Canadian National Horse Car

[JoeD]

Hey guys.  Need to pick some brains.  We have the Horse Car scheduled and am looking for proto photos of one that is close.  I found a picture of a model of #8907  but cannot find any photo's of a CN Horse car or a three door baggage.  Anyone have any leads it would be much appreciated.  I would like to do it in the current schemes we are doing, black and green with yellow stripes.  this one is an older wood side car of course, a steel side would be the one I would need to get.



Joe

[bbussey]

What are you going to do if it turns out that CN never painted any of their horse cars in anything but the scheme in the picture?

[thomasjmdavis]

I would have a chat with these guys-

http://www.cnrha.ca/

I read that CP (not CN) had some horsecars built after WWII.  Wondering if they were rebuilds of heavyweights, or streamlined.

Sorry can't be more help.  I'll check my GTW books but I'm not hopeful.  I do remember reading somewhere (back when I was trying to find info on L&N horse cars) that there was some traffic bringing Canadian bred racehorses to the US racing circuit.  If I can locate that, will send it along.

[CNR5529]

The CNR rostered at least 10 steel under-frame wood sheathed horse cars, class BH-73-A #8900-8909. The Alberta Railway Museum describes how they could also fit collapsible stalls in baggage cars to carry horses if needed. http://www.albertarailwaymuseum.com/cnr-passenger-train.html

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Here is a photo of what I suspect to be a horse car in service, in the green, black and gold era, but the car is in solid green. I have a sneaking suspicion that the CNR didn't repaint them.


I'll take a look tonight in some other CNR books at home.

[Missaberoad]

Joe,

Try to see if you can find someone with a copy of Canadian National Railways Passenger Equipment 1867 - 1992 by by Gay Lepkey and Brian Westand  and its companion volume. It's the single best resource on CN passenger equipment available, unfortunately it is still on my list to acquire. 

The CN Sig guys are great people and always willing to help a fellow modeler and manufacturer. I echo the suggestion to get into contact with them.

Unfortunately I believe like CP, CN's post war horse traffic was handled in more traditional 4 door baggage cars.

It wasn't uncommon to see the Older solid green cars mixed with the Green, black, & gold cars... ...but either way, like the CP car I think a loose stand in is the closest you're going to find...

[CNR5529]

I read that CP (not CN) had some horsecars built after WWII.  Wondering if they were rebuilds of heavyweights, or streamlined.

These were lightweight cars streamlined similarly to other CPR cars of the time, with the curved sidewalls.

[JoeD]

put it in New Haven markings..  LOL 

What are you going to do if it turns out that CN never painted any of their horse cars in anything but the scheme in the picture?

[JoeD]

What are you going to do if it turns out that CN never painted any of their horse cars in anything but the scheme in the picture?

I'll do it in what ever color they were found in.  Lots of roads had different schemes for head end cars as you know, so if they were only in the green scheme, that's ok too.  I was hoping they had the green black and gold, but if not..

Joe

[JoeD]

Thank you very much! 

The CNR rostered at least 10 steel under-frame wood sheathed horse cars, class BH-73-A #8900-8909. The Alberta Railway Museum describes how they could also fit collapsible stalls in baggage cars to carry horses if needed. http://www.albertarailwaymuseum.com/cnr-passenger-train.html

(Attachment Link)

Here is a photo of what I suspect to be a horse car in service, in the green, black and gold era, but the car is in solid green. I have a sneaking suspicion that the CNR didn't repaint them.


I'll take a look tonight in some other CNR books at home.

[bbussey]

I'll do it in what ever color they were found in.  Lots of roads had different schemes for head end cars as you know, so if they were only in the green scheme, that's ok too.  I was hoping they had the green black and gold, but if not..

Good.   

[CNR5529]

Of course, you could always paint it like this:   

[central.vermont]

Of course, you could always paint it like this:   

That looks like it could be a Tyco!!!!

[CNR5529]

In the morning sun book on CNR passenger and freight equipment, vol 1, they show two instances of this class of car in solid green dated 1963 and 1969. This was well into the wet noodle/black and grey era. By 1967 only three cars were left, and likely were all scrapped while still painted solid green.

The only other pictures I found of "horse cars" were baggage cars pressed temporarily into horse car service. These were in green, black and gold.

Hope this helps!

[thomasjmdavis]

Aside from the fact that horse cars would probably not be the top priority for the paint shop, logic and some related experience as a set painter where you do a lot of lining and striping, make me think that masking and painting the 1954 scheme on 40 year old wood sides would have been a time consuming challenge.  Frankly, having done a half dozen models, it is hard enough to do on styrene models with flat, smooth sides. Likewise trying to get the wood to a uniform white and big "wet noodle" would have been difficult.  I think most of their wood express reefers also stayed in a solid green scheme, maybe for the same reason.

My having said that should be the cue for someone to produce photos of the car in both schemes.

[central.vermont]

I'm not sure if they were ever seen on the CV but if you paint it in the green scheme I would buy one anyway to run on my layout.
Jon