The REAL Micro-Trains' baggage car prototype

[jmlaboda]

As I am prone to do from time to time I was thumbing through some of my passenger car diagram books the other day and happened to realize that the MT baggage - express that has been talked about being an ERIE prototype also was rostered by the Nickel Plate Road, which had three cars with six-wheel trucks and two cars with four-wheel trucks.  I was really surprised by the idea that the NKP had cars like its passenger run-through partner ERIE and I was able to determine from other roster information that one actually was repainted for the Norfolk & Western for revenue service while a second car (one of the two four-wheel trucked cars) was transferred to N&W Maintenance-of-Way service... the latter still surviving today at the Hoosier Valley RR Museum.  Really surprised that two other roadnames could be properly applied to the MT model.

The implications for me was that I could sort-of "prototype freelance" the two cars that became N&W as earlier representatives from before the merger, helping to add to the types of cars that I could run on my freelanced lines, with two cars, N&W 1279 (ex-NKP 341, the only one used in N&W paint) and N&W 1282 (ex-NKP 344, the number that would have been applied had it been repainted for revenue service), loaning themselves effectively to show variations in car types.  But I had yet another surprise to discover.

Like so many others I remember the image that was posted by "Shipsure" when the ERIE baggage car was announced, that had a prototype photograph of one of the ERIE cars along with a very clean diagram (something in itself that isn't always easy to come by), which I am attaching to this message.  I remember thinking it odd that its doors were offset from the doors on the opposite side, which rarely happened on prototypes, but otherwise thought the car was quite nice to say the least.  The problem is that, as far as a prototype goes, ERIE's were duplicates of another road's cars, following the original cars by a couple of years.  Those original cars were built for the NKP in 1924, four years before the ERIE cars were built.

NKP itself had a different take on how to order cars, as I mentioned earlier the latter two, which were built a year after ERIE's cars, had four-wheel trucks.  I can't help but to wonder if maybe ERIE's cars might have been ordered a little later that they would have had the four-wheel trucks as well.  Both roads did not order further heavyweight cars though both did take delivery of considerably different (from each other) lightweight cars some 15 to 20 years later.  Really can't get over the idea that the prototype of the MT car is actually NKP... so now you know, as Paul Harvey use to say... "the rest of the story."

[nickelplate759]

I painted up one of these for NKP 341 - but I'm pretty sure that both the NKP 6-axle cars were automobile-baggage and had end doors.
I didn't do the end doors, but did letter it for Automobile.

[ Guests cannot view attachments ]

Microscale decals, but they don't include the word "AUTOMOBILE" so I had to piece that together.
George

[jmlaboda]

I painted up one of these for NKP 341 - but I'm pretty sure that both the NKP 6-axle cars were automobile-baggage and had end doors.

Ah... something I missed about the NKP cars... thanks for mentioning it!!!

Now which MT car was it that had an end door on it???  Looks like more things to dig up...

[Missaberoad]

Now which MT car was it that had an end door on it???  Looks like more things to dig up...

Doesn't the horse car have an end door?

[jmlaboda]

Yep!!!  And the deeper letterboard which should work in a car's favor, if one wants to be accurate.

[Chris333]

I don't care what they call it

[seusscaboose]

I wonder if Joe is listening

[Ngineer]

Jerry,

thank you very much for the information on the prototype. 

Do you happen to know what kind of 4-wheel trucks the NKP did use? Are they being offered by MT?

   Javier

[Chris333]

Is this the NKP car?
http://www.hoosiervalley.org/roster/passenger-cars/

[jmlaboda]

Is this the NKP car?
http://www.hoosiervalley.org/roster/passenger-cars/

Its listed as:

"Nickel Plate Road Baggage Car / Automobile Car No. 344"

So glad that it is preserved!!!  Its a very rare prototype that, thankfully, is still with us!!!

Do you happen to know what kind of 4-wheel trucks the NKP did use? Are they being offered by MT?

No but if you have been following the MT single-windowed coach thread Shipsure did mention that an appropriate four-wheel truck may become available sometime in the near future (love that I can say that given IMRC's antics).  The Wheels of Time four-wheel trucks likely could be used but you would likely have to drill a new hole so that they can be mounted.  Don't know what size it should be since I haven't actually looked into this myself (at least not as of yet).

Wonder if we can convince MT to make a run with the end-door included on the model???  Would definitely be something I would be interested in!!!

[thomasjmdavis]

Wonder if we can convince MT to make a run with the end-door included on the model???  Would definitely be something I would be interested in!!!

How many railroads had end loading door baggage cars?  Both Pennsy (theatre cars) and ATSF (I think the latter could be modeled by using M&R baggage sides on a MT horse car core, although I would assume the door detail would be a bit different- and I haven't measured yet) had such cars.  And there were also express box cars.  For those thinking about a kitbash, the horse car is now available undecorated- https://www.micro-trains.com/index.php?route=product/category&path=63_135   While you are there, take their survey on magazines and get $5 off.

I'll check the books and see if I can come up with any others.

Did any RRs have baggage cars with loading doors on both ends?

[Spikre]

 
  C&O,Erie,NKP,PM,and W&LE were part of the Van Swerigens AMC after 1925.
  the roads pooled designs,or could use their own designs.
  the AMC brought such designs as the Erie Berkshires,C&O T1s,and the slightly
  smaller Berkshires of NKP,W&LE,PM and C&O to life.
  it took until 1947 for an order of C&O Berkshires to weigh in heavier than the Erie
  S-3 class of 1928.
   ACL also had similar Baggage cars to the Erie cars,but the doors may have been
  slightly spaced or placed differently.
    Spikre