I do not see my most recent response/post (possibly lost) so please excuse this repeat.
The 1973 photo of SILVER TREASURE is extremely helpful. Thank you!
I have all the back issues of RMC to 1934, so will have to start looking for the article(s) referred to (not easy).
None of the limited photos of ARGO or OLYMPUS available to me show the external evidence of of boilers that limited photos of SILVER TREASURE have otherwise shown, e.g. long fuel/water tanks hanging below the side skirting, and an exhaust stack.
To make things even more muddy, RPC's CB&Q Passenger Car Diagram book shows, and RPC's Budd Streamliner CARS confirms Vol 2 confirms that neither ARGO nor OLYMPUS were apparently delivered with boilers nor space for
same, the space occupied with a toilet and fish racks. At the same time the diagram for SILVER TREASURE and notation on the same order (Item #2189, Lot 9601-016) shows that this third car had cleared space for the boiler, which by all accounts so far was
apparently installed by the railroad, not Budd.
Perhaps some clarity is offered by Hol Wagner in Bulletin #13 when he states specifically that SILVER TREASURE was ordered specifically to provide steam generation boiler service for the shovel nose EA power assigned for
the SILVER STREAK ZEPHYR 1950-52.
To make things even more interesting, the three baggage cars of current interest, ARGO, OLYMPUS, and SILVER TREASURE were ordered and delivered respectively several months before the larger order of identical baggage cars
was given to Budd for the CZ. So the CZ cars were the add-ons, NOT the other way around.
So, of the total of nine baggage cars (6 CBQ, 2WP, 1 WP):
ONE (SILVER TREASURE ) was delivered specifically for assigned boiler service (SSZ), and photo documentation shows that it actually had such capability.
TWO (ARGO and OLYMPUS) were reputed to have such capability for some period, but were not delivered as such, coupled to scant or even absent photo evidence
ONE (SILVER ANTELOPE-(CZ/DRGW) is almost completely modeled by Shoreham Shops with copious boiler detailing.
ONE (SILVER BEAVER-CZ/WP) is listed as containing boiler at it time of sale to Amtrak in 1971.
Again, I would guess that all respective boiler conversions were done by the railroads, CBQ for sure, and DRGW and WP probably; but only one single car was delivered ex factory ready for such install (In the last days
of the CZ, WP had problems with steam generating capability availability, and they purchased and used at least one former GN steam generator car. That they might have also placed a boiler into a baggage car already would seem a reasonable supposition Ditto
for the DRGW).
Randall was right in his CBQ diagram book (copying original material), seems to right in his compendium of all BUDD production, but seems quite incorrect in his red book on CB&Q Budd cars specifically.
This is certainly not an earth-shaking subject, but....it sure can be interesting!
Denny
Denny S. Anspach MD
Sacramento