The thread on the Carthage, IN., coach has me hoping that another pair of coaches might be able to be identified. The Reading Blue Mountain & Northern has two unusual modernized heavyweight coaches on its line that have me pretty well stumped and I am wondering if anyone has any idea as to what their history might be. While my first guess would be that they are ex-B&O cars I can't find diagrams that show sealed windows with a clerestory roof, as shown on both cars...

BMRG 100
BMRG 200

The 100 appears to be the more intact of the two, with both vestibules appearing to be at least roughly intact, while the 200 has one vestibule (far end) replaced by an open platform (something that B&O and other roads were known to do if the vestibule was damaged) and the closest end being very unique, having the look of a streamline car's vestibule end despite the clerestory roof.

Anyone have any ideas about these cars?

Also on the line, coupled to the open-platform end of BMRG 200, is what appears to be B&O X4303, a Plan 2521 10 Section - lounge observation, formerly B&O 7403 Musina, nee-PULL Musina, last used in Maintenance of Way service. Can anyone confirm the identity of this car?

http://rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=558599

Thanks in advance!!! And, "Thank You!!!", RYPN, for such a valuable forum!!!

UP and or LA&SL with the "streamlining" removed. Check out the links for the UP 500 series on your list Jerry, esp. the LA&SL.

ETA

Thanks!!!

You can see in the photo of BMRG #200 where it still says "Pacific" above the windows.

Both cars suffered frame and draft gear damage enroute to the BM&R, when they were hit by a cut of runaway cars. They were purchased from an ill fated shopping center or motel project, in the Salt Lake City area of Utah. They are completely gutted in the interior.
Mike Tillger

Does anyone know the UP histories of these two cars? Don Strack, you there?

I've been in Salt Lake City for the last 35 years and don't recall ever seeing them in the area, unless they were purchased and removed before that.

"I've been in Salt Lake City for the last 35 years and don't recall ever seeing them in the area, unless they were purchased and removed before that."

We are talking about two cars that were retired in 1972 so the project may well have been before you arrived there... hard to say where the cars were purchased from since most were sold to scrappers and probably equally hard to say where they might have traveled since UP retired them. Heck, they may have been part of the Purple Martin Train, though I think those cars are accounted for...

Jerry--

To my knowledge, Griggsville/Purple Martin used four ex-UP heavyweight coaches; one of which is now at IRM, two went to JFS, and one to CR Stickle (or is that Sticule?).

Source:

1. Info from Don Strack's Utah Rails UP roster pages: http://utahrails.net/pass/pass-index.php

Has anybody identified these 2 UP modernized coaches?

I have a guess as to the identity of these 2 cars:

Going on what ETA said about these being from the LA&SL group, that narrows the options...

There were 4 LA&SL modernized chairs:

#4140/#542 sold to Craig A. Rasmussen-Overland Rail Travel (1971) to OERM (1979)

#4141/#543 sold to Purdy Company (1972)

#4142/#544 sold to Bill Kratville's Autoliner Corp. as #500 Omaha Club (1st) (1969) sold to Griggsville Wild Bird Society (1975) to Purple Martin (1988) to C.R. Stickle [sic] Enterprises (1995)

#4144/#545 sold to Purdy Company (1972)

Looking at photos, this is the only group of UP modernized chairs that matches the 2 cars now in Hamburg in terms of the window arrangement. The other group of cars that the 2 now in Hamburg could have come from are the 5 OSL chairs (#537-#541), however, looking at the photo of the BMRG #200, it would appear that other than "Pacific", that "#54x" is showing, and yes, two of the OSL cars were #54x, but I'm thinking that the OSL cars are somewhere else: http://www.rypn.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=37213

In that case, if these 2 cars are indeed LA&SL, that would make them #543 and #545.

Sources:

1. Don Strack's UP passenger car roster pages:

___1a. Main index: http://utahrails.net/pass/pass-index.php

___1b. The LA&SL modernized chairs are on this page: http://utahrails.net/pass/pass-numbered-1.php

2. Jerry LaBoda's photo links database: http://passcarphotos.info/