Passenger Trains > Amtrak 10400 Wheel Car

I took this picture while passing through the CHI yards in 2000. The pic isn't the best but I can make out the number 10400 on the original. According to gobytrain.us the car was used to carry supplies between Beech Grove and other shops. It was retired in March 2006. It is coupled to a Superliner in the pic, maybe headed to Beech Grove. It would look bad to seen this car on a revenue passenger train with its boarded up windows. Maybe this is the Amtrak of tomorrow (Just kidding). I have never seen one of these cars before. Does anyone know its heitage? Just thought I'd share this unique equipment. Enjoy!

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Looks like one of the former Army hospital cars. These cars were very lightly used before Amtrak acquired them in pretty good numbers in the early 70's. These cars were modified into lounge cars, dormitory cars, baggage cars to name a few.

I shot this picture of Amtrak 10402 in the consist of the eastbound Southwest Chief way back in 1987 while the Chief was making a scheduled stop at San Berdoo CA. Always wondered what they used it for ...

Regards,
Burlington John

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Car 10404 was in the consist of train 318 when I rode it on 28 July 2006. It was behind the single revenue coach, between it and several bad-ordered cars being ferried to Beech Grove. My understanding is that 10404 serves as a "buffer car" between cars with high-level and low-level diaphragms. Was 10400 previously used for the same purpose?

10402 ex-U.sS. Armyhospital car 895600 Amtrak had 4 10400 to10403. At one time they werebaggage-dormitory cars. Built bySt.Louis Car Co.in 1952-1953.That was in my Amtrak car spotter book , Its old 1982. Hope that helps JIM

Forgive my ignorance, but why did the Army need hospital railroad cars in the United States. The war was never fought in the 48 states.

Genesis803 Wrote:
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> Forgive my ignorance, but why did the Army need
> hospital railroad cars in the United States. The
> war was never fought in the 48 states.


Just guessing -

(1) To transport wounded arriving in the US by ship, and/or
(2) In case of a future invasion or attack. Remember, these were bought during the early years of the cold war when a Russian attack on the US was considered a real possibilty that needed to be prepared for.

Dave

I don't think that 10400 was retired in March. I have a picture of it August 18, 2006 on the consist of I would assume to be #317-18 Hoosier State. Also on the topic of "buffer cars" The third pic is of the 'B end' of AMTK 10404 formerly AMTK 1218, seen on the tail of #317-29 Hoosier State.

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Genesis803 Wrote:
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> Forgive my ignorance, but why did the Army need
> hospital railroad cars in the United States. The
> war was never fought in the 48 states.

I will not forgive your ignorance because it does not require forgiveness. You ask a question about something that you didn't know about and you (and others) will become wiser by the end of the day because of your question. Often I learn quite a bit when I read answers to questions like yours. I may not have the exact answer but I'll give it a try, and, if I'm wrong, I'm sure that someone will provide a better answer. So, here goes...

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I don't know for sure but I would suspect they needed them for the same reason we have hospital aircraft in today's Air Force. In the early 50's there was a "Police action" in Korea. The seriously injured were probably, in most cases, put on ships after they were stabilized and sent back to Hawaii and eventually the West Coast. When they arrived on the West Coast they were moved to military hospitals in that area for continued treatment and recuperation. In some cases, I would think that some were also sent to hospitals in the east for specialized or extended treatment.

I live in Louisville, Ky. Before I retired 4 years ago, I drove past the airport every day. Occasionally I would see a Air Force aircraft with a red cross painted on a white background. The hospital at Fort Knox, about 30 miles from Louisville, is not a major facility. There are some very good civilian hospitals in the area. Occasionally the military will send soldiers to civilian hospitals for specialized treatments. I suspect the Army used their hospital cars to move injured soldiers around that needed continuous treatment and support while in transit.

In the early 50's, passenger rail service was still a major mover in this country while air travel was for the elite. Of course, that changed in the next 10 years.

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So, that's my best guess. BTW, I'm sure glad that we had not had a CONUS (CONtinential United States) war since the Civil War. Only time will tell what is in our future.

John

From discussions here it did appear in March that 10404 had replaced 10400, now it seems both remain in use.


Geoff

Here is a photo link that shows what the car used to look like, not too differnt. http://photoswest.org/cgi-bin/imager?00019588+OP-19588

Roomette-12 Wrote:
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> Here is a photo link that shows what the car used
> to look like, not too differnt.
> http://photoswest.org/cgi-bin/imager?00019588+OP-1
> 9588


In the linked photo, the car has six wheel trucks. In the newer photos however, it looks like it has four wheel trucks. Did Amtrak change this or does it still have six wheel trucks? Why would they call it a "Buffer Car?" Thanks for the answers!!

I know for a fact that 10404 is a four axel car. A buffer car is has special diaphrams at the ends of that car that allow it to be coupled to either single level or superliner equipment. All other cars have diaphrams that are cannot be coupled to cars that are not the same height. My understanding is that the different height diaphrams will lock when going through a crossover or corner and rip themselves off the cars.

Hospital cars were built during WW II and some were used during Korea. Some of the cars were converted to mortuary cars after the war to return the remains of WWII troops to their homes. I looked out the window of Santa Fe 24 in Bakersfield one day after the war and saw a string of these cars parked there, a sobering sight. After the war several railroads, including SP, converted them for their use. The Monon built an entire train out of them. The cars, like the troop sleepers, were designed to be converted to commercial use after the war...

Fascinating! Do PV cars have to have the special diaphragms in order to be Amtrak-Certified?

amtrak1007 Wrote:
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> I know for a fact that 10404 is a four axel car.
> A buffer car is has special diaphrams at the ends
> of that car that allow it to be coupled to either
> single level or superliner equipment. All other
> cars have diaphrams that are cannot be coupled to
> cars that are not the same height. My
> understanding is that the different height
> diaphrams will lock when going through a crossover
> or corner and rip themselves off the cars.

Amtrak's buffer cars do not have diaphrams at all. That is the primary requirement of an Amtrak buffer car. This way, a low-level car with a rigid diaphram (such as a Horizon car) can couple to a Superliner, which has an upper-level rigid diaphram. Most private cars have been modified with the dreaded rubber tube style diaphrams which enables them to be safely coupled to a Superliner or a low-level car.

The hospital car in Roomette 12's link is a 1945 ACF built hospital car. Those were the ones used by the Monon and the SP after WWII. The ones Amtrak has are 1952 St Louis Car built, and they were built with 4 wheel trucks. Very similar floor plan, and very interesting cars if anyone ever has an opurtunity to go inside one that has never been modified.

After sending my post above, I see that I was not very clear. What I meant to say was that Amtrak generally uses these buffer cars IN BETWEEN cars of different heights that do not have compatible diaphrams. Since the buffer cars have had their rigid diaphrams removed, they can couple to just about any height or style of car, and not interfere with the adjacent car's diaphram. For example, the buffer car (which is not open to passengers, of course) would be used between a Superliner and a Horizon car to enable these 2 different height cars to move in the same train. It is most common for Amtrak to use buffer cars to deadhead equipment between Chicago and Beech Grove shops.

Ozark Mountain Railcar had one of these cars listed for sale a while back. The inside of the cars were stripped and there is a trolley hoist that runs the length of the car to maneuver the wheelsets. On the floor were "rails" with holes in them to keep the wheelsets in place.