Harriman Passenger Cars

[jimmo]

Anyone here know where I can find drawings and information for Harriman cars?

[Catt]

I just spent 20 frustrating minutes on Google searching for Harriman passenger car plans. I find it rather varieties interesting that Google considers the 2015 Chrysler 200 a railroad passenger car.Not to mention several  varieties of GM and various Japanese cars.

I gave up.

[thomasjmdavis]

It might be worthwhile to try the local library or college, and ask if they have a library or academic search engine available for public use.  These will usually give more precise results, because they are tailored to academic research, and not funded by selling the first page of "hits" to major automotive companies, restaurants, and all of those online companies that will find stuff for you on auction sites that you can find faster by just going to the auction site.

Biggest problem I have online with prototype research is that I have bought too much N scale stuff online.  So, if using google, yahoo or others for anything for that is train related, brings up pages of hits on anything in N scale that is for sale, and has the word "car" or "locomotive" in the ad.

[C855B]

You have to bear in mind that the RRs did not call them "Harriman cars", they were simply known as "arch roof" cars. The "Harriman" moniker came from the railfan community. They were simply early standardized designs deployed by SP & UP. For grins, I perused the back issue index for the UPHS Streamliner magazine, and there were at least couple of hundred entries for UP passenger cars. About a quarter were obviously from the modern fleet, but, still, looking through the rest of them issue by issue for plans was more than I wanted to take on this afternoon.

Also, I suspect this information has been compiled by somebody and published in a book, maybe affiliated with SP or UP historical societies, but maybe not seeing they're popular railroads. My observation is that RR technical minutia like this rarely makes it online because the value of the book is in the information, and I know firsthand (several times over!) that book authors tend to get lawyerly if their book images are "out there" and they weren't the ones posting it, and, going full circle, they're not about to put it online because it means fewer books are sold.

FWIW, here's a long book list compiled by the SPH&TS. Peruse it and maybe you'll hit on something useful... with the usual YMMV caveat about price and availability.

[jimmo]

You have to bear in mind that the RRs did not call them "Harriman cars", they were simply known as "arch roof" cars. The "Harriman" moniker came from the railfan community.

Most of the image titles seem to be referring to them as "Harriman-style" roofs. I always thought that Harriman was a designer.

Thanks for all the input so far--looks like I'm going to be digging for a while.

[Puddington]

Edward Henry "Ned" Harriman was the Chairman of the Union Pacific RR, President of the Southern Pacific and one of the greatest builders in US railroad history..... Remember in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance kid when they rob the train and the express conductor "Woodcock" won't let them in, he says "I work for Mr. E.H. Harriman of the Union Pacific Railway" just before getting blown up.....

[Spades]

Most of the image titles seem to be referring to them as "Harriman-style" roofs. I always thought that Harriman was a designer.

Thanks for all the input so far--looks like I'm going to be digging for a while.

E.H. Harriman https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E._H._Harriman Tried to merge the UP/SP 87 years too early.  His railroads produced designs that were very similar and roughly at the time of his watch. I guess that is why railfans use the term Harriman.  Wheels of Time produced a Harriman coach http://www.wheelsotime.com/60-ft-harriman-coach/ and other harriman stuff

[jimmo]

Thanks of the history. Now that you mention E.H. Harriman, I do recall the person.

I'm aware of Wheels of Time Harriman products but I was exploring the possibility of making a model of one of the 40 foot cars (for starters). I'm not about to buy one of WoT's fine products to cut up but what I want to do is build my own in CAD and add it to my Shapeways shop.

[nkalanaga]

"Passenger car" is the common term for autos designed primarily for carrying humans, as opposed to "light trucks" and "commercial vehicles", so it isn't surprising that a Google search on "passenger car" would find highway vehicles.

[peteski]

"Passenger car" is the common term for autos designed primarily for carrying humans, as opposed to "light trucks" and "commercial vehicles", so it isn't surprising that a Google search on "passenger car" would find highway vehicles.

Yeah, what he said. 

[sirenwerks]

...I was exploring the possibility of making a model of one of the 40 foot cars (for starters)...

Like these https://www.shapeways.com/product/J9E9KGMXN/sp-suburban-coach-shortened-1-160?li=shop-results&optionId=43750974?

[jimmo]

Like these https://www.shapeways.com/product/J9E9KGMXN/sp-suburban-coach-shortened-1-160?li=shop-results&optionId=43750974?

Close to it. The 40 foot car I was looking at is actually an express car.

[sirenwerks]

I figured, since that car is actually a foobie for short radius layout owners.  Still, that guy has some nice stuff.  And I'm sure yours will be too.

OOC, are we ever going to see a hollow-body version of the 60s delivery truck and when are you going to release all the new goodies on your Shapeways page?

[jimmo]

I figured, since that car is actually a foobie for short radius layout owners.  Still, that guy has some nice stuff.  And I'm sure yours will be too.

He does have some nice stuff. I don't need shortened foobies, my layout has 22" minimum radius curves.

OOC, are we ever going to see a hollow-body version of the 60s delivery truck and when are you going to release all the new goodies on your Shapeways page?

The '60s Chevy step van IS a hollow body, it just doesn't have the windows open. But, if you really want some with open windows I will make it so.

[sirenwerks]

Do you have a quick pic of how hollow the body is?  I have no aversion to cutting the windows out myself provided it's hollow enough to look good once done.