Bob, I have no clue what the NYC called a Dope Wagon. But apparently Dope was a
term used for soft drinks or carbonated beverages,
down south. A Dope Wagon contained soft drinks, ice, sandwiches, etc. and
roamed the mills or mill yards, very similar to a lunch
wagon or lunch cart.
Here is one description: "I do remember seeing the dope wagon being pushed
across "the square" and downhill to the mill. Did you
ever see the fire hose carts pulled behind a pickup truck? The dope wagon was
very similar; had two automobile wheels, a bed maybe
4 feet wide and 5 or 6 feet long, with side boards maybe 6 or 8 inches high.
Part of it was lined with tin filled with soft drinks
and ice. The wagon had two boards extending out one end much like the old
fashioned mule wagons, with a round cross bar for a
handle to push and guide it. It was pretty well balanced on the two wheels and
axle so one man could handle it."
There was even a National Dope Company in Birmingham, Ala. 1909-1911. I saw one
suggestion the term might be a dig at Coke.
Now of course the NYC may have used it to move hot tar or some other form of
sealant around the coach yard to seal roofs, etc.
Doug Harding
www.iowacentralrr.org
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