In October 1947 the Q purchased a substantial number of surplus Pullman tourist sleeping cars for potential use in railroad company service. Most of these cars became company service bunk cars or outfit cars of other types, but in September 1948 six of them -- all 12-section/1-drawing room cars of Pullman plan 2410F -- were converted into drovers cars 5760-5765 in the Aurora shops. Painted mineral red with black roofs, they were intended for use by drovers accompanying livestock shipments and were kept at various locations around the system where stock shipments originated. The cars were stripped of all amenities, as they were only intended to give the drovers a place to ride in some comfort and to sleep overnight.
Then in 1952 someone suggested to the railroad's superintendent of transportation that since these cars sat idle most of the time, they might be suitable for use as rider cars on mail trains -- a place for the rear brakeman to ride on trains that otherwise had no passenger-carrying cars. This led to the following correspondence.
On May 13, 1952, general superintendent of motive power H.H. Urbach (who also had the title mechanical assistant to the vice president-operations) addressed Lines East superintendent of motive power O.E. Ward, with a carbon copy to Lines West SMP C.E. Melker:
"Please be referred to Mr. Simmons' letter of May 7, file K, to Mr. Hinshaw about riders cars 5760-5765 inclusive.
"Assume you will see that these cars are equipped with steel wheels since it is intended that all of them will be used, at times, as rider cars in mail trains between Chicago and Council Bluffs."
Then, on May 28th, Ward wrote to Melker:
"Referring to correspondence ending with Mr. Urbach's letter of May 13th, in regard to use of drover cars 5760-5765 as rider cars on mail trains between Chicago and Council Bluffs.
"As per 'phone conversation with your office May 17, we ow have inquiry from the General Manager's office as to whether or not all of the cars in this sereis are suitable for handling in passenger service in class B trains at a speed not exceeding 79 MPH.
"Four of the cars at present are on Lines West located as follows:
5760 - McCook
5761 - Alliance
5762 - Lincoln
5764 - Alliance
"Will you please have these cars checked and advise if they are fixed up so that they could be used at any time as rider cars?"
Melker had the car foreman at Alliance look at car 5764 there, and his brief note indicated that his inspection showed:
"no diaphragms,
"no buffers,
"steam line no good.
"Drinking water not sufficient.
"No washing facilities.
"Only 1 toilet - Dry Hopper.
"No electric lights.
"Only coal stoves.
"Car dirty."
With this information in hand, Melker wrote Ward on May 29:
"Your letter of May 28, referring to Mr. Urbach's letter of May 13, file 413.018, regarding use of drover cars 5760-5765 as rider cars on mail trains between Chicago and Council Bluffs.
"The four cars on Lines West are mechanically OK to be used as rider cars; however, it should be understood that the cars have no diaphragms, no buffers and inside no electric lights, etc."
We can only assumed that the proposed use of these cars on mail trains was dropped, though the facilities of the drover cars were probably equal to or better than those afforded in the rider compartments of the few baggage cars so equipped.
Hol
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