N&W Pullman 4137 ?

[NW Mailing List]

A number of these cars are still around. To my knowledge, the only Budd built cars N&W ever acquired were the S1 sleepers, hence the engraving on the plate. 

Now, unless I am totally wrong, the major passenger car manufacturers, Pullman-Standard and Budd, did not assign a serial or builder's number to individual cars, therefore, there is no such thing as a "builder's plate" in the steam or diesel locomotive terms, which contains the built date, location, and a construction number. 

These plates were simply id plates to identify the maker and the road they were made for. Thusly, the 4137 is not going to be engraved on the plate, no matter what. I have not had time to research it, but passenger car makers used what are called "lot numbers" building cars in a lot for an individual order. I do not know if this is the lot number for the N&W order, but should be fairly easy to find, it would only identify the entire order of the cars, which I think was 20 cars, if it indeed is the lot number, it might be a number someone thought was a lot number, a lot of older notes are not historically accurate. 

Budd used a plate exactly like this on Amfleet coaches, they were usually located above the end door of the car, on the vestibule end. Pullman-Standard also had an id plate, that just stated the car was built by Pullman-Standard, I don't remember exactly where they were located, but the same location would be a distinct possibility, or on the inside of the car over one of the end doors.

Ken Miller

On Mar 29, 2012, at 4:50 PM, NW Mailing List wrote:


> Some of the MARC cars were purchased by the S.A.M. Shortline in GA, where they still run with some ex-PRR coaches converted from 22 roomette cars (probably also ex-MARC). Rick's observations make sense, but still do not explain the 1950 date and the name "Norfolk Pride." Maybe the person who wrote on the business card thought he was giving the built date (which would have been a few months earlier), and the reference to Norfolk Pride was intended as an accolade rather than a car name. At any rate, if 4137 is indeed a Budd serial number, it ought to be engraved on the plate somewhere.

>  

> Jim Nichols

> 

> From: NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>

> To: NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>

> Sent: Thu, March 29, 2012 1:01:08 PM

> Subject: Re: N&W Pullman 4137 ?

> 

> I think I can clarify the origin of the Budd builder's plate from an N&W S-1.

> 

> Around 1964 N&W sold all twenty S-1's to the Pennsylvania Railroad.  PRR

> stripped exterior paint, gutted the interiors and converted them into

> coaches.  Eventually some or all of these coaches were sold to MARC, the

> state of Maryland's commuter operation.  I remember riding an excursion

> from Hagerstown to Cumberland in the 1980's and at least one car in the

> train had the Budd builders plate stating the car had been built for N&W. 

> MARC called these "Heritage" cars, and I think I also saw a plaque with

> the car's original name. I'm guessing the number 4137 may be on the back

> of the plate in question.  You can be sure that Budd would have used a

> production number for everything they built.

> 

> I don't think MARC has any of the ex-N&W cars in service anymore.  If a

> car was wrecked, I am reasonably certain it happened in MARC service, or

> on PRR. Since the car ended up in Cumberland, I would suspect MARC.

> Several years ago MARC had a serious wreck, and fire, when an eastbound

> from Brunswick to Washington sideswiped the westbound Amtrak Capitol

> Limited near Silver Spring, MD.  I do not know exactly which MARC cars

> were destroyed. The MARC train ran a signal, and hit the motive power of

> Amtrak 29 as it was going thru a crossover.  The ruptured fuel tank on

> Amtrak set the derailed MARC train on fire.  It was running in "push"

> mode.

> 

> When I was in Cumberland last Autumn, I observed an ex N&W S-1 in service

> on the Western Maryland Scenic RR, so at least some are still around.

> 

> --Rick Morrison

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