All,

I just picked up a copy of the 1953 Car Builders' Cyclopedia. While thumbing through it, I found an ad from Budd that included a photo of a pair of NYS&W Budd-built coaches. What caught my eye is that they are open-window coaches! At first, I thought theses were coaches built for export and the ad was wrong, but after closer examination of the photo, I can tell that it is a NYS&W passenger car.

What became of these cars? How many did the NYS&W have? Are these the only Budd-built open window cars for domestic use? I've seen a variety of conversions done for excursion service, but never a factory built open window car. Talk about contrasts!

There were 16 of these of these coaches built between August and October 1951 but it is important to understand that these cars were not open-air cars, they were built without air conditioning and featured two part sash windows similar to many house windows. All cars were sold to Saudi Arabia in 1958.

Thanks, I dug deeper and found a better photo. They are commuter cars, probably the only single level commuter cars Budd built. They have a vestibule at each end, 3-2 seating and a spartan interior with no A/C.

I am trying to get my mind around the combination of no air conditioning and Saudi Arabia.

How about the Silverliners for PRR and RDG?

Photos of them in Saudi Arabia show they were retrofit with AC at some point. It is interesting that these cars were purchased at the same time that the NYS&W bought 4 RDCs which of course did have AC. Of course this Budd coaches replaced hand me down Erie Stillwells so it was still an upgrade for those riding west of Paterson (the RDC's covered the line Paterson and east, the coaches went to the western terminus of Butler, NJ).

I found a better photo in the Cyclopedia. They also appear to have non-powered RDC-type trucks. This probably was an economy move, you only have to stock one type of spare parts to cover the then-entire NYS&W fleet.



Al,

Yes, I should have been more specific. I meant that they "were probably the only single level locomotive hauled commuter coaches ever built by Budd." Of course, Budd built a seemingly endless supply of Jersey Arrow, Pioneer III and Silverliner cars....

Which, in conjunction with the post about the two LRVs recently preserved, brings up a question.

How many of those oh-so-common cars have been preserved?

If you look at the Car Builders Cyclopedia pictures closely, it appears those NYS&W cars were essentially non-powered RDC trailer cars, very similar to what the MBTA eventually did with their huge RDC fleet when sent to MK in Boise for conversion. Some of the MBTA cars are in service on the Grand Canyon Railway, and elsewhere.

It's interesting that the NYS&W cars were sold when less than 10 years old, and did not find a buyer in the US.

That's a good question, Bob. I know two of the Pioneer IIIs which were sort of prototypes for the Silverliner's are at RRMPA.

The "problem" for these stainless body cars is that they keep seeming to have more life in them. Some of the Jersey Arrow cars were rebuilt by NJT into locomotive hauled coaches and some of them have found a third life on Amtrak California service.

Let's also not forget the demotored SPV 2000s that were used on Shore Line East. 14 of those former Jersey (flaming) Arrows live in Avondale Co to be used as trailers for high speed locomotive testing. Now called Comet IIs IIRC. Interestingly interior signage is in French as they had been on loan to Montreal.

Talk about a paperwork nightmare to get them there. As such they are still NJT property stored in Colorado.

Al