The Erie Railroad once had nearly 400 Stillwell cars of various groups, how many survive today?

I account for 5 arch window coaches from 2100 and 2300 series and maybe 5 cars from other classes.

- Chemung Valley RHS has #2125 acquired from Susquehanna Valley RHS in Binghamton, NY - (see picture). A second car in Binghamton was burned and scrapped in 1995.
- Rochester & Genesee Valley RR Museum has one car 2100/2300 series
- 1 arch window car in Bath, NY at a local business
- 1 arch window car and three or four others on the Whitewater Valley
- 1 as a book store somewhere(?)

- any others?

Rob Piecuch
CVRHS
Elmira, NY
www.ChemungValleyRailway.org

I believe there are still two at a former restaurant in Whitehouse, NJ along Route 22. I think they have been a gift shop and floral shop as well.

Rob

The California Western RR bought some in the 1960s for use on its "Super Skunk" steam train. I'm not sure if any exist. I saw the operation a couple of years ago and I don't recall [I haven't tried looking for my photos] seeing any in the train or stored next to the station in Fort Bragg, CA. Some of the cars in the yard tracks there were in pretty sad shape probably due to the closeness to the ocean and the overall damp climate.

Some of the Stillwell cars may exist as the open car cars that have been cut down to the belt rail. As I recall these cars were equipped with L-triples.

The Williams Grove Steam Engine Association has the remains of an Erie Stillwell that was part of the 1960's era Everett Railroad excursion train.

Texas State Railroad has at least one Stillwell, converted to an open car.

Sloan Cornell had two Stillwells at the Gettysburg Railroad (from the LA&L train set) but I don't know what happened to them after the railroad was sold.

Alan Maples

Whitewater Valley Railroad ( http://www.whitewatervalleyrr.org/main.php ) has a small fleet of operable, nicely redone Stillwells:

http://rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=903236

http://rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=903239

Some roster information from the Railroad:

#1 Stillwell suburban Coach. Built 1934, by Pullman Co. for the Erie RR- #2471. Purchased from Kentucky Railway Museum (KRM). Seats 92-- length - 78' 1"--weight - 109,246 lbs.

#2 Stillwell suburban Coach. Built 1934, by Pullman Co. for the Erie RR- #2420. Purchased from KRM. Seats 92-- length - 78'1" -- weight - 109,246 lbs.

#3 Stillwell Semi-Suburban Coach. Built 1934 by American Car & Foundry Co.(ACF) for the Erie RR.- #2634. Purchased from the E-L RR. Seats - 76--length - 78'l" -weight - 117,760 lbs.

#4 Stillwell Semi-Suburban Coach. Built 1934 by ACF for the Erie RR.- #2612. Purchased from the E-L RR. Seats - 76-- length - 78'1"- weight - 117,760 lbs.

#5 Stillwell Semi-Suburban Coach. Built 1934 by ACF for the Erie RR.- #2600. Purchased from the E-L RR. Seats - 76-- length - 78'1" - weight - 117,760 lbs.

#8 StilIwell Suburban Coach. Built 1926 for the Erie RR. #2331. Purchased 1985 from Marquette & Huron Mountain KR (M&HIM). Seats - 86-- length - 72'7 1/4". This car has original Arches above windows, arch bar trucks and is 5'3 3/4" shorter than our other Stillwell cars.

I believe the California Western cars are gone... consumed by rust and age. Several had been cut down to the belt rail to serve as open cars in the 1990's.

I believe that the book store that Rob mentioned is "Reading Books", in Rockford, Michigan.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/eridony/4425155863/

Before it was a book store, it was a model train museum and gift shop, paired with an ex-GTW wood caboose.

That is a shame about the Skunk Stillwells. I remember riding the train as a child and the coaches gave the steam operation a very classic atmosphere.

The Northwest Michigan Engine & Thresher Club uses a Stillwell at their "Buckley Old Engine Show" railroad in Buckley, Michigan. Here is a photo of the car:

http://www.railroadmichigan.com/buckley06.jpg

The club has a once-a-year weekend meeting in August as I recall. I believe that both their Stillwell, and the one used as a bookstore in Rockford, Michigan, came from the Cadillac & Lake City tourist operation in Michigan, which had acquired them and some sisters, from the Chicago & Western Indiana Railroad where they had been in commuter service.

Les

There's one converted to a dining area/restaurant at Centre Hall, PA:

http://www.whistlestopcentrehall.com/history.html

Note the web page says it is used for storage.

Just to add some information on the Whitewater Valley Stillwell fleet, #2634 has substantial damage to the A end coupler, draft gear, and end vestibule and is stored out of service.

Number 2420 was shipped to us from KRM (and probably arrived to them) with arch bar trucks from a 2300 series car. 2471 has the correct trucks under it so apparently the Erie swapped them around as needed. 2600 is the next coach in line for Pullman green paint followed by 2612 at some point. 2612 needs quite a bit of metalwork before it is repainted.

We are in need of coupler parts and knuckles for these cars if anyone has some! I believe these were designated type BX and were a light style intended for commuter cars.

The WVRR has also purchased the three 2600 series cars that had been stored by Steamtown. These have not yet been moved to Indiana, I don't have the numbers handy, maybe someone out there does?

The Indiana Railway Museum in French Lick has three Erie Stillwell cars in storage. One is a 2400 series (2481 I think), one is an arched roof car showing number 174055 (maybe an MW number?), and a third car that appears to be a 2400 series car. These have been out of use for some time and are stored. I think these were the original cars the group used when they started out in Westport, Indiana. PM me if interested in a few more photos of these.

I'm pretty sure that the Rockford car mentioned above was transferred to the C&WI for commuter work by the Erie, but not sure on the other one.

There was one arched roof car on a tourist train in Petoskey Michigan as recently as 10 years ago, not sure what happened to it, though it apparently came from the Marquette & Huron Mountain auction. I understood that it had a heavily modified interior.

I had contacted the California Western many years ago when I had heard that the cars there were being cut up. I was interested in the couplers but was told that all of them had been scrapped. Perhaps they were only cut down?

At least one of the Stillwells at the Gettysburg Railroad was a 2600 series car. It was listed for sale for some time, did it ever leave Gettysburg? I think Alan's photo is of the car I recall being advertised.

David Farlow
Whitewater Valley Railroad

The Stillwell car at the Northwest Michigan Engine & Thresher Club in Buckley, Michigan is the one that was rebuilt by the short-lived Alanson & Petoskey tourist line. The guys in Buckley got all of the equipment the A&P had been using.

The one at The Buckley Old Engine Show is used every year for the show on the third weekend of August. Also it is used for the clubs "education days" for 2 days in september to take 6th graders from local schools around. It is the 2nd car of the train being after a open-Air car and before the last car, another open air car, before the club received it, before the A&P for that matter, it was in the process of being scrapped but a group stopped it. It has a re-fabricated platform on the one end. Before the engine show got the car, it had gotten siding made of wood, but the show returned it to the proper steel siding. If anyone knows more about the car i would be interested in finding out more information. The rolling stock of the club includes: 2 Ex-Ann Arbor car ferry idlers transformed into open-air cars, 1 192? Stillwell coach, 1 Ex-CV wooden Caboose, 1 100 ton ex Ann Arbor Buycrus Steam Crane, and a few more cars. The Club has 3 locomotives: 1 1918 Alco 0-4-0 Steam locomotive #7, 1 1923 Alco 0-4-0 Steam locomotive #207, and 1 Plymouth Diesel Switcher, year unknown and unnumbered.
gibbykart@gmail.com to contact me about the coach.

The cars I noted in an earlier post at the Indiana Railway Museum have been cut up. IRM was very helpful with the WVRR and we were able to acquire quite a number of parts that will improve the fleet we have.

David Farlow

The ex-Everett RR Erie Stillwell at Williams Grove was scrapped several years ago. Also cut up (from the old Everett RR) were an ex-Reading steel coach and the remains of an ex-B&O wood coach. The remains (frame and trucks) of a second ex-Everett exx-B&O wood coach is still at Williams Grove under the ownership of one of the WGHSEA members.

It should be noted that until fairly recently those derelict ex-Everett RR coaches were not owned by the Williams Grove Historical Steam Engine Association, but rather their ownership was with the owner of the Williams Grove Amusement Park & Speedway. He also owned the Everett RR steam locomotive (Baldwin 2-6-2 11) and the Everett's ex-B&0 wood caboose, neither of which were ever owned by the WGHSEA. The locomotive and caboose were returned to Everett, Pa. and are on display.

The Black River & Western RR once had 3 Stillwells on its coach roster (during the late 60's / early 70's). One of these had the roof and sides (to below the windows) removed, leaving only the vestibules remaining, to be turned into sort of a giant open-air gondola car. It was dubbed the "Super-Gon" and was definitely unique looking. After the surgery it was found that the car sagged a bit, so it was jacked level and steel beams were added to the sides. Later a homemade roof was added. This chopped up Stillwell open car was used (IIRC) through at least the 1970's on the BR&W trains. It was retired to the dead line for many years and eventually scrapped at Ringoes.

Regards,
Jim Robinson