[quote="Thomas Cornillie"] Here is a photo of a similar car in New Haven service: [url]https://www.flickr.com/photos/dpirmann/36709747743/in/photolist-XVV44e-BR45D7-BR45ys-XVV3Wk-XVV4qr-BR45sf-XVV4Bi-XVV4hk-YUsjiJ-BR45gy-YUsjpA-YUsjbu-XVV4EK-YUsj4q-BR45bU-XVV4wt-BR45oN-YUsiWS-BR45kb-XVV3KP[/url] If so, it would be the oldest surviving New Haven EMU, according to the Preserved North American Electric Cars Roster [url]http://www.bera.org/pnaerc.html[/url][/quote]

Thomas: What an interesting find.

Notice that the Gettysburg/Blue Ridge Scenic ex-New Haven MUT is not a purpose-built trailer (like the leading car in your linked photo) but rather a former motor car, indicated by the cut-off pantograph mounts and the plated-over vent panel in the middle of the car side.

A small number of motor cars of this series were converted (de-motored) into trailers in late New Haven days, allegedly due to a shortage of traction motors, and the survivor at Blue Ridge Scenic could be one of these, or possibly a preservation-era alteration.

A New Haven MUT with identical features existed at Davisville, Rhode Island on the Seaview Railroad property until around 1990 or so. This could well be the same car, as the only other survivor I knew of at that point was a trailer in the Stamford, CT yard that was scrapped around that time.

I have a couple questions on open air cars? The autorack that has been torched was reported to be a rough ride and I would imagine that the length, height, and type of trucks are mostly to blame. These cars were designed to carry automobiles and probably rode better with the load of several tons worth the new autos.

Most open air cars I am familiar with started life as flatcars and gondolas. What is the general consensus on converting standard 40 and 50 foot flatcars and old gondola cars? I've been on a open air converted from a 40 foot flatcar and did not find the ride to be any worse than the swaying rocking passenger cars of considerable more length.

I am under the impression the autorack car had school bus seats which are absolutely horrible choice for a railroad car. The metal park style benches would have been a much wiser choice. Also laying a concrete floor with a nice cover with proper drains would have been advisable for any open air car.

Robert

That's extremely interesting! I didn't think any pre-"washboard" New Haven MU cars had survived in any form. Assuming the information given to Alan was correct and this is ex-NH 4106, it's a 1931 Osgood-Bradley motor car (according to this site - diagram here). The car looks from the photos to be a perfect match, right down to the blanked-off louvers halfway down the car side! I wonder what its service and preservation history was?

Not only was it a rough ride, it was extremely noisy. At times, it wasn't possible to hold a conservation with person next to you. It also swayed. At the time, I wrote it off to a freight car ride, but these days I'm guessing the running gear wasn't maintained well.

I rode in the mid-1990's on a trip with my wife. She doesn't remember the trip; I believe she rode in one of the coaches and it was yet another slow train ride while hubby was off exploring the train. My two primary memories were the ride of the auto-rack and standing at the end of the rack, a few feet from the front of #1238, watching steam puff out between the smoke box and smoke box door on each stroke, thinking how poorly maintained it looked. Never went back.

Bob

I did a little research in my archives and found a list of the rolling stock being offered for sale via Ozark Mountain Railcar in the spring of 2010:

F7A #401 - $62,000

F7 #402 - $83,000

Crusader Coach/Table Car - $18,000

Table Car #508 - $23,000

Peach Glen - $28,000

Combine/Power Car #506 - $15,000

Mount Holly - $15,000

Double-Deck Open Car - $13,000

At the time there were URLs, since removed, featuring pictures and more information.

On the 1986 excursion to Biglersville, I only managed to get one shot from the top deck of the auto rack. It was underexposed as my camera's light meter was on the fritz, but it does show the school bus style seats. Also, notice that it has no roof in that year. Motive power was the CN Mikado that was later traded to Steamtown.

These two are still in the barn I hope...

Here's to hoping? One is ex Alaska RR heritage. Not sure about the other?

I take it the open air car is now scrapped?

Robert

As I recall, the F units were both CNW rebuilds... 401 had/has a broken crank shaft and neither had their HEP gens working....both had 26 brakes...but there might have been wheel issues, as well as the lack of alignment couplers....
It seemed all were a bit high priced for the difficulty of shipping and their apparent condition...
The owner at the time was, I think, Pioneer...they have a few other F units, mostly of Canadian origin...
I had not heard that they had one from Alaska...

Here are pictures of both 401 and 402:

401
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/locoPi ... ?id=107589

402
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/locoPi ... ?id=107590

Although previous owners are listed, strangely enough, there are no photos of either locomotive after Gettysburg. No. 401 is shown as No. 104 on the Texas Southern in 2010 but I am assured the date is off, as the TS had the locomotive prior to the Fort Worth & Western. The present whereabouts of the two locomotives is a mystery.

No, you just didn't keep looking. 402 in service as late as 2013 at the Gettysburg:

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/LocoPi ... ?id=105389

One of the things I really had to double-check on was that, at some point, I thought there had been some "musical chairs" between Pioneer Rail F-units, and at one point I seemed to recall the first F's running at the Gettysburg being swapped off with some other operation's like the Peoria and Western. One look at the similar paint schemes, and you'll see why it would be easy to believe that. RR Picture Archive's interlaced roster data seems to refute my impressions, but I've caught errors in that database before, so.......

To quote a comment off the Facebook post where the photos that started this thread originated:

"The matched Fs at Gettysburg are still there, stored. 401 is stored unservicable; 402 is stored serviceable (last used some time last summer), the running power is a former CR GP10, an IC GP10, and the backup is an ex-AC FP9.

The Fs Pioneer has in the Midwest are all ex AC, a running ABA and two A units stored unserviceable."

From other comments, 401 threw a rod in the block at some point (not a broken crankshaft) and while the damage was repaired, the seals on the old B block need replaced. 402 operated as recently as last summer.

I believe the impression that Fs got swapped around is due to the fact that originally when the ex-AC units were purchased, 1750, 1752, and 1754 went to Keokuk Junction, and 1751, 1761, and 1755 went to Gettysburg. Ultimately 1751 and 1761 moved West to join their sisters on the KJRY, where 1761 now operates with 1750 and 1752 as an ABA set, and 1751 watches from the deadline in company with 1754.

The 402 is ex C&NW 406 and has an HEP unit in it (that doesn't work) and 26L air and a BC block, 401 is ex BLE 726A, and does not have HEP, has a straight B block, and at least at one time had 24RL air. Both units are described as "tired" by Pioneer mechanical forces.

Sandy & Bulby: Thanks for the updates on the F units. I remember when they were offered for sale and, when I asked around recently about their whereabouts, no one had any information. At least they're stored, not scrapped.

I was tipped off that, according to Swanberg's book on New Haven power, NH 4106 was one of two heavyweight MU cars which in 1959 had its motors and transformers removed (due to a shortage of those items). It was converted into an MU trailer and renumbered 4315. It's hard to say whether that's when its end windows were blanked off but presumably that's when it lost its pans and had the transformer louvers covered. The last heavyweight MU cars ran in the early 1970s but I still don't know where this car was from then until the late 1990s.

I’m shocked one of these survived.