To continue my attempts to track down some car historys, I am looking for the history of the following heavyweight Pullman sleepers;

"Columbia College" last used by Atlantic Coast Line
"Canonbury Tower" last used by Southern
"McKinneysburg" last used by Southern
"Centwell" last used by Santa Fe

All of these cars still exist in a private collection in Colorado (Centwell and McKinneysburg are in California awaiting movement to Colorado)

Thanks

Jason Midyette

Dear Jason,

What range of options is/are the collector(s) considering for this equipment? I know of several collectors who do periodic work on their cars but do not have any grand plans to make them Amtrak compatable or excursion ready. Likewise, I know of others who have dreams making their own Amtrak ready private train, and have no qualms about modifying very intact cars in the process -- despite the high cost and increasing diffculty of such endavours.

I would also suggest asking your question on the Yahoo Passenger Car List http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PassengerCarList/ This is a very active and large group (957 members) and they should be able to provide you with some information or point you in the right direction.

Also, in regards to your SCL MOW car question - it would be helpful to make a photo available when you ask your question. MOW numbers can be difficult to translate into revenue numbers/names but the car's lot/group can often be indentified by its appearance - which can help narrow the search for more information on the car's specific history.

A couple of good sources our there are the following:

On the web check out The Pullman Project. This is a "labor of love" to compile information on the steel Pullman cars. You will find it at this website http://www.pullmanproject.com/

Another good source, if you can get access to a copy, is the now out-of-print The Complete Roster of Heavyweight Pullman Cars published by Wayner Publications in 1985. It attempts to follow the cars into railroad ownership and often into MOW service number.

Here is some infromation for you:

"Columbia College" last used by Atlantic Coast Line
Rebuilt car - in service date: 12/14/1934
bebuilt from plan 2585D car "Cape Fear"
sold to SCL and leased back to Pullman 31-Dec-48, out of lease 21-Jul-60
Wayner says that this car was scraped

"Canonbury Tower" last used by Southern
Rebuilt car - in service date: 8/29/1939
rebuilt from plan 3584 car "Point Brown"
sold to SOU and leased back to Pullman 31-Dec-1948, out of lease 01-Apr-63
Wayner says that this car was scraped

"McKinneysburg" last used by Southern
New car - in service date: 3/5/1925 (part of an order lot of 225 cars)
never owned by Southern; sold by Pullman 01-Oct-65 to Jack ferris

"Centwell" last used by Santa Fe
New car - in service date: 8/22/1929
sold to ATSF and leased back to Pullman 31-Dec-48, out of lease 15-Sept-60
Wayner says this became work car # 194289

Thanks for the info. I had assumed that the McKinneysburg was used on the Southern as its current owner acquired it at the same time as the Canonbury Tower. The complteness of the McKinneysburg's interior jives with it being in private ownership for a long time. If any one is in Fillmore CA during December, I believe the Fillmore & Western Railway will be using the McKinneysburg on some of its excursion runs.
The Centwell survived its MOW days quite well and has about 90% of its original interior. The Centwell has been recently converted to roller bearings (using the wheelsets from the Columbia College) for its impending journey from California to Colorado.
The Columbia College now rides on the Centwell's friction bearing wheels. The Columbia College was gutted during its MOW days and now serves as a storage building in Colorado. (Other than the interior, the car is intact, on trucks and makes occasional journeys up and down the siding it is stored on)
All of these cars (and the others I have asked about recently) are part of a large private collection (over 50 cars) owned by an individual in Colorado. I am trying to track the history of the cars and make sense of the collection. About 15 of the cars are now in Colorado, the rest are scattered around the country, awaiting movement to Colorado.

Jason Midyette