WOT 80' Baggage-Horse Car Announced, Fall Delivery

[Nato]

                 Chuck at FRT is shipping my multi scheme cars today and I' am pretty sure he has a lot of them in stock. MB Klein is sure to restock these like they did with the Bachmann smooth side cars which they ran out of and then restocked.                           Nate Goodman (Nato).   

[SP-Wolf]

Received mine this past Tuesday. They are outstanding!!




Thanks,
Wolf

[Cajonpassfan]

Wolf, since you're an espee guy, I'm thinking I have an excuse to own one of these for an occasional use on the UP Pony Express circa 1947-51. Do I go Olive or TTG? When did they first get the TTG scheme? Thanks!
Otto K.

[seusscaboose]

can someone give me an excuse to buy one of these (would it make it to the northeast (Chicago/Cleveland/Buffalo)) via a transfer somewhere/somehow?

[pdx1955]

can someone give me an excuse to buy one of these (would it make it to the northeast (Chicago/Cleveland/Buffalo)) via a transfer somewhere/somehow?

Movement of high-value racing horses going to/from the eastern show circuit? It wasn't uncommon to find head-end cars from different railroads (especially anything REA-labeled) on the opposite sides of the country.

[seusscaboose]

good enough for me

thanks!

[Cajonpassfan]

Movement of high-value racing horses going to/from the eastern show circuit? It wasn't uncommon to find head-end cars from different railroads (especially anything REA-labeled) on the opposite sides of the country.

True that. But most of the time, they weren't transporting fancy racehorses. Rather, they were put in everyday baggage/storage mail service; you can think of them as just another head end baggage car with three sets of doors.
Otto K.

[Lemosteam]

True that. But most of the time, they weren't transporting fancy racehorses. Rather, they were put in everyday baggage/storage mail service; you can think of them as just another head end baggage car with three sets of doors.
Otto K.

Remember, the automotive industry is still in its infancy and folks had to take their horses with them for transportation where they are headed, no?

[Cajonpassfan]

These cars were introduced in 1937, and used into the sixties, so I'm not sure I agree with the "automobile industry in its infancy" statement. Certainly the cost of transporting limited number of horses with caretakers in specialized cars on passenger trains had to be very substantial and beyond the means of most folks who needed horses for mere transportation. Or was that in jest? I don't want to beat a dead horse
Otto K.

[thomasjmdavis]

the automotive industry is still in its infancy and folks had to take their horses with them for transportation where they are headed, no?

More the other way around.  The horse owners needed to take their cars for transportation once they got to the racetrack.

At least on the ATSF,  horse cars were often used to carry automobiles- especially those of the owners of the race horses.  And it would seem logical that they might also carry valuable breeding stock, show horses and any other particularly valuable livestock. And horse cars with end doors might be used to carry anything long enough to be difficult to load through side doors (theatrical scenery being a prime example).  I don't know particulars on SP cars, but ATSF, and I think also L&N, had removeable (early) or folding (later) horse stalls to facilitate using the cars for regular express business. 

Even if we go back to the very early days of autos (horse cars do go back to the 1800s, even if this particular prototype was built in 1937), my guess is that the average Joe going from New York to California sold his horse in NY, and bought a new one when he got where he was going.  Would not surprise me at all if transporting a horse via a horse car was more expensive than a coach ticket, maybe even than a Pullman berth.  Plus, these were clearly special cars, I've never seen a consist where a horsecar was a regular item- so you would need to take enough horses with you to make it worthwhile to lease the car, with hands, feed, bedding, etc.  The Astors might take their favorite riding horses with them on vacation in one of these, but I doubt they carried any prospector's mule.

[pdx1955]

At least on the ATSF,  horse cars were often used to carry automobiles- especially those of the owners of the race horses.  And it would seem logical that they might also carry valuable breeding stock, show horses and any other particularly valuable livestock. And horse cars with end doors might be used to carry anything long enough to be difficult to load through side doors (theatrical scenery being a prime example).  I don't know particulars on SP cars, but ATSF, and I think also L&N, had removeable (early) or folding (later) horse stalls to facilitate using the cars for regular express business. 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

SP was the same - the stalls all easily folded up so automobiles could be carried or even both at the same time if necessary. My SP books even mention that these were used for large animals as well including elephants. Beginning in 1950 these cars were slowly converted into postal-storage cars so these would be common on most mail-heavy routes.             

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

[Lemosteam]

These cars were introduced in 1937, and used into the sixties, so I'm not sure I agree with the "automobile industry in its infancy" statement. Certainly the cost of transporting limited number of horses with caretakers in specialized cars on passenger trains had to be very substantial and beyond the means of most folks who needed horses for mere transportation. Or was that in jest? I don't want to beat a dead horse
Otto K.

I stand corrected.  I tend to think of heavyweight cars as early stuff, but I realize they lasted much longer than that now.

[Cajonpassfan]

More the other way around.  The horse owners needed to take their cars for transportation once they got to the racetrack.

.....Plus, these were clearly special cars, I've never seen a consist where a horsecar was a regular item- so you would need to take enough horses with you to make it worthwhile to lease the car, with hands, feed, bedding, etc.  The Astors might take their favorite riding horses with them on vacation in one of these, but I doubt they carried any prospector's mule.

Agreed. But the cars could be a regular item in baggage/storage mail service. At least on the UP Utahn, and later the City of Saint Louis,  UP horse cars were an everyday occurrence, just not in horse service.
Otto K.

[thomasjmdavis]

Otto,

You are, of course, correct- the horse cars often subbed as express/baggage/mail storage cars when not needed for horse shipments. I did not mean the car itself might not appear in a given train consist (I used that photo in the Ellington Baggage Car book, of a Grand Canyon with 3 of them, as an excuse to have one), but I was just trying to make the point that trains did not carry a horse car as a regular accommodation for the convenience of passengers who might want to "check" their horse along with their other baggage, at least no consist I have seen shows such.  But I will readily admit that most of my study of consists has been post WWII, so I would not be shocked if such service was offered, especially on short haul locals, in the late 19th or early 20th century. although I would expect that the horse's accommodations were probably somewhat less glamorous than the SP car modeled here.

Tom D

[thomasjmdavis]

As an aside, thanks to WoT for making the door sets and roofs available- great kitbashing and scratchbuilding material.