done under the circumstances and with the passage of time. I have had no contact with them since June 1989, after sending them copies of material from the WNY&P Day Books in the Penn State Collection pertaining to the WNY&P car.
The second PRR passenger car survivor rates as a treasure with me for two reasons. First reason, the car was built right here in Wilmington by Jackson & Sharp. Second reason, it is not a standard PRR class as we find at Strasburg, but a "P Odd" class coach built for a PRR subsidiary line in northern Pennsylvania. For that reason, it's a pity the car can't be moved to Strasburg, not kept in San Diego.
The other car in the San Diego Railroad Museum collection is a coach built by Jackson & Sharp for the WNY&P, with some financial assistance from the PRR, about the time that road came under PRR control. It is fantastic that a WNY&P car, and a rare PRR "P-odd" class, not a PRR standard class, is still in existence 100 years after it was built. The WNY&P car was also used in eight movies and a TV series.
It is most unfortunate there is not the amount of known history available for this car, as there is with the old PRR car mentioned above. There is nothing known about this car between the time it was built for the WNY&P in the late 1890's and April 1916. The car was identified as coach number 5 on the Marshall & East Texas Railway in April 1916. When and how it had arrived on that east Texas railroad has been lost in time, apparently we will never know. It was next identified as being sold to the Russellville & Dardanelle by the Houston Railway Car Co. in December 1920 for $1,000.00. The San Diego research information mentions another R&D car went to the Houston Railway Car Co. in the deal, but the details of the transaction were cloudy.
The car was numbered 14 and modified by the D&R, including changing some windows on the sides at one end of the car and in the car end. Some of the walkover seats were removed in the end where the windows had been changed and a new partition was installed behind the last seat. The open area created by the partition formed sort of an observation room which the R&D furnished with six leather upholstered, mahogany finish arm chairs. The rebuilding cost the D&R $4,020.96, plus the total cost of acquiring it had been about $2,000.00, making #14 the most expensive, and last, passenger car on the D&R roster. Lacking the luxury of a business car, #14 provided some private accommodations when needed by the D&R management to entertain special guests.
D&R #14 and combine #12, an ex PRR converted coach, were used by 20th. Century Fox in filming the movie "Jesse James" in 1938. Other reported movie credits using what was termed "stock footage" shot of D&R #14, some inside the car, were Gunsmoke, The Big Valley and Buffalo Bill. In December 1944, #14 was retired by the D&R and sold to 20th Century Fox for $1,200.00, but did not leave the D&R until June. The car was moving on it's own wheels, but a Missouri Pacific freight crew failed to release a hand brake and the wheels became so hot that one of them broke. At last accounts, the car was still on it's original trucks, marked WNY&P. The car was used in filming a number of movies and also in two TV series.
From the late 1950's until the car eventually went to the San Diego Railroad Museum, it had been moved several times, some of the moves being made by truck. Due in part to both it's age and the neglect that it suffered between the time it left it's movie career and it's eventual arrival at the museum, the car is in very bad condition. I do not know the status of the car at the present time, but my understanding was the San Diego Railroad Museum had intended to eventually have the car restored to the appearance of it prime years on the WNY&P. In some respects, I view the car as a being a rare railroad treasure with a local connection.
Although I never had the privilege of meeting any of them, Bill Schneider, Jim Wakefield and all of the other unknown persons involved with the San Diego Museum and the preservation and restoration of those former PRR cars, I send a message of thanks and appreciation from all of us who remember and loved the old PRR, for their part in the preservation of those old PRR cars. © 2001, R.E. Hall
This copyrighted article was written for the "Transfer Table", the newsletter of the Wilmington Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society by Chapter Member Richard E. Hall © Richard E. Hall 2002
PRR C&T CABIN QUESTIONS & COMMENTS By Richard E. Hall
The above use of "C&T" does not refer to the reporting marks of the Cumbres & Toltec or some obscure and now forgotten short line. Nor should it be confused with the rather vague PRR description "MW cabin" which could be a car adapted from almost any type of passenger service car or box car used as a M-of-W bunk car, kitchen or other type camp car, tool cars, wreck train and riding cars. Some work train riding cars did serve in part as C&T cabin when a few of them had a partition installed to keep the workmen separated from the train crew.
The above use of the term "C&T cabin" was the standard PRR term describing a specific type of railroad car, which for the benefit of those unfortunate souls who are not conversant in the specific dialect of our railroad language which was unique to the Great Pennsylvania Railroad, we shall translate. The term "C&T cabin" is for "Conductors & Trainmans cabin", which translates to "caboose", the name commonly used for the car on many of the lesser railroads. One should be careful not to confuse the PRR use of "C&T cabin" with the PRR term "MW cabin", another PRR description which is somewhat of an abnormality in its encompassing a host of M-of-W car types or descriptions as stated above. For the most part, our local PRR cabin car classes are reasonably well understood, the questions here arise primarily from the cabin cars on the Lines West portion of the PRR System. As you are probably well aware, some of the Lines West class N6b cabin cars found their way east with the prevailing conditions during & immediately following World War II.
Prior to the introduction and adoption of the modern type C&T cabin car with the original PRR class "F narrow", later changed to class Na in January 1887, converted box cars had served as cabin cars with little or no standardization among the cars on the PRR and related lines. No drawings have been found for any PRR cabin cars from the box car era and very few photos have been seen showing old PRR box car type C&T cabin cars. There are too few photos to call a design "typical", the following was representative of only some of the early box car type C&T cars. The box car door opening was generally sheathed over with two high four light windows placed near the center of the car where the door had been. Two more windows in the car side were placed one near each end of the body and generally two more were in the car ends, one on each side of the man door in the end of the car body. There appears to be space for bunks between the center windows and the one near the end of the side, with a stove on one side near the center of the car.
Other converted cabin cars had the box car door opening only partially closed and a small man door placed there, either hinged or top hung sliding doors being used. Many of the converted cabin cars had smaller side windows and fewer windows with none in the car end, but with the end door for crewmen. Some had roof walks with grab irons beside the door for roof access, others had neither roof walk or grab irons. None had cupolas although at least one Lines West side door car had a small unidentifiable square (windowless?) projection extending above the center of the roof.
The narrow timber for the car end sill was not modified to create a platform for the crew on any cars seen in photos. There were no special steps and minimal grab irons which made the cars very dangerous for trainmen to use. The railroads were concerned with operating safety to protect their equipment but personal safety and human life were low priority in the old days. One interesting point, at least some of the box car type C&T cabin cars were fitted with pilots, or as they are commonly called, "cow catchers". They appeared to be very similar to the older horizontal bar PRR locomotive pilots, but of lighter construction.
The local predecessors of the standard PRR type cabin cars on the PW&B and P&BC were also converted or adapted box cars which lacked the comfort and amenities of the later standard four wheel cabin cars. They were also a safety hazard for the crewmen who used them. It would be interesting to know if any of the early cabin cars were adapted from four wheel box cars, some of those box cars lasted into the 1870Õs. The PW&B was still using box cars for cabin cars in 1884 when they received 25 of the PRR standard four wheel cabin cars and rebuilt the old cars as box cars. When the P&BC received the first class Na of their four wheel cabin cars, the Lamokin Shop rebuilt the old cabin car to a box car. The P&BC eventually had four class Na and two Nb cars when the P&BC freight and passenger cars were transferred to the PW&B and renumbered in 1890.
We do know a wee bit regarding the early standard cabin cars, but even the PRR could not answer one question in later years. The early C&T cabin cars assigned to the PW&B were the original class "F-narrow" and "F-wide" types, revised to class Na and Nb respectively under the new classification system adopted in January 1887. When was the class F-narrow cabin car introduced and first built for the PRR? That seems to be a question the PRR was not able to answer. None of the available copies of PRR Form No.146, including one for 1887, have a date for the year the class Na was adopted as a standard, but they show class Nb, as class F-wide, had been adopted in 1872. There were still eight class Na cars with 1884 built dates, and three with earlier dates, on the PW&B roster when they were renumbered into the new PB&W six digit PRR assigned number series in 1905, but they did not last long after being renumbered. They were torn up within three years, most at Wilmington, one at Anacostia.
Other classes of the standard PRR cabin cars followed the Na and Nb in use on the local freight trains, class Nc and the later steel underframe class Nd which many of us well remember. It may come as a surprise to some to find there were 34 class Nd cabin cars built in the Wilmington Shops in 1910. One of those cars was destroyed in an accident at Perryville in 1913.
Some cabin cars were destroyed in local accidents. PW&B class Nc 4918(2nd) built 3/22/1904, to PB&W 488735(1st) on 4/22/1905 and fitted with air brakes at Wilmington in 10/1906, was destroyed in an accident at Edge Moor on 7/13/1907. Another class Nc, built on 10/18/1903 as PW&B 4948, to PB&W 488765(1st) on 4/19/1906, was destroyed in an accident at Edge Moor on 4/21/1910. Another class Nc, built as PW&B 4926(2nd) on 12/6/1901, to PB&W 488743(1st) on 7/1/1905, was destroyed in an accident at Newport on 12/25/1906. Both of those cars were built as replacements for older cars and had received the old PW&B number of the car they replaced. They were later replaced with class Nd cars using the same numbers. In addition to cabin cars were destroyed in accidents on the main line, others were destroyed on the Delaware Division, one in Middletown, and some on the C&PD, one Nc at Face Rock. Class Nd 488818, built at Altoona on 1/22/1909, was destroyed in an accident on the P&BC at Elk View on 2/28/1913. PW&B 4916 was built on 3/6/1884 as old class F Narrow which became class Na in 1887, survived to be renumbered to PB&W 488733(1st) on 5/17/1905, only to be destroyed in as accident at Popes Creek on 3/30/1906. It was replaced by class Nd 488733(2nd) built for the PB&W at Altoona on 5/5/1906. One of the Nd cabin cars built in Wilmington in December 1910, PB&W number 488831 seems to have strayed from its home rails, it was out in Pitcairn when it was destroyed on January 29, 1913.
Steel cabin cars came to the PB&W when the Altoona Shops turned out four class N5 cabin cars, numbers 488876 to 488879 on June 21, 1916, followed by nine more, numbers 488880 to 488888 built in 1917. Class N5 488876 became Penn Central 22009, renumbered to 19009, and 488878 became PC 19024. Building the all steel class N5 cars did not mark the final end of wood body cabin car construction at Altoona Shops, at least two more small lots of such cars would be built. Altoona built five class Nda eight wheel, steel underframe, wood sheathed cabin cars for the NYP&N in 1916, followed by five more in 1917, also for the NYP&N. They eventually were used on other parts of the Delaware Division and one is remembered as being at Clayton. The last class Nda cabin car remaining on the roster, number 479815 built in 5/1917, made its way west to Fort Wayne where it was retired and torn up.
The Maryland Division received at least one World War II era NX23 cabin car number 478564, assigned to Colgate Creek in Baltimore. There may have been more but the records for the NX23 cars and their assignments are incomplete, we don't even know if #478564 was later transferred to M-of-W service or sold. There were 31 class NX23 cars converted from X23 box cars to ease the wartime shortage of cabin cars. After the War, most of those wartime emergency cabin cars were transferred to M-of- service as riding cars, but a few were sold to short lines. The LIRR had two class NX23a cabin cars with an additional modification where the car ends were moved in creating end platforms with cast steel PRR type cabin car steps placed under the corners of the side sills. The first design proposed for the NX 23 conversion did not have the small bay window and side door we remember. The original proposal dated Feb. 1943 was for a car with wide end platforms and a centered N5 type steel cupola.
One local class Nc cabin car had a rather unusual history, built on June 17, 1893 for the PW&B as old number 4914(2nd) to replace one of the original standard cars, renumbered to PB&W 488731 on April 21, 1905, equipped with air brakes at Wilmington in January 1907. It was transferred to M-of-W equipment and converted to a snow flanger in the Wilmington Shops on January 18, 1911 and renumbered to the M-of-W series on August 9, 1911 as 497780(1st). Although they were equipped with Janney couplers, most of the C&T cabin cars were not fitted with air brakes until between 1905 and 1911, many of the older cars never did receive air brakes. Number 497780(2nd) was a double track steel Russell snow plow placed in service on 11/11/1946.
Much is known of the general history of our local C&T cabin cars but many questions still remain. For example, we know when the P&BC and B&P cabin cars were transferred to the PW&B and renumbered, we know the blocks of numbers but we don't know the individual two digit car numbers and built dates. Most of the questions come when we look to the C&T cabin cars on the Lines West (of Pittsburgh and Erie) on the older PRR System. The PRRT&HS published an article in the "Keystone" several years ago which gave some information on the class Ne and Nea cars, classes which were unique to Lines West.
The "Keystone" also published some material on the rebuilding of the Ne and Nea classes to the N6a and N6b classes. Most class Ne cars were converted to N6a and many Nea were converted to N6b, but there were many exceptions with Ne to N6b and Nea to N6a. We remember the class N6b cars which became rather common locally following World War II. The "Keystone" article did not go into the facts regarding the rebuilding program's overall effect on the fate of cabin car classes Na, Nb, Nba, Nc, Ne, Nea and some Nodd four wheel cars, but others, such as Nodd 996123 were listed as too narrow to convert. There were two designs of Nodd eight wheel C&T cabin cars. We would not know it today, but those eight wheel Nodd cars were at one time unofficially considered as a standard car on parts of the Lines West System.
In a way it may have been just as well the "Keystone" articles did not try to go into too much detail. Even the PRR records are confusing on some details, such as conversions and new construction for class N6. At least they are confusing at the present time and I do believe some of the officials were confused at the time the work was underway. This raises another point, several Nb and Nba cars were converted, but Nb 996131 was listed as too narrow to convert. Could it be 996131 was actually a class Na, old "F narrow" misidentified as a class Nb car? But on the other hand, some class Na cars were converted to N6a or N6b. Although their numbers are not found of the available list of "reconstructed" cars, the PRR term for the rebuilding, there were four class Na cars on the PFW&C listed to be reconstructed and three of them were listed as having been done by 9/1922. There were two N6b cabin cars with lines east numbers, N6b 478315 was converted from Nc 488335 and N6b 478326 was converted from Nc 488360. Both class Nc cars had been used on Lines West for about 15 to 18 months and were converted even thought they were still owned by the Northern Central Railway.
Note the above list of four wheel cabin cars includes classes Nb and Nba along with class Nodd four wheel cars. At the time the cars were to be reconstructed to N6, N6a and N6b classes we are able to account for car numbers for two TC&O, two CA&C and one PFW&C class Nodd four wheel cars in the Lines West Central Region. They were on a list of the four wheel cars in the Central Region which did not meet the requirements of new state laws. All of the Nodd cars and three class Nb cars on the one list were marked as being unsuited for reconstruction to steel underframe cars due to the width of the cars. This again raises the rather interesting question stated above. If some class Nb cars were unsuited for reconstruction to steel underframe cars, why were other class Nb cars, such as 995998 rebuilt to N6b 980501? Most of the class Nba cars, 37 of the 38 known Nba cars were rebuilt to class N6a and N6b steel underframe cars.
The class N6, N6a and N6b came into being because of laws passed in four of the states served by the PRR Lines West System. Laws were enacted in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Michigan which required all cabooses and cabin cars used in those states be equipped with steel underframes, two four wheel trucks, be at least 21 feet inside body length, the body strength must be equal to a 60,000 lb. capacity freight car and they must be equipped with end platforms and steps. There were at least 18 class Nodd eight wheel cabin cars on Lines West which did not comply with the law because of wooden underframes, but only three have been identified. They were the same as some 34Õ cars having steel underframes which had been built prior to the first standard steel underframe Nd cabin cars on the PRR. The figure of 18 was probably actually higher when we consider the number of steel underframes the PRR reported were on hand for converting to class N6 cabin cars. The remainder of the Lines West cars were four wheel cars in classes Na, Nb, Nba, Nc, Ne, Nea, Nodd four wheel and two TC&OR cars listed as "class Cbe, similar to Na". The statement may have referred to the later version of class Na. During the years there were changes involving the side windows, cupola windows and the overall roof length, the earlier design did not extend over the end platforms, and the increase in car width which created class Nb.
One early Lines West proposal to comply with the requirements of the state laws was rather abruptly dropped. The suggestion was made to transfer to the three Lines West Regions all of the new class N5 steel cabin cars which were then just starting to be built at Altoona and move the old four wheel wooden underframe Lines West cabin cars to the Eastern Region. As might be expected, the proposal was not well received by the PRR officials.
Plans were drawn up for rebuilding the short four wheel cabin cars with the body length increased on new steel underframes and eight wheels. The majority of four wheel cars were class Ne and Nea with their large top heavy looking Lines West cupolas on what was otherwise a class Nc car body. In order to use the existing cupolas on most of the rebuilt cars, the PRR referred to them as being "reconstructed", there were to be new classes N6, N6a and N6b, all to use the same underframe design with the class designated according to which cupola was on the car. A few cars were proposed to be built new to fill vacant numbers. The rebuilding of the older cars to the larger class N6a and N6b cars was begun in 1914, continued on a limited basis through the USRA period and into the early 1920Õs. Some of the four wheel cars not suited for reconstruction were dropped from the roster, a new N6b car often being built to replace it.
The reconstruction of the cabin cars was not without controversy, primarily because of the Ne, N6a cupola width and the number of clearance restrictions prohibiting their use. One letter by an official in Pittsburgh might suggest he was not too familiar with the cabin car classes when he wrote the Nc cars should be converted to N6a or N6b according to which type cupola was on the particular car being converted. As you probably are aware, the class Nc cupola was like we remember as being used on the Nd and Nda cars. One problem arises when trying to trace the few class Nba cars, instead of all being built to N6a as we might expect from the cupola, we find them listed as reconstructed to both N6a and N6b cars. Some officials had wanted the N6a design eliminated and all cars reconstructed to class N6b to eliminate the problem of clearance restrictions, but it was not done that way. A few cars turned out as class N6a were converted to N6b within weeks or a few months from the time they were turned out.
As is so often the case, what was preferred and what was actually done were not the same. More cars were converted to class N6a than to the preferred class N6b. As of 1940 there were still more class N6a cabin cars than N6b, 708 N6a compared to 373 N6b. Reflecting the conditions at the end of the Great Depression, in 1940 there were 330 N6a in service, 15 stored in good order and 363 stored awaiting repairs compared to 303 N6b in service, 9 stored in good order and 61 awaiting repairs. The total PRR ownership of class N6a and N6b cabin cars was 1,081 cars. By 1945 there had been 30 cars scrapped or wrecked, but it had been rebuilding of class N6a to N6b which had drastically altered the total in both classes from the 1940 figure. By the late 1940 era, there were only 24 class N6a remaining while the N6b figure had increased to 1,027 cars, for a combined total of 1051 cabin cars. Did you note the class N6 has not been mentioned much in the above?
This may be subject to question, but I am inclined to believe even some of the PRR people were confused about the class N6 cabin cars. As of September 1922, there were still 35 new steel frames on hand designated for the class N6 cabin cars and none had been reconstructed or built new. Depending on what you read, or perhaps it is how you interrupt the records and letters, the class N6 cabin cars were to be reconstructed from the existing Nodd eight wheel Vandalia and GR&I cabin cars. A letter dated 12/5/21 states "The N6 cabins have cupolas with tapering sides toward top and were to be considered as the standard for former Lines West, including Vandalia and G.R.& I.RR., when building complete new cars". The design of those cars dates to the late 1890 era and starting in 1910, the Vandalia had 10 of them built with steel underframes long before the N6, N6a and N6b classes were designed. The Vandalia cars were not on arch bar trucks, but on what appeared to be a passenger type wood beam truck.
Just for the record, the Vandalia Nodd eight wheel cars had lower cupolas than the N6a and N6b and were similar to those used on the standard PRR cars, but were a bit higher with the sides tapering slightly whereas the almost identical GR&I cars had the side panels of the cupola placed vertical and slightly recessed a couple of inches from the edge of the roof. If the existing Nodd eight wheel cabin bodies were to fit the new steel underframes they would have been necessary to shortened then by a few feet. Then we find a notation for "N6 new 8 wheel narrow cupola" cabin cars, indicating all of the N6 cars were to be built new, like the N6b except for the N6 cupola. I have no doubt there are many additional documents somewhere which may either clarify the questions regarding the Na, Nb, Nba, Nc, Ne, Nea and perhaps both four and eight wheel Nodd cars to N6, N6a and N6b cars, or else further confuse the issue. At this point I might not even be surprised to learn there had been one or two N6 cars actually built or reconstructed and then shortly rebuilt to N6b or scrapped. Considering the PRR, it does not seem to be too far fetched to have possibly happened. As it turned out, class N6 was destined to remain an unbuilt ghost class like the later class N7 design all steel car.
All of the material which has been published and which I have seen, as only addressed the conversion of the Ne and Nea cars to N6a and N6b classes. There was brief mention of the center cupola class N6b cars and some having an almost unnoticed difference in window to end of car spacing on a few cars in the "Keystone", but no true explanation.
Of the 1,046 cabin cars on Lines west which were to be rebuilt when the program was begun prior to World War I, 798 had been done by September 1922 with 248 listed as remaining to be reconstructed. A comparison of the 1940 and 1945 total number of all classes of cabin cars on the PRR might be of some interest. They are listed by car class, 1940 total, 1945 total, with "0" where the class did not exist in 1940. Class Nd, 441 - 334, Nda, 13 - 13, N4, 1 - 1, N5, 645 - 645, N5a, 651 - 4, N5b, 0 - 200, N5c, 0 - 200, N5d, 0 - 1, N5e, 0 - 1, N6a, 708 - 24, N6b, 373 - 1,027, NX23, 0 - 75. The grand total for 1940 was 2,191 cabin cars and for 1945 was 2,525 cars of all classes.
In 1945 the 24 remaining N6a cabin cars were scheduled to be converted to N6b, cars in N5, N6a and N6b classes were still having cast steel side frame trucks applied to eliminate the old arch bar trucks and were being fitted with AB brakes. There was consideration being given to converting the N5 cars to class N5e cars at a cost of $1,806.00 each. One note states if use of the class Nd cabin cars was to continue it would be necessary to apply AB brakes and suggests the cost of the brakes added to the average cost of $867.00 for Nd repairs would be more than the cars were worth. These totals do not include the standard cabin cars on the PRSL or the LIRR, or the classes unique to the LIRR, including the two class NX23a cars.
Over the years many cabin cars of all classes had been transferred to M-of-W service on work trains although the use of freight service cabin cars seemed to have been more common in our area. Some of the PRR wreck trains even had their own assigned cabin car coupled on as part of the train. I thought I had found something unique with a list of three cars dated 1945 and headed "N6a cabin cars converted to M-of-W". Another PRR clerical error. The first number was for the lone class N4 car with which we are all familiar. The third car had been converted to N6b many, many long years ago and the second car number I could not identify.
Turning our attention back to our local area, we need more information on the early box car type cabin cars used on the local railroads, photos, drawings and roster information. There were a few former PRR cabin cars used by a couple of the small railroads on the Eastern Shore, but the history and car data on them has been evasive. We do know there were class Nd cars, but what were their old PRR numbers and what cars had preceded them? Likewise we don't know enough about the NYP&N class Nc and Nd cabin cars prior to the 10 class Nda cars built by Altoona, and we don't even have enough information on them. What was the reason for the increase in the number of cabin cars on the B&P just before they were transferred to the PW&B in 1890? Not only was there an increase from eight to 21 cars, but 19 of them were reported to have been new within the preceding year.
Another question is, were any class Na or Nb cabin cars built new, or existing cars transferred, to the lines south of Richmond which were controlled by the PRR through a holding company? The higher positions of the railroad management was staffed with people chosen and sent from Philadelphia. The last of the old PRR class "E", later changed to class G2, 4-6-0 locomotives built in 1880 by Altoona for the aborted PRR southern route to the Gulf Coast in 1880, were not scrapped by the Southern Railway until the 1920Õs. Considering the PRR built some locomotives for the Richmond & Danville, it might seem reasonable to question if some cars may have been built for the short lived southern operation of the PRR also.
As you may see, there are many questions about the cabin cars used on the eastern subsidiary lines in addition to all of the questions for the PRR Lines West cabin cars. © 2002, R.E. Hall
The National Railway
Historical Society's Wilmington Chapter's Annual Doug Weaver Memorial Photo
Contest
will be held at the regular Chapter meeting on Thursday, May 15th,
2003.
Here are the guidelines for entering images in this year's contest:
CATEGORIES [note timeframes]
SCHEDULE NOTES
Notices, announcements, schedules, etc. are provided here as a service to the
members. The Chapter has no affiliation with any commercial operation, museum,
or tourist line.
April 26-27, 2003 Cornell NRHS Chapter's 20th Annual Finger Lakes Railfair, 10 AM-5 PM, Field Comm Recreation Center, State Rt. 34 Ithica (near Lansing), NY, call 607-533-4120
June 6-7, 2003 Chapter Trolley Trip - Toronto
June 21-22, 2003 Great Scale Model Train Show - Timonium, 9-4 Saturday, 10-4 Sunday, Maryland State Fairgrounds, Timonium, MD. www.gsmts.com
June 27 - July 6, 2003 The Fair of the Iron Horse 175 years of American Railroad at the B&O Railroad Museum. CANCELLED
July 1-6, 2003 2003 NRHS Convention - STAR
SPANGLED RAILS
The National Railway Historical Society (NRHS) and the Railway and Locomotive
Historical Society, Inc. (R&LHS) will hold a joint convention, named Star
Spangled Rails, in Baltimore, Maryland July 1 - 6, 2003. Hosted by the
Washington, DC Chapter of the NRHS and the R&LHS, the convention will offer
exciting mainline excursion trains, other informative, fun rail oriented trips,
educational seminars and the annual banquet. There will also be non-rail
excursions to see the history and culture of Maryland.
Star Spangled Rails will coincide with the 175th Anniversary of Railroading in
the United States and will occur at the height of the B&O Railroad Museum's
America on Track Celebration. The highlight of the Museum's celebration will be
a recreation of the 1927 "Fair of the Iron Horse". The fair will include special
exhibits at the museum and Baltimore's Carroll Park. Railroad equipment of all
kinds and vintages will be on display, something special no one will want to
miss. Besides all of the exciting public events of the Fair, special private
events for Star Spangled Rails attendees only are being planned in conjunction
with the museum. For more information, check the official convention website at
www.starspangledrails.org. Pre-registration NOW!
August 16-17, 2003 Great Scale Model Train Show - Gettsyburg, 9-4 Saturday, 10-4 Sunday, Gettsyburg College, Gettsyburg, PA
October 11-12, 2003 Great Scale Model Train Show - Timonium, 9-4 Saturday, 10-4 Sunday, Maryland State Fairgrounds, Timonium, MD. www.gsmts.com
October 19, 2003 Susquehanna Valley NRHS Chapter's 10th Annual Train Show Southern Tier Railfest, 10 AM-4 PM, Heritage Country Club, Binghamton, NY call 607-775-1267
CHAPTER EVENTS
Thursday April 17, 2003 7 PM Chapter Meeting program by Mike Burkhart.
Thursday May 15, 2003 7 PM Chapter Meeting Annual Doug Weaver Memorial Photo Contest 2003 special category: 2003 special category: "Inside view of a piece of railroad equipment or the inside of a railroad structure."
Saturday May 17, 2003 7 PM Chapter Trip Circle Trip to "Yet-To-Be-Determined" Do-It Yourself - probably Philadelphia - Camden - Trenton
Saturday June 7, 2003 11 AM Chapter Picnic location not available at this time.
Thursday June 19, 2003 7 PM Chapter Meeting program by Richard Hall.
Thursday July 17, 2003 7 PM Chapter Meeting program by Bruce Barry.
Thursday Aug. 21, 2003 7 PM Chapter Trip Circle Trip to "Yet-To-Be-Determined" Instead of normal monthly meeting - Do-It Yourself - probably Philadelphia - Camden - Trenton.
Thursday Sept. 18, 2003 7 PM Chapter Meeting program by Phil Snyder. Cross Country Part 3 = AZ to LA to Philadelphia
The Wilmington Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society (NRHS) meets at 7:00 PM on the third Thursday of each month [except August & December] in the Darley Room at the Claymont Community Center on Green Street in Claymont, Delaware. Visitors are always welcome. Admission to regular meetings is free. Check out our Website, thanks to Russ Fox at: http://www.WilmingtonNRHS.com
The Transfer Table
The Transfer Table is published six to ten times per year as the
newsletter of the Wilmington Chapter of the National Railway Historical
Society. Items in this publication do not represent the official position
of either Officers or Members of the Wilmington Chapter or the Editor of this
publication.
Permission to reprint articles and news items appearing herein is granted to NRHS Chapters and other newsletters provided appropriate credit is given. Contributions are always welcome and should be sent to the editor at SD40GMA@aol.com or send to: P.O. Box 1136, Hockessin, DE 19707-5136. Deadline for entries is the 25th of the month.
Chapter Officers
President: Phil Snyder
Vice President & Historian: Ron Cleaves
Treasurer: Ralph Stevens, Jr.
Secretary: Dan Frederick
National Director: Tom Posatko
Editor: Greg Ajamian
Education Fund: Ed Thornton
Public Relations: Frank Ferguson, Jr.
Trip Director & Event Photographer: Bruce Barry
Web Master: Russ Fox