Hello,

I'm looking for any photos or drawings of open passenger cars / 'Hayracks' that any of you may have or know of.

Our group is getting ready to construct one, and we'd like some ideas.

Thanks

Mark McVittie


Kamloops Heritage Railway
mcvittie@sageserve.com

Perhaps somebody at San Diego can zap you pictures of National City and Otay #1 now on display in National City.

Dave

irondave@bellsouth.net

There is an outstanding example owned by the West Coast Railway Association in Squamish: ex CPR #598. I could only find one photo on their web site at wrca.org but I'm sure they'd be willing to help you. Send them a note at archives@wrca.org

Richard R. Anderson
Northwest Railway Museum
Snoqualmie, Washington



Northwest Railway Museum
rra@trainmuseum.org

> There is an outstanding example owned by the
> West Coast Railway Association in Squamish:
> ex CPR #598.

Its two sister cars are at the California State Railtown 1898 (aka Sierra RR) Park (a unit of CSRM). #599 is unmodified; #597 has been modified. This are not completly open cars they had roofs and a center section with windows and end sections without windows -- much like a California style street car in that regard.

If you want roofless passenger cars a number of western roads operated cars without roofs and windows, but sides up to the belt-rail level. These include the D&RGW (both standard and narrow gauge), UP and, I believe, SP.

Brian Norden

bnorden49@earthlink.net

The Narrow Gauge and Shortline Gazzette had an article on North Pacific Coast turn-of-the-(last) century "picnic cars" in its Mar/Apr 2001 issue. It had pictures of 4 different versions.

The following issue (which I don't have, sorry) was supposed to have drawings (elevation I assume) for a couple of these cars.

> The Narrow Gauge and Shortline Gazzette had
> an article on North Pacific Coast
> turn-of-the-(last) century "picnic
> cars" in its Mar/Apr 2001 issue. It had
> pictures of 4 different versions.

Mark;

The people down at the Heber have a couple of open passenger cars; I can find out some more, but it might be best to contact them directly. (If I said that these were made from frames of boxcars, I might be correct... they are certainly fairly recent)

They actually work quite well, but on the days when I was acting as brakeman recently, I was told to keep my eyes peeled - people do the stupidist things, like "hang out", or sit on the railings, etc.

They have two longitudinal benches near the centre of the car, which appears to work quite well.

John Stewart
Ottawa.

luigi@mainframe.dgrc.crc.ca

These are the ones I am aware of:

Union Pacific - At least one that was used along the Columbia River in Oregon.

Southern Pacific - At least one used in Oregon. Might be a photo in the book "The Trains We Rode"

Milwaukee Road - At least one used in the Rockies and maybe Cascade mountains. I think a photo is also in the book "The Trains We Rode". The car was built as a full open car but on its maiden trip the first time it went through a tunnel the seepage soaked the passengers. The car was rebuilt with a roof and semi-enclosed center section similar to the CPR cars.

Great Northern - At least one that was converted from a 60' wood passenger car.

Richard Wilkens

If you are looking to build one, the Lake Superior & Missippi, in Duluth,MN, had one that I rode five or six years ago. It was built on a flatcar using 2x4s and chickenwire. It looked a lot less ugly than it sounds and was quite comfortable on a sunny, warm afternoon.

TSS

> These are the ones I am aware of:

> Union Pacific - At least one that was used
> along the Columbia River in Oregon.

> Southern Pacific - At least one used in
> Oregon. Might be a photo in the book
> "The Trains We Rode"

> Milwaukee Road - At least one used in the
> Rockies and maybe Cascade mountains. I think
> a photo is also in the book "The Trains
> We Rode". The car was built as a full
> open car but on its maiden trip the first
> time it went through a tunnel the seepage
> soaked the passengers. The car was rebuilt
> with a roof and semi-enclosed center section
> similar to the CPR cars.

> Great Northern - At least one that was
> converted from a 60' wood passenger car.

> Richard Wilkens


tsschult@usd.edu

Better make sure Transport Canada will permit this sort of modification BEFORE you do it.


Old Time Trains
oldtimetrains@rrmail.com

Heritage Park in Calgary, Alberta, Canada has a former Canadian National hayrack (like the CP cars, with a roof and enclosed centre portion). The car (rebuilt by CN from a former Canadian Government Railways sleeper built by Wagner, I believe) is used each summer, pulled around the parkÂ’s short loop track by one of two former U.S. Army 0-6-0s.
Now, if someone could only get it out of CP country and behind ex-CN Mountain 6060 for excursions . . .
Kevin

> If you are looking to build one, the Lake
> Superior & Missippi, in Duluth,MN, had
> one that I rode five or six years ago. It
> was built on a flatcar using 2x4s and
> chickenwire. It looked a lot less ugly than
> it sounds and was quite comfortable on a
> sunny, warm afternoon.

> TSS

Already done. We've been dealing with regulations for quite a while, so we knew where to start.

I'm looking for ideas for methods of construction.

> Better make sure Transport Canada will
> permit this sort of modification BEFORE you
> do it.


Kamloops Heritage Railway
mcvittie@sageserve.com

>The Delaware & Ulster has open cars that are built out of flat cars, and there may be pictures on there website


cvsrkahuna@aol.com

> I'm looking for ideas for methods of
> construction.
Cass (WV)Scenic RR has built several from log cars -- both with and w/o roofs.

frankr@ieee.org

Just got back from Oahu, Hawaii and rode the Hawaiian Railway Society's narrow gauge train. They use four cars with roofing built in wood on old flat cars.

Check out the picture of a coach on their home page

Hawaiian Railway
wyld@sbcglobal.net