Yellow and Green C&NW Mail Baggage

[JoeD]

Looking for some wisdom...Researching a  CNW heavyweight set and looking for images of a mail baggage similar to our 148 in the yellow and green scheme.  I have one, # 8149 in an overall green scheme I believe.  Hoping someone can help determine if these head end cars were a solid color or matching the rest of the consist.

Thanks a ton

Joe

[sd45elect2000]

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From the IRM website. They have a large collection of CNW baggage cars including a horse car.

Randy

[MVW]

From "Chicago & North Western Passenger Train Equipment," Patrick Dorin, TLC Publishing:

"Baggage and express No. 8766 was a 60-foot car with six-wheel trucks. Many of these cars were later repainted in the yellow-and-green scheme. Such standard baggage cars were assigned to all runs except "Streamliners," Twin Cities and Peninsula 400s."

That help?

Jim

[Tom L]

It’s not in color but here’s one. 148 refers to your RPO baggage, right?

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I don’t have any info on the photo

Tom L
Wellington CO

[cjm413]

(Attachment Link)

From the IRM website. They have a large collection of CNW baggage cars including a horse car.

Randy

That car is in the simplified y/g paint with the yellow lettering, e.g yellow lettering and no black stripe.

For an individual release, this would be a good car to mix in with newer LW cars.

For a complete set of HW cars, either Pullman Green or the older g/y paint (provided there is a supporting photo) would be a better choice.

I'll check the Morning Sun color guide, etc. after I get home from work.

[Point353]

http://rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=2252836

[nickelplate759]

That last one looks like a very modern rail "museum" repaint - with very wrong fonts.

[thomasjmdavis]

Joe,
This will be of limited help, but maybe can at least give some search limits.  According to the 1954 ORPTE, the C&NW mail baggage cars, with length 74' over buffers, with 30' mail apartment were numbered 8108-8137 and 8139-8149.  Some of the cars had 4 windows instead of 3 in the mail area- or did when built ( https://digital.denverlibrary.org/digital/collection/p15330coll22/id/47978 ).

That 41 cars were active in 1953-54 makes for a pretty good chance that some number of them (including the one, whatever it's number shown in the post from Tom L up above).

While I was at it, figured I would check on 70' (int)/74' over buffers baggage cars.  The vast majority of CNW baggage cars were 60', but the ones listed as 70' in the '54 ORPTE are 8678, 8754-61, 8782, 8784, 8786, 8796-8807. 

Horse cars are listed as 8000-8004.  Only speculation on my part, but it is also possible there were originally more, but some horse cars were converted to baggage cars, or rebuilt.

Caveats- the ORPTE only distinguishes between wood and steel cars, but NOT between heavyweight and streamlined- so some of the cars listed above could be steel streamlined cars (but all the photos I can match up are heavyweight).  It also does not distinguish rebuilt cars (baggage from coach or RPO, for instance) although sometimes you can figure it out from lengths or other info.

Also- the CNWHS is moving (maybe has moved) its collection to a building on the IRM premises, and you might want to contact one or both organizations, who may be able to provide you with specifics. 

[thomasjmdavis]

Here's a website with a lot of C&NW photos- unfortunately none that address the question at hand, but might be of some help with other cars.  "Train porn" as my wife calls it.
https://www.lakestatesarchive.org/FR-Ritzman-Collection/CNW-Equipment-Passenger/

[MVW]

Here's a website with a lot of C&NW photos- unfortunately none that address the question at hand, but might be of some help with other cars.  "Train porn" as my wife calls it.
https://www.lakestatesarchive.org/FR-Ritzman-Collection/CNW-Equipment-Passenger/

Wow! That's a new one for me. Thanks for the link!

Jim

[thomasjmdavis]

It was new for me too, found it by accident and as long as I was their, looked up "C&NW passenger"

BUT WAIT- it gets BETTER-

Here is the main page for the archive- there are thousands and thousands of photos here:
https://www.lakestatesarchive.org/

Those folks in Baraboo have been BUSY lately- this is incredible.

[MVW]

It was new for me too, found it by accident and as long as I was their, looked up "C&NW passenger"

BUT WAIT- it gets BETTER-

Here is the main page for the archive- there are thousands and thousands of photos here:
https://www.lakestatesarchive.org/

Those folks in Baraboo have been BUSY lately- this is incredible.

Yep, I'd immediately backtracked it. A virtual treasure trove for Midwest modelers.

(And ... I really need to get to Baraboo this summer.  )

Jim

[thomasjmdavis]

@MTLJoe
Apparently, I have a few free views of "Classic Trains" photos (not sure why).  Anyway, this came up in a search-
https://www.trains.com/ctr/photos-videos/photos/great-passenger-trains/chicago-north-western-gallery/
The third photo in has the caption "Minneapolis–Omaha North American departing Minneapolis, August 1950.
Bob Borcherding"  and shows that train with a yellow-green 3 window mail baggage directly behind the Es.  Might be a 60' car (I can't tell given the camera angle), but it is a 3 window mail baggage.  I can't read the number, but maybe the folks at Kalmbach can provide one of their best advertisers with a higher resolution view. Or maybe there is a recorded consist in the Trains mag issue the photo was published in (which I assume they would know)?

For future reference, when you get around to doing CGW, scroll down about 2/3 of the page and check out the baggage mail 61 here:
https://www.american-rails.com/baggage.html

[JoeD]

It’s not in color but here’s one. 148 refers to your RPO baggage, right?

(Attachment Link)

I don’t have any info on the photo

Tom L
Wellington CO

The 148 is the Mail Baggage...but this helps with the RPO.  thank you.

Joe

[JoeD]

Thanks for the help guys!!

Joe