In going through Joseph Welch's book on streamliners from NY to FL. I know the question was answered in regards to Pennsy equipment on the ACL being stainless steel with purple letterboards. I'm curious as to what the Pennsy coaches looked like in the 1940's, or the sleepers in the 1950's. Were they stainless steel like those on the ACL? And, if so, what color letterboard did they use, Tuscan Red or stainless/stencil like SAL? Or, for that matter, did they just send through Tuscan Red smoothsided cars? I suspect that there is probably not a uniform answer, though.

-- Dean Blakeley (dfthomer@gateway.net), June 11, 2000

Answers

PRR equipment dedicated to ACL service was originally delivered with a purple letterboard, which as the years went by eventually was replaced by black letters on bare stainless steel. On the primary trains, PRR in the 1950s-1960s did try to use stainless steel equipment, primarily from the cars purchased for joint service, as well as from its own pool of 1939-1940 built Budd coaches in the 4000 series. PRR had a fleet of lightweight postwar coaches in long distance service which were tuscan red smooth side cars, but they seated 44 and were primarily used on its own trains. For secondary trains, PRR used whatever junk they had lying in the coach yard- mostly P-70 cars with ice AC-of course the ice ran out down south and the cars became ovens.

I remember seeing PRR coaches on the Everglades and the Havana Special which were rebuilt ex PRR 21 roomette cars, coaches which were rebuilt ex N&W 10 and 6 sleepers and one time around 1966, a ex N&W class Pg coach(Heavyweight) numbered in the 1300 series which PRR purchased to supplement its collection of cripples.

-- Michael W. Savchak (Savchak @MNR.org), June 12, 2000.