Nostalgia & History > Parlor Saturday: Follow-Up Post - GCM's PRR Cars in Hudson, OH

Another follow-up post, to a post by gcm back in November, "PRR heavyweights in Hudson,Oh -- Dec 78" (https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?11,4668034), of 2 Pennsy-owned Pullman heavyweight parlors, PRR #7031 "Beacon Hill" and #7032 "Copps Hill", and I thought I'd provide a little more information on these cars.

gcm Wrote:
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> Ran across these PRR (ex-Pullman) heavyweights used as an ice cream parlor (The Rail).
> Both cars may have been parlor-buffet-lounge type.
> Built in the 30's for Pullman then purchased by the Pennsy around 1950 (hopefully someone has better info).
> 7031 Beacon Hill
> 7032 Copps Hill
> They were parked on an unused siding around 1970.
> The siding originally went to a propane dealer which blew up - thus an open siding.
> The siding came off the ex-PRR Cleveland-Pittsburgh line seen to the far left in pic 4-5.
> From what I can gather the ice cream parlor was closed a few years later and the cars were unfortunately cut up.
> Also there was a Grand Trunk wooden caboose - don't know if it was saved.
>
> Gary

#7031 "Beacon Hill" was built by Pullman in February 1927 in Lot #6035 to Plan #3961A (changed to #3961D in December 1930 and #3961F in July 1937) as the "Florence Nightingale", with a 16-seat (chair) parlor, buffet, and a 16-seat lounge observation, 1 of 4 such cars built in that Lot, with 2, including the "Florence Nightingale", built to Plan #3961A for assignment to either the B&A or the "20th Century Limited" (depending on source referenced), and the other 2 built to Plan #3961B for assignment to either the MC or the "Twilight Limited" (again, depending on source). In July 1937, the "Florence Nightingale" was renamed to "Beacon Hill" (and in May 1938, the other Plan #3961A car, the "Dolly Madison", was also renamed, to "Armory Hill", and that car still survives), but the source materials do not note for which train/route (re)assignment the renaming was for. It is likely, although not known for certain, that it was at that time that the car lost the open platform at the lounge end (although as seen in the photos, there were initially windows in the new bulkhead of the now-enclosed vestibule). As discussed in the prior follow-up post to Lance's post of the PRR "Clover Prairie", both heavyweight Pullman sleepers and parlors were sold at the divestiture to the various railroads based on assignments as of a specific date; parlors were sold on 12/31/1945 and sleepers on 12/31/1948. The "Beacon Hill" as well as the "Copps Hill" and the 2 Plan #3961B cars, had all been reassigned to the PRR in early 1944 (April for the "Beacon Hill", March for the "Copps Hill", and February for the 2 Plan #3961B cars based on repaint dates), and were therefore all sold to the Pennsy as of 12/31/1945, with the "Beacon Hill" and "Copps Hill" at that time given the #7000-series car numbers as seen in the photos; the 2 Plan #3961B cars were also given #7000-series car numbers. (However, the "Armory Hill" wasn't reassigned to the PRR in 1944; instead it was sold to the GN at the divestiture as their #1082, was later resold to the Reserve Mining Company as their "Parlor Car", is now in the collection of the Escanaba & Lake Superior, and was being used on excursions as recently as August 2017.) Anyways, these parlors like many others were leased back to Pullman by the Pennsy for continued revenue service, but this didn't last relatively long for these cars in particular, as all 4 were withdrawn from said lease in October 1956, and were at that time modified as buffet-bar (club) cars; the "Beacon Hill" as #1118, and the 2 Plan #3961B cars as #1114 and #1115. If the platform wasn't enclosed in 1937, that would've been when the alteration occurred.

#7032 "Copps Hill" was built by Pullman in September 1925 in Lot #4910 to Plan #3961 (changed to #3961G in July 1937) as the "Princess Adelaide", and like the 4 cars later built in Lot #6035, the "Princess Adelaide" and the other 2 cars built in this Lot (also with "Princess"-series names) were built with a 16-seat (chair) parlor, buffet, and a 16-seat lounge observation. Depending on source, these 3 cars were either assigned to the general service pool or to the "Banner Limited" (which appears to be accurate, as the other 2 cars are noted as being initially painted for the Wabash). Like the 2 Plan #3961A cars, the "Princess Adelaide" was later renamed to the "Hill"-series; as the "Copps Hill" in July 1937, and like 3 of the 4 Lot #6035 cars, it was reassigned to the PRR in 1944 and sold to the Pennsy at the divestiture. It also was withdrawn from Pullman lease in October 1956, and was also modified as a buffet-bar (club) car, specifically as the #1119. Note that unlike the "Beacon Hill", the "Copps Hill" retained its original open platform.  The "Copps Hill" is notable for receiving an early ammonia-based air conditioning system in 1931 (there are only 6 cars from the Pullman fleet which are noted as receiving such a system in 1930-1931 [including the private/business car "Robert Peary" now at the Pacific Southwest RR Museum], but all of which were later replaced by the more typical "Pullman Mechanical" A/C setup).

Source materials do not indicate when the "Beacon Hill" and "Copps Hill" were sold to "The Rail", and I also haven't found any further dispositions for the 2 Plan #3961B cars.

As a footnote, the other 2 Lot #4910 cars are listed as sold at the divestiture to the DL&W, but apparently the Lackawanna wasn't in need of these, as they are listed as being scrapped without being leased back to Pullman for revenue service.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 01/19/19 01:17 by Rainier_Rails.

A nice surprise today with your detailed history of the cars.
I never could find a lot of info on the cars and after 40 years of curiosity on them I now know their history.
Thanks again for the in depth information !
Gary

gcm Wrote:
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> A nice surprise today with your detailed history of the cars.
> I never could find a lot of info on the cars and after 40 years of curiosity on them I now know their history.
> Thanks again for the in depth information !
> Gary

You're welcome!