Camp train heaveyweight car

[steveiez]

Saw a nice looking six axle passenger car on the N-S Camp train yesterday. I assume it is a dining-kitchen car.
Anyone know the history of it?

[blacksheep]

i tried to find some info on it a few years ago. best i remember N&W got it when they took over another railroad about 1967. i found some pictures on the internet but not many facts.

[Ponce de Leon]

Found this detailed info from the N&WHS site (pasted below). I'll add a few of my own thoughts:

The N&W acquired this Pullman heavyweight sleeper in 1948 as a result of anti-trust action against the Pullman Company. It was one of six 12-1 cars (12 sections, 1 drawing room). A number of roads acquired sleepers from Pullman, which was forced to divest itself of actual ownership of the cars (the company continued to operate the nation's sleeping car fleet, although some roads--notably New York Central--took over their own cars later on). The car probably continued in service until the last 12-1 line (Bristol-Petersburg) was replaced by a 10-2-1 sleeper, when it was then stored for overflow service. It later began a long, long career in alternative service, as shown. It appears it was converted to a "diner" at Princeton Shops in 1967. The window pattern, however, clearly marks it as a former section sleeper.

It would be nice to see this car restored to its N&W days, in Tuscan Red. However, the original interior was trashed long ago. It's amazing to see this thing still in some type of service, 56 years after it served its last sleeping car patron. In comparison, it only served as a sleeping car for 34 years.

Road Number: NW 521414 Class: Pn Type: COACH, BUNK-COOK-DINER
Builder: PULLMAN CAR CO. Off Roster: NO Specifications: AAR TYPE M483
Build Date: 10-1923 Conversion Date: 04-1967 Former R/R & R/N: N&W SLEEPER
CAR, NAMED 'CUTTYHUNK' Remarks: NONE 12-48 PURCHASED BY N&W. 2-59 LEASED
TO USA LETTER KENNY ORDANCE DEPOT, PA. ?-61 IN GOVERMENT STORAGE. 8-62
RETURNED FROM LEASE. 4-7-67 CONVERTED AT PRINCETON, WV. SHOPS. 1-77
ASSIGNED TO WRECK TRAIN BREWSTER, OH. 1-79 ASSIGNED TO WRECK TRAIN
BREWSTER, OH. 4-16-81 ASSIGNED TO WRECK TRAIN BREWSTER, OH. NEW PAINT. 3-14-82
ASSIGNED TO WRECK TRAIN BREWSTER, OH. 6-12-83 ASSIGNED TO WRECK TRAIN
BREWSTER, OH. 4-29-84 ASSIGNED TO WRECK TRAIN BREWSTER, OH. 5-3-86
ASSIGNED TO WRECK TRAIN BREWSTER, OH. 6-88 NEW BLACK PAINT WITH WHITE
LETTERING. 6-18-88 ASSIGNED TO WRECK TRAIN PORTSMOUTH, OH. 9-29-88 ASSIGNED
TO WRECK TRAIN PORTSMOUTH, OH. 10-10-90 ASSIGNED TO WRECK TRAIN DECATUR,
IL. 4-9-91 ASSIGNED TO WRECK TRAIN DECATUR, IL. 2-23-92 IN SERVICE
MOBERLY, MO. 4-13-92 IN SERVICE DECATUR, IL. 6-15-94 RE# TO NS # 521414 AT
DECATUR, IL. 9-30-94 ASSIGNED TO WRECK TRAIN DECATUR, IL. LETTERED NS
WITH OLD N&W ROAD NUMBER. 11-14-96 ASSIGNED TO WRECK TRAIN WILLIAMSON, WV.
11-12-98 ASSIGNED TO WRECK TRAIN AT WILLIAMSON, WV. 3-31-01 IN
SERVICE BLUEFIELD, WV. 4-17-02 IN SERVICE BLUEFIELD, WV. 3-18-03 IN SERVICE
BLUEFIELD, WV. 10-22-03 IN SERVICE ROANOKE, VA. 6-11-04 IN SERVICE
BLUEFIELD, WV. 3-23-05 IN SERVICE BLUEFIELD, WV. 5-5-06 IN SERVICE
BLUEFIELD, WV. 6-16-07 IN SERVICE BLUEFIELD, WV. 5-20-08 IN SERVICE
BLUEFIELD, WV. 10-9-08 IN SERVICE CONWAY, PA. 9-13-09 IN SERVICE ALTOONA, PA.
9-18-09 IN SERVICE ALTOONA, PA. 9-21-09 IN SERVICE CONWAY, PA.
ASSIGNED TO OFFICE EQUIPMENT. ?-10 OVERHAULED. 10-15-10 IN SERVICE FRONT
ROYAL, VA. PAINTED NS GRAY. NAMED 'SPIRIT OF TIM DRAKE' 2-2-11 IN SERVICE
BIRMINGHAM, AL. 7-11 IN SERVICE BUFFALO, NY. 2-11 SHOWN IN 2-2011
EQUIPMENT GUIDE. 10-20-11 IN SERVICE OAKDALE, TN. 2-12-12 OVERHAULED AND
STORED AT ALTOONA, PA. 12-22-12 STORED AT ALTOONA, PA. 3-5-13 IN
SERVICE WITH WORK TRAIN AT BRISTOL, TN.

[steveiez]

Thanks, you are right, nothing much about it on the net at all. I only got a quick look at it. It was green with fancy lettering, and looked too be a diner for the camp-train.

[blacksheep]

that's good info on the 521414. i know that's the one i was lookin up in 2011. your facts even told me the date it was down here. it's tuff gettin old. in my mind i had found that the N&W got it when they took over the wabash or rock island, didn't remember which. need to find where i got that info and set those folks straight. steveiez says he saw a green one, wonder if they painted it green when overhauled in 2012?

[nsrlink]

Disclaimer: I found these pictures & text on David B. Davies personal site & I'm posting the info & pics here, as he usually changes the page & pictures every few days. Pics & text copyright Mr. Davies.


(Picture 1) The two cars appear to be fresh from the shops. The build date on the diner is 2/22, car NW 521414. The kitchen is CR 62829.

(Picture 2) Diner "Spirit of Tim Drake" (VP of engineering for NS).

(Picture 3) Kitchen Car CR 62829

(Picture 4) 93V backs through the west leg of the wye at Riverton Jct and up the hill to Front Royal Jct on the Southern. The guys are getting ready to cover up the Spirit name with brown paper (see next photo).

(Picture 5) NS 9370 spots the set on the west leg of the Front Royal wye. No clue who is going to use the diner and when. Note that the wye area has been cleaned up and crushed stone put next to the west leg.

[steveiez]

This is the way I saw it a few weeks ago. A quick glimpse and the sun made it look green, but this is the car.

[T. Mahan]

FWIW, saw posted on a Facebook page, the two NS MofW (exSOU) cars in Altoona are headed for donation at TVRM!  One was rumored to be an ADA car for the steam program, guess not so now unless NS is paying TVRM to do the work?

[steveiez]

Today I was speaking to a MOW welder. He said that dining car is used on a camp train that does special MOW work, usually in WV and Southern Pa.