Branchline Pullmans

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Hi:

I am a New Haven RR modeler interested in ACL Vacationer (Boston-Maimi) cars that would have appeared in this train between 1949 and 1951. I have a photo in an NH book of the Vacationer from 1954. There are about 5-6 Heavyweight ACL pullmans in this picture most painted purple. I was wondering if:

A) Any of the Branchline Pullmans would be appropriate for the ACL cars that would have gone to Boston

B) What color these cars should be painted between 1949 - 1951.

Thanks.

Rob Gross

-- Robert Gross (robert.gross@bmwna.com), March 16, 2004

Answers

I cannot help you with regard to the suitability of Branchline Pullmans as I do not model, but I can provide some guidance as to paint schemes.

ACL did repaint some of its heavyweight sleepers under Pullman lease into the purple paint scheme in the early 1950's. But other cars remained Pullman green. To further complicate matters, Pullman sleepers assigned to an ACL train were not necessarily owned by ACL. Pullman regularly assigned whatever cars were available for service. Thus, you could have Pullman green, two-tone grey, purple, silver, tuscan red, etc. A good example is the series of roster shots in Larry Goolsby's ACL Passenger Train book. Of the sleepers on the Havana Special, one is a PRR car in PRR colors, one is a NYC car in two tone grey and one is a Pullman car in Pullman green.

The same mixture could be seen in lightweight cars. Regularly, ACL cars would appear in SAL trains, and vice versa. I have consists showing ACL cars in the Silver Star and SAL cars in the Champion-in the early 1960's. C&O,UP,NKP,N&W,NYC,NH,Sou,CRIP,SP and ATSF cars regularly appeared in the consists of both roads.

So the rule is-there is no rule. Mixed color schemes were a fact of life, even when there were no foreign road cars. PRR would regularly assign Tuscan red sleepers, RF&P would assign its Tuscan red sleepers to otherwise solid ACL or SAL trains. But then again, that is the fun! Rainbow color schemes were not an AMTRAK innovation!

So-if you have some heavyweight sleepers in purple and some in Pullman green, you would be accurate, and if you have all cars in one scheme, you would also be accurate.

-- Michael W. Savchak (Savchak@rcn.com), March 18, 2004.


I am not sure about the colors,but the following are HW cars ACL listed in a June 1954 roster.You will have to compare this list with what BL is offering.10sec1dr2c,8sec5dbr,10sec1dr1c,8sec1dr2c,8sbr/lge 8sec1dr3dbr,10sec2dr,8secbuf/lge,6sec6dbr,10sec1c2dbr,6c3dr. The March 1953 OG shows 6c3dr,8sec5dbr,8sec1dr3dbr,10sec2c1dr,as HW sleepers running on the "Vacationer".

-- Joseph Oates (uj67@mindspring.com), March 18, 2004.

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