ACF Hospital Car Info

[JoeD]

Howdy.

Looking at 2014 projects and after the diner and baggage car I was thinking about doing this car:    Anyone have any idea of how many units were produced and what railroads they were sold to.  I have info on Monon and Alaska...Amtrak and Ringling...still in the proposal state so don't get all worked up. 

Thanks in advance.

Joe

[Philip H]

Joe,
FWIW I'd buy one just like that.

[Chris333]

I'd buy one made from a single window coach 

[bbussey]

I have the hospital car stats and how many went to RBB&B and when, as well as the various RBB&B schemes.  I'll email that info to you tomorrow.

[Norway2112]

There were two nearly identical batches produced by ACF, 100 cars in each batch.  First was the 89300-89399.  These cars were largely sold off to Ringling Bros, Alaska RR and Monon plus a few others in smaller numbers.

The second batch, which is the ones Overland modeled in HO was 89400-499.  After the war these cars were kept stored serviceable.  Some were sent to Korea in the 50's in support of the Korean War.  After the war, the cars were considered surplus and ended up being scattered all over the US at various military installations being converted to various uses for the USAF, US Army and US Navy.  Most if them were heavily modified for their new use.  Once they were no longer needed for their "second life," many found their way into museums for shorelines for excursion service as dining cars, table cars, open air coaches etc etc.  They have seen many reincarnations.

One of them was converted into the "Albert J Myer" for use with the President's armored Pullman "Ferdinand Magellan."   The Myer was the communications car to keep the POTUS in constant contact as he traveled.  It carries the distinction of sending the first ever fax.  I addition to the Myer, another 400 series Hospital Car was converted for use as the crew dormitory car for the Army Signal Corps who operated the communications equipment in the Myer.

A few still exist in their original configuration, 89436 (Miami, FL), 89456 (Bowling Green, KY), 89480 (Spencer, NC) and 894?? (Ogden, UT). 

I used to have possession of the 89456 before donating it to the museum in Bowling Green, KY.  I'm still involved in the restoration of the car now.  I made drawings of the car based on measurements I took from the prototype.  I would be happy to provide them to you if it helped make producing this car a reality.  I would be happy to assist in the project in any way.  I have a lot of material on these cars, including drawings, US Army Tech Manuals and Paint, Lettering and decal specifications.  Anything I can do to help make this a reality let me know.  Send me a PM to exchange email.

Phillip

[MRLX1020]

These ACF hospital cars would be really neat in N scale.

I also think that the streamlined kitchen cars would be nice to go along with these as well.

Some variations and incarnations:
http://rr-fallenflags.org/steamtown/fwhs701gga.jpg

http://rrpicturearchives.net/rspicture.aspx?id=5853

Amtrak ended up with the bulk of these, and the trucks are fundamentally similar to the 50' REA trucks already produced.  The tread brake cylinder and extra brake beams could be added.
Amtrak had them in Ph I-III, and also used them as power cars for Amfleet ops on the NEC.

[Norway2112]

The kitchen cars are if a slightly later vintage.  Built by St. Louis Car shops in the 50's around the same time a new set of hospital cars were built.  In 1953 The Army ordered another batch of lightweight hospital cars riding on two axle roller bearing trucks.  When they arrived on the scene is when the ACF heavyweights were dispatched from their stored serviceable status to be scattered to other DoD organizations as I mentioned in the previous post.

These new cars never were called to duty for their intended use and most went on to live useful lives as Amtrak conversions and many can still be seen in use today in private car service or excursion service.  The MILW 261 has a couple in her train set.

[Nato]

             Joe. The Southern Pacific, one of your favorite railroads, purchased five of these cars from Purdy Metals Company and converted them into baggage dorm cars 3501-3505. They were used on the "Overland" first painted two tone gray then in UP streamliner colors.                           Nate Goodman (Nato). Salt Lake, Utah

[sirenwerks]

If I remember correctly, P-S and St. Louis Car also made hospital cars, and they may have been of different designs - I think the St. Louis Car version ran on 4 wheel trucks.  Also from memory, Conrail had a dynamometer or track geometry car made from a former hospital car (unsure of which vintage) and it made it into NS maroon and gold paint.

[Bob Bufkin]

I would also get one in its original form. Nice choice.  A suggestion for something way further down the line would be a solarium car.  You build um and wel'll buy em.

[gelboy45]

If it was painted TTG I'd buy one!! ;O))

Monon would be great too, in red/gray and black/gold.....

Gerry

[tuxachanie]

Nice car, but I wouldn't have much need for one. Heavyweight 10 section-lounge, 8-1-2 sleeper, single-window coaches, arch-roof heavyweights, REA rebuilt troop sleepers, RPO and baggage car variations would be quite useful. I'd even take a blank baggage car side where we could cut our own doors out to match prototype spacing, but I doubt many would want to go that far. A six-door horse car like L&N, Southern, SAL, and others had would be neat, as would a Bethlehem Shipbuilding baggage car. Even older wood baggage cars would be useful.

[superturbine]

What the heck, I'd buy 2, it would make  Norway2112 (Phillip's) day!

[u18b]

There were quite a number of hospital car variations (and builders I guess).

CSX inherited 3 by way of Chessie--- but they have smaller windows than these cars.
The Indianna
West Va
and the Illinois

[jmlaboda - RIP]

"CSX inherited 3 by way of Chessie--- but they have smaller windows than these cars."

CSX had more than just three... two of the former ACL business cars were rebuilt from the ACF type cars.  Additional ACL cars were rebuilt by ACF to baggage - dorm and one was rebuilt to a baggage - express.

For what its worth... you would sell far more single windowed coaches than you could ever sell of any version of the hospital cars... and that is just fact!