trp28 RAILWAY EXPRESS REA SAN LUIS CENTRAL

trp21 M&StL                                              Top of Page

Inside door (5'6") baggage cars #400-402 started operating on the M&StL in in 1950 -51 on Allied trucks. The ex SLEEPER cars ran on Allied trucks until 1958. Photos of 402 may be found in MINNEAPOLIS & St LOUIS IN COLOR from Morning Sun books

Car 400 was troop 9114., rebuilt 7/50, 
MofW Dining Car X919 was 400 retired 10/73
Car 401 was ?troop 9214 rebuilt 12/50 retired 10/73
Car 402 was troop 9281 rebuilt 5/51 
Bunk casr X910 was ? 402 rebuilt 4/58 retired 11/60
Heater car 501 was troop 9107 rebuilt 4/52 renumbered X978 by C&NW it is also shown in Morning Sun's M&StL in color. At least after 1956 this car and 402 were silver with red lettering..-- Gene Green 
Car 400 is clearly shown in RAILWAY PROTOTYPE CYCLOPEDIA #5. The inside door is not available from any part maker but could be fashioned by smoothing the backside of Red Ball #1233 or #1148 and mounting the door backside out inside the car wall. Door placement is similar but not the same as NYC/REA/NH inside door express cars. A side sill was added in the car's remodeling. The car end retains the collision post/diaphragm. Using this photo it would be possible to make a credible revision of Red Ball's announced brass sided Cannonball kit--with slight door placement compromise in HO model with CCS #9707. 

Kit #9707 or 9701 should be utilized. 

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trp22 NORFOLK & WESTERN   Picture (courtesy Distinctive Depot, built by Merle Rice)    Top of Page

Rarely listed by researchers, the N&W is understood to have operated express cars ex-KITCHEN car express cars #2203-2210  Kit #9704 would be appropriate.

Camp car photo is listed  by JL

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trp23 NEW YORK CENTRAL          Picture1 (courtesy Distinctive Depot, built by Merle Rice)     Top of Page
                                                       Picture 2      Picture 3

Some survived into Penn Central days. The NYC operated a fleet of 400 ex-SLEEPER cars #9200-9399 converted to express cars. Some sources list all as having 6' outside doors though [early in the archeology of troop cars] photos published in MODEL RAILROADER (May 1991) clearly show SOME equipped with inside doors. Some outside doors appear to be 8' though their short height may create an illusion. .The first 400 cars were placed in service in 1947 (phase 2), In 1949 cars #9400-9499 and in 1953 #9500-9599 (all "phase 2" with "two notches in the skirts" of kit 9707 or 9701). Most published photos show "Bettendorf" trucks (A3) which replaced Allieds "by 1958" in the first two groups and in 1961 for the third group.

Some REA cars came from NYC, perhaps explaining a top outside door track on inside door REA cars. In a fleet of conversions this extensive it is unreasonable to expect that all were alike in every detail. Our posted sketches are valid for the car numbers noted per photographs. Gordon Odegard concluded the color was dark gray. Lettering is white. Photos are found P10 and 117 of Morning Sun's NYC COLOR GUIDE . Sketches are posted here for modeling.

Photo of NYC Steam Generator car is listed (JL).
Color Photo of an NYC express car 9441 in 2 tone gray appears on P108 of TLC's NICKEL PLATE PASSENGER SERVICE by Kevin Holland. A different lettering scheme, 2 tone car is very clearly pictured in RAILWAY PROTOTYPE CYCLOPEDIA #5. All other published photos (of which we are aware) corroborated Gordon Odegard's conclusion in MODEL RAILROADER that the cars were solid gray. A former railroad policeman is confident that some 50 of the cars were painted in this manner (2 tone gray).
MODELING:
Express cars with outside doors should use Red Caboose #8000-05 or red Ball 1217 or 1265 or 1266. Early in our NYC research one photo showed an 8' door (Red Ball 1087) though "officially" all cars had 6' doors. Red Ball has announced a brass sided Cannonball kit for the inside door car in HO (and brass kits in other scales), Kit 9707 can be utilized (or kit 9701) for either type car. Many outside door cars were blind ended while inside door cars would retain the end doors.

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trp24 NEW HAVEN                Picture 1     Picture 2                      Top of Page 

The New Haven used ex-SLEEPERS to create baggage cars (inside 5' 2-3/4" door) and

mail cars of the same description.  The diagrams we have posted indicate a major difference may have been the door design.  Baggage cars #3700-3762 went into service on Allied trucks in 1950 and were renumbered 3100-3161 in 1957 when re-trucked Storage Mail cars, of 1949,  #3600-3686  lost their Allied trucks in 1957  and became #3000-3062.

A photo of  #3025 (Railway Express) in McGinnis paint July 1956 was published in TRP  Oct/Nov/Dec 2000   page 11.  Clarity for lettering and modeling is HERE.  

A New Haven express car is seen in D&H Albany-Montreal train in Mark I Video "Memories of The Delaware & Hudson Vol I"

Diagrams and model sketches based on New Haven,  RTI, Inc. data sheet 5.9 are posted.

A PREPAINTED KIT IS OFFERED AS A WEBSPECIAL IN OUR YARDSALE

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trp25 ONTARIO NORTHLAND                     Top of Page

ON baggage /express cars #325-327 went into service on Allied trucks. Inside door (5'6")  and the "phase 1" notches in side sill apron would be involved in converting SLEEPER kit  9707.

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trp26 PACIFIC GREAT EASTERN              Top of Page

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trp27 SLSF FRISCO                                     Top of Page

Cars 450 & 451 were inside door express cars with 6'11" doors
Cars 452-464 were 6' outside door cars.
Car 455 is very clearly shown in RAILWAY PROTOTYPE CYCLOPEDIA #5 . It retains the collision posts/diaphragm on the ends and is modeled just like NYC or RI cars pictured in this website using Red Caboose doors #629-800005 or Red Ball #772-1265 or 1266 or 1217. Use kit #9707 (or 9701)
Trucks were changed to Commonwealth BX after the cars were in service.
Conversion was accomplished on the Springfield MO shops.

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trp28 RAILWAY EXPRESS REA SAN LUIS CENTRAL     Top of Page
 Picture1       Picture 2 (courtesy Distinctive Depot, built by Merle Rice)            Picture 3      Picture 4

Railway Express cars were painted in various hues of green and some went to San Luis Central when REA dissolved in 1975.  All were conversions of SLEEPERS (kit #9707) by Chicago Freight Car and some reefers carried CRDX reporting marks.

Express reefers #6600-6799 entered service in 1950 and #6800-6874 in 1952. Though listed as riding Allied trucks till A3 in 1957--60, many photos suggest earlier conversion

The 6800 cars were inside door cars while the earlier cars had reefer doors, ice hatches etc.  REA cars 82900-8299 came from NYC 9500 series with 6' inside doors.

Articles/photos appear in Aug 70 MODEL RAILROADER; Mar 87 MODEL RAILROADING and v16 #2 (p19) summer 91 THE EAGLE (MoPac Hist Society).. RAILWAY EXPRESS by Roseman. has several photos and Model sketches are posted.information. Good photos and information appear in the Rock Island Digest and MR's NYC article. (see Rock Island, Alaska  and New York Central entries).

Information and photos on SLC are not available at this posting.

A few felleting views of ex-sleeper cars in Pentrex video "B & O Odyssey vol 1".

A Railway Express PIC from the Jason Cook collection.

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trp29 SAN LUIS CENTRAL                               Top of Page

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trp30 PENNSYLVANIA RR          Picture 1                   Top of Page

We have NO evidence the PRR ever had any Pullman troop sleepers or ACF troop kitchen cars. REA converted sleepers were a common sight on Penny mail and express service, however. Why then is PRR here?  This "Standard Railroad" DID provide the prototype for the sleepers with their own converted 50' round roof boxcars class X32  1943 Altoona. These porthole window cars were class P78.  Little remarked is the fact that they also converted boxcars into early troop kitchen cars.  We have yet to locate a photo of these, however. Some sources claim these were RR 50' X32 while others are adamant they were 40' X29 box cars. Similar X32 conversions are known as "Hog Island" commuter cars.

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trp31 DYNAMOMETER                             Top of Page

We suspect there were others, but the Rio Grande is the only one we can authenticate just now.  JL lists a photo and a stunning photo of #10 in silver / gold  may be found  behind  the Krauss Maffeis in the 2/62 TRAINS, p37.  The car is an ex-sleeper.  JL lists many other D&RGW cars:  dining-kitchen; kitchen, camp, bunk, and foreman cars.

HEATER/ STEAM GENERATOR/ POWER CARS

Listed under earlier specific road listings by JL are:  Algoma Central, Bangor & Aroostook, and New York Central.  We've listed them also for Alaska and Monon

JL also lists C&NW, M&StL had one which went to C&NW.

OTHER SPECIAL USE CARS:

MKT weed spray JL

US ARMY -- guard

Allkied Chemical-- weed spray

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trp32 CABOOSES FROM TROOP CARS       Top of Page

Bangor & Aroostook, Alaska

Probably the best known such cars ran on Maine's Bangor & Aroostook.  Photos are available (JL) of these and the BAR heater car. Ex sleeper, BAR #C84 is pictured on page 37 of RR CAR JOURNAL #4 CABOOSES   (same page also carries a picture of Alaska caboose conversion #1043, an ex-kitchen car). BAR C86 is clearly shown in  CABOOSE COUNTRY published by the NMRA library--a  photo useful for a modeling guide-- and  NORTHEASTERN CABOOSES carries a good BAR caboose photo.  BAR used the Allied Full Cushion trucks. Gordon Odegard, in an early published MODEL RAILROADER article about troop conversions, referred to a #D-85. We believe this to be a typo but are uncertain.

BAR modelers-- an outstanding Warren Calloways photo showing colors, end & step detail is found at

http://albums.photopoint.com/j/ViewPhoto?u=214341&a=9992679&p=33547666

Western Maryland caboose  #3060 was a troop conversion.

 Pere Marquette/ C&O had caboose conversions.  The book C&O STEEL CABOOSES gives some insight but not any clear views on this.

Detroit & Mackinac's three sleeper-caboose conversion fleet (#201-203) is represented by #202 shown in the RRCAR JOURNAL #4 mentioned above and photos are available (JL).

A Dennis Schmidt photo of #202 at Alpena, MI in 11/69 may be linked on this site, courtesy of Michael Fogelsinger of the D&M Rlwy Historical society.

Rock Island used troop cars as mixed train cabooses, we understand, though the exhaustive research published in the Rock Island Digest vol 11 does not  document this.

It is quite likely other roads unofficially pressed troop cars into caboose service, especially in MofW service, and we looking forward to further information from  readers.

Mississippi Export caboose photo is listed (JL)

T&P emergency cabooses are mentioned but the photos are later MofW service in CABOOSES ON THE MISSOURI PACIFIC by G J Michels

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