I am trying to model the Crescent Limited in HO scale as it appeared in 1926. I am currently in need of drawings and/or photos of the 10-2 pullmans and dining cars used on the train. Were dining cars given names or were they simply labeled "dining car" under the windows where a name would ordinarily go? Did the club cars have names? If either the diners or the club cars have names, what were they? Any useful modeling information would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your help.

-- Joe Daniels (4JM@home.com), May 17, 1999

Answers

The only Southern Rwy. dining cars that I know of that got names were the five streamlined cars built in 1941 for The Southerner and The Tennessean - nos. 3300-3302, all named Virginia; no. 3303, Chattanooga; and no. 3304, Alexandria - and a broiler/cafe car early in the century named Summerville .

I believe the 1926 Crescent Limited had Oriental diners nos. 3161-3163. These were different from the standard Southern diner, with Pullman style paired windows instead of the Southern's normal rectangular windows. These were Plan 3952A, lot 4767, built in 12/24. In the same lot Pullman built two cars for their lease fleet, which later were sold to the ACL.

Dubin's Some Classic Trains confused the issue by identifying on page 116 a Southern standard diner as being "of Oriental Limited type". However from a photo of the 1929 refurbished Crescent Limited, I believe the standard Southern diners were used by then.

Five baggage-club cars were supplied by Pullman. They were Plan 3951, built in Oct./Nov. 1925. The names were Alexander H. Stephens, Joseph Wheeler, L. Q. C. Lamar, W. C. C. Claiborne, and William Moultrie.

Jack

-- Jack Wyatt (cjwyatt@wavegate.com), May 18, 1999.