"My guess would be a through-sleeper from one of the major NP-served cities to New York."
Maybe... maybe not.
Under Pullman lease the cars, as long as they were road worthy and the interiors maintained, could go anywhere that Pullman operated... like having a New Haven 6-4-6 sleeper showing up on the Georgia RR night train between Augusta and Atlanta. In the case of NP 716, the car Puddy posted a shot of, it was on an "1964 Pennsylvania Railroad Army-Navy Game" Special and likely was brought in to handle the additional traffic from Chicago. Another odd example is would be this one...
http://www.northeast.railfan.net/images/cccstl_ridgewood_country_club0.jpgThis car,
Ridgewood Country Club, painted for the NP was actually owned by NYC's "Big Four" subsidiary (CCC&StL) when the shot was taken, having been painted in NP colors in 1954, which it retained until it was taken out of Pullman lease three years later.
"I now have a reason to run NP HW's on my layout... "
All of the Big railroads still have some example of heavyweight business cars in use, even though they may not look the part. Canadian Pacific has the best "collection" of nearly original cars while the Canadian National has some of the most modified, hiding their origins in a streamlined carbody. Union Pacific has the distinction of having nearly a complete roster of lightweight business cars, save for
UPP 104 North Platte and former Espee car
UPP 140 Stanford[/i] Here are some good examples of the "hidden" cars...
One of my favorites... CSX
Greenbrier, rebuild from an IC Burnside Shops heavyweight rebuild...
http://rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=556689http://rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=3168970CN
Gatineau... (sold, just recently, to... gasp... Canadian Pacific)...
http://cnrphotos.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=22088http://rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1163465http://www.canadianrailwayobservations.com/croarchives/2013/aprcro/aprcn.38.jpgBNSF
Stevens Passhttp://rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=336452http://rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=2219657PRR 120...
http://rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=813062There are still a large number of heavyweights that are owned by corporations and individuals as well that could show up on even the most modern lines, far too many to mention here. While often they are hauled on passenger trains there are occasions where they could show up on freights as well, especially if they are bound for a city that does not have passenger service, or at least a more direct route. Museum movements are another option, even if the museum isn't close to where you model. And there is always "another new addition" for Ed Ellis'
Pullman Rail Journeys or one of his many tourist lines, heading to or from rebuilding (especially so if you are partial to IC chocolate and orange). Puddy's modeling era is even better since there were far more heavyweights in private ownership than these days and the variety is quite wide.
Hey, Puddy... one bummer... CP was not a major user of Pullman cars, preferring to own and staff their own sleepers and parlor cars save for just a hand full of routes. Maybe CN might be more preferable in this regard...
