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THE NUTSHELL STORY OF THE TROOP CAR
By Merle Rice
Imagine the number of fellows you know between the ages of, say 18 and 32 having to suddenly move halfway across the country. All but two or three such groups, at the same time this was happening, in EVERY town and city of the United States....Sounds easy? Not if there were NO Interstate Highways and hardly any passenger airplanes. This is the situation faced as our nation had to move huge numbers of men to military training camps, and then ports at seacoast cities to load onto ships headed for a war which needed Americans [quickly] in Asia, Africa, Australia and Europe. The giant Pennsylvania Railroad tried a solution to the problem all our railroads faced. The Pennsy cut porthole windows in the sides of some
round roof boxcars and added hard riding bunks.[ We're told some X29 boxcars became kitchen cars too.] An HO kit of the
round roof "sleepers" [made with photo etched brass sides and a formed metal boxcar roof requiring glue assembly] of these cars is in the schedule of 60th Anniversary kits from Red Ball.
The government soon asked Pullman to study this car and capture all its features.
It looks like a boxcar, it rides like a boxcar, it's a .... PULLMAN
During World War II the government ordered two production runs of boxcar-like troop sleepers which originally carried the word PULLMAN above the center door. Though owned by the government, the cars were managed by Pullman and one of the thirty bunks carried a porter responsible for his passengers in the Pullman tradition. Though their lot number was for the passenger plant, the cars were built at Pullman's Michigan City, IN freight car plant employing freight parts and production fixtures. The first 1200 (lot #6704 in 1943) were numbered 7000-8199. Lot number 6753 (believed 1945) included 200 cars #8300-8499 and 1000 cars #9000-9999. The intermediate group may explain discrepancies in end detail we've noted between "phase 1" and "phase 2" cars and certain photos.
In 1943, two or three runs of troop kitchen cars were also ordered from ACF and built using their freight car facilities, parts and fixtures. The first 400, numbered K100-K499 were lot # 2635 - Chicago. The last 400 (K600-K999) were lot #2852.-Berwick, Pa. It is unclear whether the second lot (#2654 ) of these were even built or perhaps converted to hospital cars before (after?) delivery. ( These should not to be confused with the "streamlined looking" hospital cars Monon and Barnum's circus made famous).. If built, this lot apparently consisted of forty cars. .
Some claim the design was based on 50' boxcar designs to allow easy conversion to other uses after the war. Although that certainly happened, other facts of life were the government restriction requiring construction during the war to established designs for locomotives, cars etc[ people to design new ones were scarce]; the possible availability of freight parts[ material was scarce to make new parts]; the existing operation of freight car assembly lines and fixtures[the job could be started quickly]. and the fact that passenger car plants were simply not producing passenger cars in 1943.
These hybrid cars had [lightweight] passenger car-like ends [with heavy collision posts] but freight-like floors, sides and roofs. A ramp at each end of one series allowed a lower floor but walkover above the trucks and couplers The double AB brake set was a special adaptation of a production item to serve passenger braking functions. Sleeper car ends varied with some having a folded lip across the bottom which appears like an
end sill unless seen from square-on-the-side. Kitchen car ends did not have this feature but had two styles across the top, one having "triangular gussets" at each side of each L&R collision post. Sleepers had two styles of underframes with three notable skirt designs shown (and easily
modeled) with the CCS kit. Both sides of the sleeper had identical windows and off-center doors. The kitchen cars had smaller windows and the two sides differed in numbers of
windows. There were more roof vents on the kitchen cars than on sleepers. All but one were similar, however.
Industry news accounts at war's close refer to Defense Plant Corp moving to dispose of 1900 sleepers, 400 kitchen and 50 hospital cars. Perhaps this is explained by a "mothball fleet" A contemporary (1946) RAILWAY AGE account lists 200 hospital cars by ACF and 10 by Pullman-Standard to the kitchen car design. This discrepancy generally is discounted, perhaps because the final batches of troop cars were completed after the war's conclusion when hospital cars for returning troops were a major need. Initially, movement of troops for two theaters of action created their need; movement of them in a compacted time frame after the war created a demand we often overlook. The first sleeper order, called "Phase I" by earlier researchers, is represented by the CCS carside as supplied. The second order, "Phase II" is cosmetically achieved by a two minute modification to the CCS carside using a modeler's knife.. [The major difference was in underframe design]. Although the kit instructions appear to result in a "phase II end," there are photographic evidences that suggest the ends varied within each run or with the "interim 200.". The CCS car end is readily modified to any "phase end." It carries the collision posts which were retained on most later day modifications. The spotting differences in each case are along the lower "skirt" which Cannonball has rendered delicately thin for good appearance as well as simple modification-by-removal. Only one style of kitchen cars were made by American Car & Foundry . Cannonball's kitchen car demonstrates the similarities in design to the sleepers but shows subtle difference besides the
car window design (which is THE spotting feature).
The Official Register of passenger equipment lists 165 troop kitchens, 11 hospital kitchens and 89 hospital/troop kitchens in US Army service as of Jan 1953. The number declined slightly by March 1965 to 150 kitchens (#100-264), 1 hospital kitchen, 88 hospital /troop kitchens and 21 called "guard cars". 161 kitchen cars (#100-264). . Chain link fences kept
rail fans at a good distance, but a source of awe in the 1950s and early 60s was a military storage yard such as Casad Depot along the NKP at New Haven, In. A veritable rainbow of interesting colors and Pullman designs awaited their next challenge. It never came for most, but the troop cars were a different story from A to Z.
ALASKA railroad converted them to boxcars and BANGOR AND AROOSTOOK turned sleepers to cabooses. MofW sleepers on the Wabash were hardly modified and REA sleepers turned reefers were seen in Xenia, we hear. The rosters researched from official guides are likely incomplete. Conversions to MofW service were usually under the direction of wreckmasters or carshops with no prints and PERHAPS general diagrams. Forty two
road names of MofW car photos are available from one source alone. Even conversion for revenue service, coast to coast, is poorly documented. Skilled craftsmen with good foremen or Master Car Builders didn't need prints for everything they did.
Rock Island is known to have used troop cars as mixed train cabooses, storage sheds, MofW cars and needed cash in sadder times. METRA and Belt Railway of Chicago are among the later owners of RI cars..
By linking here, SPECIFIC ROAD INFORMATION (and illustrations) is detailed by road name for those roads which converted cars to revenue fleets, for caboose and
maintenance of way fleets (by region), as well as military (and museum) information. Champ is scheduling CORRECT troop car decals. Photos of many are available from John C
LaRue, Jr, 3914 Acccomack Dr, Apt 12, Louisville, KY 40241. Send him a double stamped self addressed
envelope for specific list and ordering information. We list his subjects as
JL: references in our information capsules.
Kitchen cars became mail storage cars on the Monon (#203-206, 2203-2210); Burlington express (#8600-8895); C&EI (#6, 7 Milk Cars; express 8-24) , C&S express #240-243; FtW&D express #109-110 and N&W (#2203-2210). Rock Island's ten kitchen cars went directly into non-revenue service (#95341-95350).
Troop Sleepers in express service include Algoma Central (#305); Baltimore & Ohio express #1700-1813; Boston & Maine (#3180-82
RPO, 3225-49, 3260-76); C&EI (#6 & 7 Milk cars; ?? 50 sleepers purchased), C&O (#355-376); DL&W express 2111-2121; KCS express refrigerators
(CRDX #1001-1025); Lackawanna (#2111-2121); Minneapolis & St Louis (#400-402); [and heater car #501], MN&S (?); New Haven (#3600-86, 3700-62); New York Central (#9200-9599); Ont. Northland (#325-327); Railway Express (Express refrigerator #6600-6799, Express Refrig inside door #6800-6879, from NYC 9500 series #8200-8299); Rock Island (#4200-49); and Frisco (#450-464), Wabash (??).. Eventually most headend cars listed had all side windows sheathed in sheet metal, but published CB&Q and Wabash photos have real windows during the 1947-48 era as troop cars were rushed into service during the car--short postwar years. Burlington, in fact, was until the 1953-55 overhauls getting this plating done. The CCS kit has taken care of this detail for the conversion minded modeler. Car windows are sheathed with flush fitting plugs and window frames are in place. Now to do BAR caboose C 85 or WM caboose 3060-- or a myriad of MofW conversions [two were steam heater cars on the Algoma Central and C&O], or an Army guard car to accompany cold war shipments, CCS has designed our kits to help you have any windows or vents treated prototypically.
Although the railroads could pick up a troop car for about $2000 - $3000 and new boxcars were over $5000 (and a wait), troop cars were equipped for work train bunk service or for passenger train operation. Most cars thus found themselves in applications which eliminated waiting or expensive conversion/upgrading. New baggage cars could easily cost nearly $60,000 and rebuilt heavyweights were still rebuilt, heavyweight and old-- in an era anxious for lightweight streamliners.. Troop cars were a natural for express, baggage or mail storage cars. They often were "reincarnated" more than once. M&StL ex-sleeper baggage #400 became dining car X-919 in 1960 and 402 became bunk car X-910 in 1958 and the heater car (as X-978) survived to C&NW renumbering. Some C&O cars carried the Chessy cat logo...troopers were alive and well in recent history.
The original, unique Allied full cushion truck is found under some cars while others received Chrysler, Bettendorfs or others. The original trucks tended to wear excessively so low mileage MofW cars retained them while fleets of express, reefer or mail cars were usually re-equipped. HO Allied trucks are made by Eastern Car works and included in the CCS styrene kits most likely to use them.. (33" wheels were used). Brake sets were originally at both ends (with levers in vestibules-no
brake wheels, ladders, roof walks).. Many of REA's conversions did have brake
wheels but these are the exception on troop rebuilds, we believe. Some REA cars had the ends revised to a solid end, as well. [ Many roads simply retained the collision posts and filled in the doors. Most removed the diaphragms]. Signal and steam lines were originally in place for passenger service and these would have been retained on the express cars (at least).
Surviving cars in museums, photos and diagram books can assist modelers, but it is likely "no two were alike" in many applications -- even in the "fleets." There were two major series in the NYC cars, one with boxcar doors, the other with inside sliding doors.
Eight of the Burlington's 300 kitchen cars received wider doors between 1956 and 65. (A few got ladders & grabs like boxcars, too).
Alert rail fans may still find troop cars in MofW service--one MP car was reported to us in Illinois during the winter of 1996-97. SSW MofW car 95070
(ex-CRI&P) was seen in Hutchison , KS, June 21, 1996 and DODX guard car #16 (ex-kitchen) was spotted Valentine's Day 1997 at Camp Navajo, AZ. Photos in our collection reveal owners we haven't mentioned as we have "just one photo." A listing of photos [ available from vendors] is included in the resource list.. Our memory can trick us, but we seem to recall troop cars on other favorite roads including the San Luis. Those setback roofs, sheathed windows and heavy "diaphragms" (collision posts with diaphragms removed) were just so unique they were notable. The men who rode them claim the ride was unforgettable, you had to be there.
Spotting converted troop cars at the head end of photos is not too difficult because of the skirts and sheathed windows. It can be misleading, however. We suspect Burlington cars were often in Wabash trains through Huntington, IN for instance-- but Wabash didn't have them. At Huntington they were attached to Chicago bound Erie trains. But Erie didn't have them either! Excellent prototype
research information and photos are found in the Rock Island Digest and Model Railroader NYC
articles. TRAINS 9/79 carried an article by David P. Morgan which sets a "flavor." Photos in our "military" link show restored cars at New
Buffalo MI and HOOSIER VALLEY ( North Judson IN) museums. Other cars may be found in California and Washington museums, we understand.
Bringing you this kit has been an uphill but enjoyable challenge. Many, including Bill Hunt, Rob Pepper, Jim Singer, Al
Askerberg,, the late Gordon Odegard historical societies and retired military assisted in research in obscure places. Doing the kit right required doing "impossible" things which challenged outstanding molders and toolmakers-it's not a regular boxcar!
MODEL INFO HERE
SLEEPERS--SECOND RUN SHIPPING SEPTEMBER 2000; THIRD RUN JAN 2001
You may special order kits without Eastern's Allied Full Cushion truck frames (accept most 33"
wheelsets) and deduct $4 from list price THIRD RUN includes additional faster/easier ends .(most detail cast on) which can be used for most versions.
USING THE SLEEPER KITS (All kits build any style sleeper car skirts(3) and ends(3) )
KIT 9701 Is intended for conversion to sleeper car variations which had any/all windows open.. It includes plugs to help seal any sheathed windows. No underbody details or handrails are provided.
KIT 9702 Is intended to build TROOP CARS. It includes glazing, tops for roof vents and metal center
stairwells and decal certificate . No handrails [It can be used in place of 9701]
KIT 9707 Is intended to build baggage, mail, express and boxcars with all windows already sealed. No roof
vents (available if needed) , underbody details or handrails are included
USING THE KITCHEN CAR KITS (either kit builds either style end) May be ordered less trucks as above.
No handrails or underbody details.
KIT 9704 Is intended for mail, headend cars with all windows sealed
KIT 9705 Is intended for kitchen cars, other applications with open windows. includes troop decal certificate
Top of page
EXPLODED ISOMETRIC VIEW of sleeper construction with the original ends. Cast on detail ends in all kitchens and also in all
sleepers..
FEATURES OF THE CANNONBALL CAR SHOPS STYRENE HO KIT
> Underframe/stepwell modification part is included (in 9702) for those wishing this phase 2 feature.
> Sides and ends are thinwall for appearance's sake as well as ease of conversion among [original and modification] styles.
> Windows and doors are easily plugged [as most modifications would require].
> Roof vents are separate ("already shaved") and easily added .
> Carside vents allow light passage after painting, but may be easily modified to sheathing inside or outside the screen.
> Car accepts KD draft gear box (#5) and shims to match the trucks you choose.
> Stepped floor allows easy weight addition or body removal for interior detailing and protypical floor endramp treatment.
> No grabs, steps, or handrails are molded which would require removal
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