The most elusive of the Q's 1000+ way cars are the ex-box cars used in WWII and
the CW (Combination Waycars) - converted coaches made into unique way cars with
cupolas. However little has ever been documented on them as a) they tended to
reside on branch lines & b) most were gone before WWII. The Waycar book
amazingly comes up with photos of 20 or so including some unique variations (as
one can expect from home-made conversions of different coaches) Among the
dispositions, about a dozen ended up in MoW service, 2 of these are shown - one
with the more common cupola well 'indented' from the car end, the other with
the less common nearly 'end' cupola. The latter #210956 creates 2 mysteries;
it's the one not documented as to which CW it came from nor is it readily
obvious from its appearance. (from its new window placement it's very hard to
tell its original window #). Even more mystifying, nearly all passenger cars
converted to MoW service, whether wood or steel, were numbered in the 250000+
series whereas ex-freights cars, steam loco tenders, et were numbered from
200000 to 230000. However 210956 is one exception along with one other CW.
My guess is that with any industry, the further a branch office/store is from
the home office, the more deviations from 'standard'. More CW's were on Lines
West than Lines East and MoW equipment was not as closely regulated as revenue
equipment in interchange where numbering must be 100% accurate.
My guess is that the car was going to become 250956 & then someone discovered
that # was taken so they just changed the 5 to a 1 OR it was the next #
available for MoW numbering and the painter was unaware of the usual practice
or ??? (In my personal collection is a slide I took in Galesburg where a MoW
ar had one number obviously repainted. I happened to be with a Car Dept Mgr
and he indicated that after shopping someone realized it was a dup # so had to
be changed - mistakes happen, even on CB&Q!
The final mystery here is that given most CW's were scrapped before WWII, MoW
equipment lasted decades longer (witness truss rod MoW hox cars went that way
into BN!), so why are there not more photos, post-WWII, of ex-CW cars in MoW
service? Again, most were Lines West as MoW equipment & sadly, then & now,
rail fans take pics of locomotives NOT MoW equipment. Perhaps the upcoming
Waycars Drawings book with additional tech data and pics may shed some more
light OR cause a buyer to search his personal archives.
Now back to "Waycars" to find some more 'what in the world?' pics & text.
Gerald
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