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(erielack) re: Diamond and "short" baggage cars

Always something new to learn!  Ain't it grand?

The car in the HYATT ad in the Diamond bears a very strong resemblance to the B&O cars which were built new by Standard Steel sometime before 1931.  They were rated at 40 tons and appear, from the builder's photo, to be at least 50 feet long.  They had arched, or turtleback, roofs with rounded ends.  Train Shed Cyclopedia #8 shows B&O #1528 in fig.1125 on p.528.

I have never heard of "Korean War" short hospital cars (I was in the Transportation Corps 1953-56), but I'd love to see a picture.  I can't see the reasoning behind a short hospital car, especially since there were so many of the WWII 80-footers still around and less than ten years old.

I guess that lots of roads cut down old heavyweights to be train heaters, because they only need so much room for a boiler -- or even two -- and why carry extra length around?  Yet, even with the F-3's well known lack of steam for heat, I don't think the Erie ever went for separate heater cars.

So my vote stays with the B&O car, maybe picked up somehow off the Pittsburgh service at Youngstown or Cleveland and rotated out of Chicago.  Who knows?

No, really.  Who knows?  Let us know.

Randy Brown ELHS#16

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