Friday evening, August 11, 2017 saw Colorado and Southern 543 coach arrive in Cumberland, MD.

After being unloaded from the highway dollies, the car was set on it's trucks and towed to the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad's shop complex in nearby Ridgeley, WV

On it's trucks at Ridgeley, WV

Wow! What a classic car. I love arch window coaches or any wood body passenger car for that matter.

More details on this gem, please:
* Who made it?
* History on the C&S and later, etc.
* Did it originally have 6-wheel trucks?
* Looks like steel fish-belly underframe, so made late in the wood body car era?

Great find.

Thanks!

It left Colorado months ago, did they take a wrong turn at Albuquerque?

That Western Maryland wooden baggage car at Harpers Ferry would look good with this.

My understanding the car was built in June of 1906 by Pullman just ahead of an order for similar cars for the Western Maryland Railway.

The WM Rwy cars #710-712 were built in October of 1906. The information I have shows them being built with 4 axle trucks and wood underframes.

My information is limited so any corrections or additions are welcomed.

Tim W.

Glad to see that 543 has made it to its new home.

Running from memory;

Built in 1906 as C&S 543. Origianlly wood framed, always on 2 axle trucks

Recieved a steel frame around 1920

Converted to kitchen/diner/bunk car 999092 in the 1940's.

Remained in service on the C&S until around 1970, was then sold to the Forney Museum in Denver Colorado. As a side note, the car was in Denver for the 1965 Platte River flood and sidiment from the flood can still be found packed into various nooks and crannies.

Sold by the Forney Museum to private ownership in 2001' sold to the WM earlier this year

Jason Midyette

I can add a bit without checking what we have in the Pullman Library.

C & S Car 543:
Pullman Lot 3367 Plan 2145-A Car Nos 542 - 548 1st class passenger coach.
We do have some detail drawings in file including the side arms for the Hale & Kilburne type 97 seat, car cross section, steps. We would have to check on the floor plan, the engineering report and the drawing list to see if they are in file.

W M cars 708 -712:
Pullman Lot 3364 Plan 2188-A Car Nos 708 - 712. Available drawings include cross section, vestibule finish, platform for wide vestibule, type 6A 4-wh truck drawing, truck wood details, truck wrought iron details.

If there is further interest we can check about availability of drawings at the museum and photos there or elsewhere. Thanks to Bob Webber for use of his car database.

Sincerely, Ted Anderson curator

Thank You, I'll pass along the information to the WMSR...

Here she is brand new

Wow! Spoked wheels with tires!

One of the cocooned cars at Strasburg has such wheels under it, and it's a car with six-wheel trucks to boot.

Those trucks, by the way, are the most delicate looking versions of such equipment I've ever seen. They are very light compared to the Pullman six-wheel stuff we see under traditional heavyweight cars.

The car resembles an interurban in that builders photo.

I actually wonder if they are temporary trucks for the photo