NYC's sleeper "Powder River"

[w neal]

Educate me. The NYC sleeper "Powder River". Likely not named for the one out west. Where was the river then?

Thanks

[Point353]

Educate me. The NYC sleeper "Powder River". Likely not named for the one out west. Where was the river then?

Thanks

Why is it not likely to have been named for the river out West?
The next higher numbered NYC car in the series was named Platte River.

[kornellred]

A quick Google search reveals the Powder River is a 375 mile tributary of the Yellowstone River in the Wyoming/Montana vicinity.

[nkalanaga]

Best known today for draining the Powder River Basin coal fields.  But I'd have the same question as W Neal:  "The NYC never went anywhere near Wyoming or Montana.  So, was the "Powder River" named for the famous one, or was there one in the NYC's territory?"

If the next car in the series is the "Platte River", I wonder if these cars were originally used  in  through service with the UP?

[CBQ Fan]

Considering that entire railroads had cities in their name that they never remotely came near too why wouldn’t they name cars after far away places. 

[nickelplate759]

Powder River and most contemporary sleeping (and some Palor) cars were generally owned by Pullman, and named by Pullman, which served almost the entire country.

[thomasjmdavis]

There was also a car named Salmon River, which is in Idaho.  I think nkalanaga's theory that these cars were originally used in (or at least, in recognition of) transcon service on City of San Fran, etc. is likely correct.  NYC cars also showed up on the ATSF Chief in transcon service, but, at least from the notes in the Santa Fe Sleeping Car book, those appear to be a random selection of NYC Bridge sleepers. The NYC did have a number of cars named for southwestern rivers ("Gila River" for example). but on the rosters, as close as they come to a river on the Santa Fe is "Chicago River", with ATSF providing most of the cars for the service.

A listing of car assignments for a day in 1951 is available here:
https://www.canadasouthern.com/caso/images/1951-Pullman.pdf
  The transcontinental "River" cars on various connecting routes are on p. 3, you can hunt through the other pages for 4-4-2, 6-6-4 and other assignments. 

Canada Southern also has listings for other years, and lots of other good info on NYC passenger cars and service
 https://www.canadasouthern.com/caso/pullman-space.htm
https://www.canadasouthern.com/caso/NYC-MODELS-PASS.htm

[thomasjmdavis]

Powder River and most contemporary sleeping (and some Palor) cars were generally owned by Pullman, and named by Pullman, which served almost the entire country.

Cars were only owned by Pullman until 1948- when the Pullman anti-trust case was settled, and almost all lightweight sleepers (and many/most heavyweight) ownership was transferred to the railroads.  Pullman continued to operate most cars (that is, provide staff, do the laundry, etc) under "lease" agreements, but the operating part of the company was split off from Pullman Standard (the manufacturing part of the company). Car routes and assignments, post 1948, were determined by the railroads, not Pullman (with a heavy hand of the ICC maintaining service that the railroads might have cut otherwise).  Many roads continued to operate some of their cars, especially those in service on multi-road lines, with "Pullman" on the letterboard, but you would find "NYC" or "ATSF" or other owner road markings in smaller letters, usually at the ends of the cars that had "Pullman" lettering in the center. But on most lightweights, and many heavyweights, the owner road lettering was centered on the letterboard, with small "Pullman" lettering on the ends of the cars, for cars being operated by Pullman.

[w neal]

Thanks for the education

[nkalanaga]

Interesting.  I knew Pullman lost their monopoly, but mistakenly thought it was later. 

When the GN repainted their passenger cars Big Sky Blue, some got "Pullman" along with the car name and number, some didn't, and some had it applied then painted over.  All of that in three years!