Eastern Railroad Discussion > WMSR Passenger Car Fleet Ancestry?

Someone would do us all a service if they could post a complete list of the Western Maryland Scenic's passenger car fleet history.

I know that there are cars of N&W/CG/Sou/and PRR ancestry in the fleet, but would sure like to see a complete breakdown, if anyone has access to it or has done a work-up on the subject. The locomotives aside, the WMSR passenger car fleet is a first rate rolling museum of post-WWII streamlined equipment.

Tom (RRTRAX Studios) or anyone else have a detailed roster?

Art House

I personally do not have any of that info (actually it would be a fairly substantial project), however I'd be happy to work with others to put together such a roster. Would be nice to include their freight car fleet as well.

If this happens, I could include the roster in the 3rd Edition of my book on the WMSR which will be available by next year's operating season. Art, we can "partner up" on collecting and organizing this data if you'd like - and you know I live in the right neighborhood to do field-checks!

Tom Kraemer
Cumberland, Md.
www.rrtraxstudios.com

RRTraxStudios Wrote:
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> I personally do not have any of that info
> (actually it would be a fairly substantial
> project), however I'd be happy to work with others
> to put together such a roster. Would be nice to
> include their freight car fleet as well.
>
> If this happens, I could include the roster in the
> 3rd Edition of my book on the WMSR which will be
> available by next year's operating season. Art, we
> can "partner up" on collecting and organizing this
> data if you'd like - and you know I live in the
> right neighborhood to do field-checks!
>
> Tom Kraemer
> Cumberland, Md.
> www.rrtraxstudios.com

Well, Tom, I know that a number of the cars came from the defunct NS steam program. "Man of War" started out life on the CG, the fluted-side cars are former Southern 800-series coaches, and I think there are some former N&W Pullman-Standard coaches of Powhatan Arrow/Pocahantas ancestry as well. In recent photos (I haven't been out that way in a while), I've noticed at least two former Budd-built smoothside cars that began life as N&W 10/6 sleepers before being converted to corridor coaches decades ago. They can be identified by their fluted Budd roofs and irregular, altered window arrangements (the window placement was partially altered when they were converted from sleepers to coaches) . They served PRR/PC/early Amtrak (though none were ever owned by Amtrak), and ultimately MARC. That smoothside Budd car with the blank center window space is ex-PRR from the Congressional/Senator trainsets. But I have no information as to what cars specifically are involved (I don't know if WMSR retained ancestral numbers, or in cases of multiple previous owners, whose numbers might have survived), nor do I have any access to that information.

I think a complete historical roster would be a great addition to the new edition to your next book. Maybe you can poke around among your friends on WMSR and see if they have a complete roster, including histories.

Art

Have you looked at http://trainweb.org/passengercars/Indices/V5.htm? I don't know how comprehensive Jerry's information is, but it's at least a start. His information for 540, 726, and 844 is correct.

Couldn't you guys have just had this conversation over coffee, or a battlefield tour? ;-)

aehouse Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> RRTraxStudios Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I personally do not have any of that info
> > (actually it would be a fairly substantial
> > project), however I'd be happy to work with
> others
> > to put together such a roster. Would be nice to
> > include their freight car fleet as well.
> >
> > If this happens, I could include the roster in
> the
> > 3rd Edition of my book on the WMSR which will
> be
> > available by next year's operating season. Art,
> we
> > can "partner up" on collecting and organizing
> this
> > data if you'd like - and you know I live in the
> > right neighborhood to do field-checks!
> >
> > Tom Kraemer
> > Cumberland, Md.
> > www.rrtraxstudios.com
>
> Well, Tom, I know that a number of the cars came
> from the defunct NS steam program. "Man of War"
> started out life on the CG, the fluted-side cars
> are former Southern 800-series coaches, and I
> think there are some former N&W Pullman-Standard
> coaches of Powhatan Arrow/Pocahantas ancestry as
> well. In recent photos (I haven't been out that
> way in a while), I've noticed at least two former
> Budd-built smoothside cars that began life as N&W
> 10/6 sleepers before being converted to corridor
> coaches decades ago. They can be identified by
> their fluted Budd roofs and irregular, altered
> window arrangements (the window placement was
> partially altered when they were converted from
> sleepers to coaches) . They served PRR/PC/early
> Amtrak (though none were ever owned by Amtrak),
> and ultimately MARC. That smoothside Budd car
> with the blank center window space is ex-PRR from
> the Congressional/Senator trainsets. But I have
> no information as to what cars specifically are
> involved (I don't know if WMSR retained ancestral
> numbers, or in cases of multiple previous owners,
> whose numbers might have survived), nor do I have
> any access to that information.
>
> I think a complete historical roster would be a
> great addition to the new edition to your next
> book. Maybe you can poke around among your friends
> on WMSR and see if they have a complete roster,
> including histories.
>
> Art

frankg290 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Have you looked at ? I don't know how
> comprehensive Jerry's information is, but it's at
> least a start. His information for 540, 726, and
> 844 is correct.


Thanks, Frank, that clears up some of the questions, but not all of the cars in the WMSR fleet are represented.

Art

CNWJAG Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Couldn't you guys have just had this conversation
> over coffee, or a battlefield tour? ;-)
>

How bout coffee while ON a battlefield tour? Art: You CAN make joe over the fire at camp, right? Where can I plug-in my laptop? haha

Tom

...actually, though, that WOULD be an interesting roster. They seem to have a good bit of "inactive" rolling stock in the yard at Ridgeley, including some former LIRR coaches, a streamlined obs, and a few baggage cars. Some equipment may be privately owned, however.

when i rode the train a few years ago. an employee told me that the man o war was purchased at the NS birmingham auction for $ 42,000 .