Need Some SPF Help

[southernman]

I'm trying to fill out my consist for a 1970ish SRR Birmingham Special and I need a couple of PRR/ PC baggage cars. I'm wondering if either of the cars in the following links would be appropriate for interchange in that era. Thanks in advance.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/N-Smooth-Side-Full-Baggage-Pennsylvania-Senator-Silver-w-Maroon-1-40339/254240206913?hash=item3b31e5b041:g:JMAAAOSw-ldZZRG5

https://www.ebay.com/itm/N-Smooth-Side-Full-Baggage-Car-Pennsylvania-Tucson-Red-1-40321/264333190730?hash=item3d8b7c664a:g:rj4AAOSwlY1ZFfkZ

[Point353]

I'm trying to fill out my consist for a 1970ish SRR Birmingham Special and I need a couple of PRR/ PC baggage cars. I'm wondering if either of the cars in the following links would be appropriate for interchange in that era.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/N-Smooth-Side-Full-Baggage-Pennsylvania-Senator-Silver-w-Maroon-1-40339/254240206913?hash=item3b31e5b041:g:JMAAAOSw-ldZZRG5
https://www.ebay.com/itm/N-Smooth-Side-Full-Baggage-Car-Pennsylvania-Tucson-Red-1-40321/264333190730?hash=item3d8b7c664a:g:rj4AAOSwlY1ZFfkZ

Probably neither. IIRC, the PRR didn't have any LW full baggage cars.
PC had some ex-NYC LW full baggage cars.
PRR express boxcars would be another option, based on this photo from 1968: https://www.railpictures.net/showphotos.php?road_number=2905
Are you looking for only ready-to-run cars or are you willing to build them?

[southernman]

Thanks for the info. I would prefer a kit or rtr, not ready to get into a major project at this time. I have given thought to the PRR boxcar but I have no idea which type or class would be correct. This is something totally new to me as I have only recently decided to do passenger operations so I’m at the bottom of the learning curve.

[Point353]

The PRR boxcar would be this one: https://www.theshortline.com/product/pennsylvania-x-29-boxcar-n-scale-RN17024N.html

An ex-PRR baggage car in PC paint would look like this: http://www.godfatherrails.com/photos/pv.asp?pid=1537
Hell Gate Models made a kit for it: http://hgmtest.weebly.com/products.html

Micro-Trains made this HW PRR baggage car: https://www.micro-trains.com/index.php?_route_=pennsylvania-rr-rd-1951-rel-04-15-14700050
Supposedly it's a model of this car: https://digital.hagley.org/PRR_13839
It may not still have been in service during the time period you've chosen.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

If you want the PC baggage car from their recent PC set I'd be happy to trade it to you for a PRR coach.

[Point353]

For a ready-to-run PC LW baggage car, there's this (not quite prototypical) one from Rapido:
https://www.hobbylinc.com/rapido-73-bagg-exp-penn-central-9150-n-scale-model-train-passenger-car-506054

[Mark5]

This was a joint Southern/N&W train. I have a book on N&W passenger service - I'll take a look tomorrow and see if there are any relevant photos.

Mark

[thomasjmdavis]

Keystone details makes replacement doors to make the MT baggage a closer approximation of the PRR B70 prototype.  You might also look at the 60' shell from Skytop Models, which is a "pretty close" model of a NYC 60' car.  By that period of time, Wabash had been absorbed by Norfolk and Western, and so you might also want to consider Wheels of Time N&W cars (the WoT baggage is a very close if not exact version of the Wabash cars, not sure if N&W had similar cars prior to the Wabash merger).

Also found this- there is a bit of info on late year consists at the end of the article- sounds like you have the gist of it- baggage cars play a major role.
https://www.american-rails.com/birmingham-special.html

Tom D

[Mark5]

For some reason I am still awake 

As mentioned, most photos in the late 60s show plenty of baggage cars (N&W or SOUTHERN mostly).

SOUTHERN dropped the "Birmingham Special" train name on February 1, 1970 - after that it was simply train number 17.

A shot from March 1969 shows tons of baggage cars! (maybe some express box cars way back there):

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birmingham_Special#/media/File:Birmingham_Special_at_Somerset,_Virginia,_March_1969.jpg

But by September 1969 the train was shrinking (apparently).

There is couple of September 1969 photos (2 different dates) which show two baggage cars and what appears to be a RPO (no "box" cars).

There is a another photo from 1969 (month unknown) which has a similar scenario.

This train must have been in steady decline - a photo from March 1971 shows SOU loco 4133, 1 SOUTHERN baggage ("round roof"), one N&W smooth side coach, and what appear to be a SOUTHERN HW diner and a SOUTHERN modernized HW coach.

Mark

[Mark5]

That 1969 photo from the wiki has been bothering me. I'm thinking that it isn't really 1969 -here's why: the railroads lost the USPS mail contract in 1967 which was usually the reason for all the head end equipment.

[wcfn100]

That 1969 photo from the wiki has been bothering me. I'm thinking that it isn't really 1969 -here's why: the railroads lost the USPS mail contract in 1967 which was usually the reason for all the head end equipment.

There're a couple other shots listed the same year.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Birmingham_Special_at_Alexandria_Union_Station,_April_1969.jpg

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SOU_2928_with_Train_17,_The_Birmingham_Special_arriving_at_Alexandria_VA_Union_Station_on_April_12,_1969_(25030973094).jpg

Jason

[Mark5]

Interesting ... I wonder what the reason for all the head end equipment was if those are really March 1969. The pics I have from September of the same year don't have that much head end equip.

[southernman]

I have some more detailed info on this that I’ll share when I get home tonight

[Mark5]

@southernman - cool.

It could be that although announced in 1967, the cancellation of the mail contracts was phased in (or something like that).

I'll confess to being ignorant here.

Mark

[southernman]

@southernman - cool.

It could be that although announced in 1967, the cancellation of the mail contracts was phased in (or something like that).

I'll confess to being ignorant here.

Mark


I have no idea what was going on here either. You confess ignorance yet you know a great deal more about than me lol