Pullman car owned by ACL or SAL?

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We have an ex-Pullman car at Rocky Mountain Rail Society that was apparently built in 1925 as the "Eagle Spring". I think it may have started out as a combine baggage-library car similar to the "Dover Harbor" / "Mape Shade" owned by DCNRHS. We think our car had a barber shop in it as well.

The car was apparently leased to various roads in the eastern USA prior to WWII and we were wondering if it was ever on the roster of either ACL or SCL. Could anyone help us with that?

During the war, the car came up to Canada to NAR (Norther Alberta Railways) and apparently was used including shipping troops to the end of steel at Dawson Creek to construct the Alaska Highway.

We are looking for any and all information on the car's early days including any photos. NAR greatly modified the car over the years so we don't really have any good information on it.

Thank you.

John Pinter
Rocky Mountain Rail Society
Calgary AB
email 2pinter1@telus.net
fax 403-271-2169
phone 403-278-1332

-- John Pinter (2pinter1@TELUS.net), November 18, 2004

Answers

John,

If you have a chance to look at Dubin's book SOME CLASSIC TRAINS, toward the rear of the book he provides photographs,floor plans and descriptions of a selected sampling of heavyweight and lightweight passenger cars. Included in that section is a floor plan for Plan 3951 baggage-club cars like the Eagle Spring. Per Durbin, cars in the Eagle Series cars were initially assigned to the Florida Special.

If you wish to dig deeper, then you should visit Tom Madden's excellent site on Pullman Heavyweight Cars: www.pullmanproject.com/ Once inside, go to the car construction database, then to the main database. Once downloaded (it will take a while), click on the file CCR5 (Excel file). All you have to do now is click on edit, then find, and type in the name of the car. Once your car of interest is located you will be provided with lot and plan numbers, dates for floor plan modifications and equipment upgrades (trucks, AC, steps, etc.).

As far as obtaining photographs and drawings:

Pullman Negative Collection. Approx. 13,000 negatives of passenger and freight cars, from which prints may be ordered. A video disc is also available, as is a negative catalogue. Source: Smithsonian Institution, Division of the History of Technology, Transportation Collections, NMAH Room 5010, Washington, DC 20560

Mechanical drawings for Pullman cars (deposit from Bombardier?) Contact: Illinois Railway Museum, P.O. Box 431, Union, IL 60180

The Newberry Library in Chicago has a large collection of Pullman archival materials including records, photos, specifications of individual cars.

Some drawings and post-1932 Pullman photos. Pullman Technology, 16412 Lathrop Avenue, Harvey, IL 60426.

Hope this helps.

-- Buddy Hill (palmettoLTD@hotmail.com), November 18, 2004.


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