Re:(erielack) Erie solarium cars

["Janet & Randy Brown" <jananran_@_mymailstation.com>]

The Pullman built and operated restaurant cars for several railroads in the early 1930s, to supplement or, more often, completly replace railroad-run dining car services.  Railway Mechanical Engineer for February 4, 1933, told of Pullman operating 64 cars over 29 lines on 19 railroads, most in the 8-section/dining/lounge configuration.  They differed from other Pullmans with lounge or buffet service in that they offered complete meal service, in many cases the only such service on the railroad and, therefore, available to all passengers. 

The Erie carried eleven cars, nine between Jersey City and Chicago and two between Jersey City and Buffalo. The only "custom" aspect to the operation was the assignment to the cars of names which held local interest.

By December, 1933, the Erie's assignment was nine cars with Chicago and/or Jersey City as end points and involving Hornell, Youngstown and Cleveland for shorter runs.  The Route of the Erie Limited (Dirkes & Krause, Carstens 1986) shows Spring Brook Club in 1937. It is uncertain how many lasted that long and when they wereall withdrawn because, even before their creation, the Erie already owned nine full-sized Pullman-built (but railroad run) diners.

Randy Brown 
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Returning to a thread from a few weeks ago, I found more information on these cars in The Official Pullman-Standard Library - Selected Heavyweight Cars (RFC publications Inc, 1995). . .
 
The fact that these were custom rebuilds. . .. It sounds like these Erie cars were rather unique rebuilds, so I don't think the accurate combination of side and ends is going to appear in any model.
 
 
Joe Braun


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