Union Pacific Wooden Passenger Cars

The Pennsylvania Railroad's commitment to steel cars in 1907 was the beginning of the end of wooden construction. New orders for wooden passenger equipment plummeted. In 1909 just over one-half of new orders were for wooden cars. By the next year, orders were down to 29 percent of the total. In 1912 only 276 all-wooden cars were built, and many of these were for Canadian lines. The following year the last all-wooden passenger cars were produced for domestic service. After this time the only cars with wooden bodies were built for export, and most of them had steel frames.

The abrupt suspension of production did not mean that wooden cars were taken out of service. Steel and steel-frame cars rapidly preempted name-train assignments while wooden cars were downgraded to less prestigious trains, but there was no wholesale scrapping. The conversion was in fact remarkably languid. In 1912 over 90 percent of passenger cars were wooden; three years later the figure was 77 percent, comprising some 40,000 cars that made up the backbone of the fleet. In 1920 60 percent of cars were still wooden. Age took its toll during the next ten years, when more than half of the wooden cars were retired. Cutbacks in service during the early years of the Depression resulted in a dramatic reduction, so that by 1935 less than 6 percent of the fleet was wooden. It should be noted, however, that in the preceding years many wooden cars had been steel-framed, and just over 20 percent of the passenger cars in service in 1935 were of this type.

1910 - 72' 6" Common Standard Observation Smoking (11 Cars)

Beginning with Lot 3734, the Associated Lines adopted Common Standard specification C.S. 219 and these 11 cars were the first observation smoking cars built to the new specification. This new specification had much in common with the previous Pullman design used for cars built to Pullman Plans 2115 and 2115A. Cars built to specification C.S. 219 were designated as Pullman Plan 2115B. Each car was constructed using cantilever trusses having 1-1/4" continuous blocking below the belt rail and 1-1/2" sectional blocking above the belt rail and at each car end. All trusses were made from poplar. Longitudinal sills and plates were spliced 3" yellow pine. The side sills were 6" x 8", intermediate sills were 4" x 6-1/2", the center sill was 5" x 6-1/2", and end sills were 8" x 8" oak. Anti-telescoping devices were provided in accordance with approved railroad drawings. The floor was double 3/4" x 3-1/4" yellow pine with the upper part laid longitudinally, the lower part laid diagonally, and finally covered with Flexolith. These cars were built with four crossties, two of steel and two of 4" x 6" oak. Four truss rods were installed to support the underframe. The roof was built to railway drawings and specifications and had ten 2" x 3/4" ash carlines. The roof was sheathed in tongue and groove yellow pine, 13/16" thick by 2-1/2" wide. The roof was first covered with felt paper and completed with No. 8 canvas. Copper used for all flashing and rain gutters. Water for use in the cars was supplied from overhead galvanized tanks. The vapor heating system was provided by the Chicago Car Heating Company.

The 11 cars delivered in Lot 3734 each seated a total of 34 in the smoking and observation rooms. All cars were delivered with Common Standard (specification C.S. 215, dated June 24, 1907, revised August 23, 1909) steel-frame 6-wheel trucks having a 10'-6" wheelbase, 36-1/2" wheels, and 5" x 9" journals. The 11 cars were all equipped with the Pintsch gas lighting system; the two OR&N cars had four gas tanks and the SP and CP cars had two gas tanks. Each car had electric lights wired to receive power from a dynamo in a baggage car, two battery boxes and batteries, but no truck-mounted generators. Each car was finished as follows: body in C.S. 219 (Dark Olive Green) paint scheme, roof in C.S. 3 black paint, trucks and platforms painted with C.S. 2 Olive enamel, and lettering was Gold Leaf (C.S. 18).

These 11 cars each weighed a total of 129,100 pounds (car body 89,300 pounds and two trucks 39,800 pounds).

The Associated Lines provided many of the specialty items used in the construction of cars ordered from Pullman. As an example, the Pullman specifications for Lot 3734 listed the following items as furnished by SP and UP to Pullman, F.O.B. Pullman Car Works:

• Acme vestibule curtain and roller
• Air-brake and signal equipment including slack adjusters
• Brake shoes
• Candle lamps
• Cast steel bolsters with center bearings
• Chairs
• Charging panel equipment
• Duner [Water] Closet
• Edwards trap door lifting device
• Electric light equipment, lamps and fans
• Globe ventilators
• Hand-brake handles
• Janney couplers
• Journal bearings
• Journal box lids, bolts, and springs
• Refrigerator
• Sessions friction draft gear
• Side bearings
• Springs, truck and draft and drawbar guide
• Standard Coupler Company's type A-3 steel platforms including buffer timber facing
• Steam heat vapor system
• Storage batteries
• Truck frames, bolsters, center bearings, and side bearings
• Vestibule diaphragms and equipment
• Washstand
• Wheels

(Read more about OSL in ORER)

(View scanned images of the pages from ORER for UP and its subsidiaries, OSL, OWRR&N and LA&SL)