I’m trying to find out the origin and fate of the two
waycars – A51 and A53 - owned by the Chicago, Fort Madison & Des
Moines. I think that they were built in 1892-3, possibly by Mt Vernon Car
Manufacturing who built all the other freight cars acquired when the road was
changed from NG to standard gauge in September 1891.
In 1900, the CB&Q took over the company and the two waycars were
assimilated into the CB&Q numbering system during 1901. The ORER’s
show that the total number of waycars increased at the same time that these cars
ceased to be listed, but the range of numbers shown - 1-288 and 300-304 –
did not change. Were they allocated numbers of cars that had been destroyed or
did they become 289 and 290 but with no record?
I’ve checked the Waycars books as well as the Iowa Peavine book without
success.
On the same subject, has anyone an 1892 or early 1893 ORER (pre-August 1893) who
could check when these cars were first listed?
Thanks
Rupert Gamlen
Auckland NZ