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HoosierStater

Service Attendant
Joined
Dec 12, 2010
Messages
119
While standing on a Washington Metro platform, I saw a strange consist along the CSX tracks (used by the Cap Limited). Two CSX freight engines were pulling a "private" varnish car in brown with gold letters, identified as belonging to the Federal Railroad Administration Office of Safety. (Perhaps it was a little overpowered.) Has anyone seen this car, or know anything about it?
 
Whatever it is used for now, it looks like it was originally a tuscan red Pennsylvnia RR streamlined sleeping car. A similar shade of red was used by the Norfolk and Western.

I tried to track the car down further--as being sold to the DOT in later years-- but did not have any luck. If anybody can read the writing in the middle of the car, possibly I can track it down.

The window pattern makes it look like it was originally built as a sleeper, i.e a coach would have a long row of identical windows.

Assuming it was bought in the massive 1950 Pennsylvania orders, tracing it to a specific train would be almost impossible for me as the Pennsy was a huge railroad, really huge. The records I have do not do a consistent job of showing which cars were built for which train, at least in a huge order placed by PRR.

But I would still like to see an written proof that such a car was bought by PRR or N&W and actually sold to DOT.
 
Whatever it is used for now, it looks like it was originally a tuscan red Pennsylvnia RR streamlined sleeping car. A similar shade of red was used by the Norfolk and Western.

I tried to track the car down further--as being sold to the DOT in later years-- but did not have any luck. If anybody can read the writing in the middle of the car, possibly I can track it down.

The window pattern makes it look like it was originally built as a sleeper, i.e a coach would have a long row of identical windows.

Assuming it was bought in the massive 1950 Pennsylvania orders, tracing it to a specific train would be almost impossible for me as the Pennsy was a huge railroad, really huge. The records I have do not do a consistent job of showing which cars were built for which train, at least in a huge order placed by PRR.

But I would still like to see an written proof that such a car was bought by PRR or N&W and actually sold to DOT.


Bill - if you open that Flickr link and then right click on the photo there is an option to view the original size. It is then big enough to read everything on the side of the car.

Tom
 
Was this the car you saw?

http://www.flickr.co...sil/5503628252/

It appears to be a business car if it is. They do have track geometry cars but they are radically different looking and I believe self propelled.

Still would be nice to have been a passenger in it.
That looks like it, yeah. I didn't think it was itself a work car of any sort-- it was too much like a conventional passenger car from the outside.
 
A quick google for DOTX 221 turned up the following thread at TrainOrders that has some history:

http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?4,1507898

That car and another DOT car in a red white and blue livery can be seen hanging around WAS from time to time - usually either in the storage tracks just North of the station (that used to lead to the now missing tracks 1-6) or the SE corner of the Ivy City yard (where there's usually a single Superliner car sitting and the Acela track geometry car lives).
 
Thanks a bunch. Now I'm wondering what they look like on the inside...and yes, I've seen photos of a track geometry car's inside before from that Santa Fe project.
 
Thanks a bunch. Now I'm wondering what they look like on the inside...and yes, I've seen photos of a track geometry car's inside before from that Santa Fe project.
A very partial view of the inside of DOTX 221, showing its ceiling, and called a 'recent' photo in 2007, can be found by following Ryan's link to TO. Here is a shortcut to the photo I just mentioned: http://www.dominionrailvoyages.com/jhd/100_0137.jpg
 
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