Ken
If I may add to Charlie’s comments, a Monmouth Gazette newspaper report from April 1887 stated -
“In front of the fast mail coaches on No. 5 last evening the CB&Q railroad car Z dynamometer passed west. It gives the exact power used between each station to propel the train.”
so we know that
that the dynamometer was numbered “Z” very early in its career.
I suspect that use of the 90000 series numbers for company service / MoW equipment was only commenced in 1900 or 1901, with 100 dump cars becoming 90000-90099. Up till that time, specialised equipment had received identification letters such as Z but these
were replaced by numbers and, by 1902, there were no cars with identification letters listed in ORER’s. The first listing I have found of a dynamometer in ORER’s was 90151 in the July 1901 edition. In 1904, all the company service / MoW equipment was renumbered
into the 200000+ series.
Can anyone reference the use of the 90000 series prior of 1900? I’ve checked sources such as Bulletin 18 – Wreckers – but can’t see any pre-1900 numbers. In the 1900 June ORER, the derricks and pile drivers (both later destined to bear 90000 numbers) bore flat
and coal car numbers.
Rupert Gamlen
Auckland NZ
From: CBQ@groups.io <CBQ@groups.io>
On Behalf Of Kenneth Middleton
Sent: Wednesday, 24 October 2018 1:10 a.m.
To: CBQ@groups.io
Subject: Re: [CBQ] Dynamometer Car Z / Northeastern Ambroid Kit
Hi Charlie,
I corresponded with the late Joe Douda back in 1984/1985 about the Q’s dynamometers. He sent me data about two of them. One he said was CB&Q 204725, and sent me photocopies of a photo and diagram for this car. You are
welcome to copies of both if you like. He stated that this car was built at Aurora in 7/1885 as CB&Q 90151, a thirty-foot car (as is shown in the diagram).The diagram shows a normal-width cupola with six windows in the side of the car body and end platforms.
He stated that it was renumbered in 1904 to 204725 and converted to a work train caboose (retaining No. 204725) in November 1929, then scrapped at Eola in October 1934.
He also mentioned car 204726 which his records showed as being built in Aurora. He mentioned that some records indicated that the car was the former “CB&Q Z”, but that no original builder or date was shown. He did say
that he had found notations indicating that the car was rebuilt in 1900 and retired in October 1929. He sent me a photocopy of Z which he said was made from a photocopy owned by a friend. Again, you are welcome to a copy if you like. It shows a side door,
four windows, a narrow cupola and no platform on the end in the photo. (the narrow cupola appears similar to some early waycars in Randy Danniel’s book).
Best regards,
Ken Middleton
Portage, MI
krmiddle@charter.net