NYC and Pullman heavyweight car exchange

ParlourcarII · **Joined:** Sat Jan 10, 2015 10:07 am **Posts:** 35

In the winter of 1958, Pullman acquired 15 heavyweight "GARDEN' and "DOVER" class sleepers from NYC. In return, about 40 various sleeping cars went to NYC. The Pullman cars still were in service until 1962, but what happened to the cars that went to NYC? Where they only exchanged "on paper" for the scrap value or did they actually go to NYC and be converted to coaches, baggage or service cars. Any help would be appreciated.

Rainier Rails · **Posted:** Mon Jun 08, 2015 10:02 pm

From what I know, none of the cars acquired in the 1958 trade were rebuilt.

Brian Norden · **Posted:** Wed Jun 10, 2015 1:26 am

I have an incomplete set of internal Pullman update information sheets for changes to the "Descriptive List of Cars." These note ownership, paint, name, configuration changes, etc.

I found the listings of the cars going from NYC to Pullman ownership during 1958.

Sheet dated March 31, 1958, lists 43 cars going from NYC to Pullman ownership between May 19 and May 29, 1958. these included cars in the following series:

The April 30, 1958, sheet lists three cars transferring on April 7, 1958.

This makes 46 cars going from NYC to Pullman ownership. Which more or less matches the "about 40" reported by ParlourcarII.

Some place -- years and years ago -- I read or heard that that the Pullman-NYC swap involved cars that Pullman wanted for general pool service and NYC got cars that they scrapped. At this same time NYC was selling other HW cars to Mexico.

Rainier Rails · **Posted:** Wed Jun 10, 2015 4:26 am

Also of note is that effective 7/1/1958, NYC cancelled its operating contract with the Pullman Company, at which point all remaining sleepers were removed from Pullman lease.

Some further notes regarding the dates of trade as listed by Brian:

3/19/1958: 20 cars transferred

3/20/1958: 3 cars transferred

3/21/1958: 2 cars transferred

3/22/1958: 11 cars transferred

3/29/1958: 7 cars transferred

4/7/1958: 3 cars transferred

16 of the cars transferred back to Pullman ownership were then sold to Mexico between 1961 and 1966: 1 to Sonora Baja California in 1966, 3 to Sureste RR in 1965, and 12 to NdeM in 1961-1962.