NYO&W passenger question(s)

[brokemoto]

From what I have read, Old and Weary was using rented New York Central coaches in the last years of passenger service.  It retained its own head end equipment.  When did this start?

Old and Weary had a unique baggage/mail car; it had two baggage doors.  I recall reading somewhere that it also had two or three full RPOs that it bought used from NYCS, but never have  I seen a photograph of any of them.  They do not appear on the 1944 roster that I found, so I am guessing that O&W purchased them some time after the war ended.  Does anyone kn ow if there were such cars on the O&W?

Does anyone know if there are any N scale passenger decals out there for the Old and Weary?

[cec209]

 The book O&W, 2nd Edition Revised by William F. Helmer, has a number of photos of O&W passenger equipment. I'm not sure if it includes the cars your looking for but it might be worth a look.

Charlie

[thomasjmdavis]

Carstens published a book called Passenger Cars, Vol 1 (I don't know how many volumes there were, but there were several reprints of Vol 1, and may still be available). It has drawings for several NYO&W cars, including, I think, the one you are looking for- a wood baggage mail with 2 baggage doors on each side (I assume when you said "2 baggage doors" you meant 2 on each side of the car).  According to Carstens, the car in the book was built at the Middletown shops in 1908.

They either plated over the wood cars, or bought similar steel cars- here is a photo of the steel version
http://www.northeast.railfan.net/images/nyow152.jpg

The two baggage door per side baggage-mail was actually fairly common.  CV, GTW, L&N, C&O and Wabash all had them, and I am sure many other roads also. 

[brokemoto]

Thank you for the replies.  I shall be sure to consult those books.

[thomasjmdavis]

Do note that the NYO&W cars in the book I mentioned are wood cars (or wood body on steel frame), and only a couple photos of steel cars on the O&W.  Would not want you to go out and buy something if it isn't what you need.

I took a look at the 1954 ORPTE and it shows no mail cars of any description for NYO&W.  Which lead me to check the book "Railroad Post Office History" and its last RPO route listing for NYO&W is between Roscoe and New York, from 1948- 1950.  Other WW2 and postwar routes I found include Sydney & NY 1935-1944; Walton & NY 1944-1948; Butler & NY 1941-1948.

[dougnelson]

Yes, Northeast Decals made N scale O&W passenger car decals.  I will get the number and a photo later.

[dougnelson]

Here are the Northeast decals: