This car was sitting in at the Valley Railroad in Essex Ct.
This is a 1929-built NYC 40 ft end-door "auto car", originally used for loading
automobiles-- yes, they were originally shipped in closed double-side-door
boxcars, some of which also had end doors. NYC later (1960 or so) took a few of
these and installed Vapor #4625 steam generators, same model as was used in
diesel locos for train heat. These cars were used at outlying points (like
Poughkeepsie, Brewster, etc.) as sources of yard steam, to keep passenger cars
(primarily commuter cars) warm overnight. Using these things allowed the
railroad to eliminate a large powerhouse plant at each location. This car would
up being shuffled around PC-CR scraplines in CT and NY during the late 70s and
early 80s, and was "inherited" by MNCR. VRR has since scrapped out the four
steam boilers and painted the car freight car red.

Photographed by Mark Beebe, February 18, 1996.
Added to the photo archive by Mark Beebe, January 13, 2006.
Railroad: New York Central.

Mark Beebe's awards:

» Contact the person who posted this photograph.