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Many years ago, at a Pennsylvania Railroad Technical & Historical Society annual meeting in Ohio, I procured a packet of documentation pertaining to MO tower at Cresson, Pa. The notes started in the early 19-teens and extended through the end of Pennsy.
One section included a study conducted during the middle of World War II to determine the feasibility of installing bi-directional signalling between SO (South Fork) and MO (Cresson) on the west slope. In a form dated April 7, 1942, Pittsburgh Division management requested authorization for the expenditure of $149,883 for "Reverse signals on number three track -- "MO" to "SO" and changes to crossovers at interlockings". The justification was as follows:
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The Pennsylvania Railroad was a pioneer in the development of trailer on flat car (TOFC) service and was the principal partner in the formation of Trailer Train Corporation.
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The Penn Texas was a named passenger train of the Pennsylvania Railroad that ran from New York City's Pennsylvania Station to St. Louis' Union Station from 1948 to 1970. The train also interchanged cars at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania with Washington, D.C., via York, Pennsylvania and Baltimore, Maryland.
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Tangent Scale Models G31B
The G31 series were the first post-war gondolas, introduced in November 1948. The class featured a 52'-6" interior length and a fishbelly design. These cars lasted well past the Penn Central merger. Sub-classes ran from A through N and included multiple builders and spotting features.
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Bowser X31A
In the middle of the depression in 1934, the Pennsylvania began a massive car building program in it’s Altoona, PA shops. The round roof design was adopted to achieve the maximum cubic foot capacity loading and still clear tunnel restrictions, and the X31 series became their new and distinctive standard box car. Two basic roofs were adopted - one flush to the sides and the other with a 2” setback at the top of the roof. Cars were both 40‘ in length and came with either single or double doors with 6' and 12’-1-1/2” or 14‘-6” openings respectivly. During one period between March and April 1936, many of these cars were contracted out between builders AC&F, BSC, GATC, GSC and PSC. In 1939 and through 1940, the PRR modi ed the roofs of 690, 40’ double-door cars with a distinctive extended roof to accommodate jeep shipments. These were designated as X31F and classifed XAR.
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Bowser X32
In 1932 the PRR designed boxcars that would be specifically used for the automobile industry. To maximize capacity they used a new unique roof design, where it curved at the edge, termed a “round roof” or “wagontop”. The X32 and X33 classes were both 50 '6" cars with staggered doors. The X33 differed from the X32 in that it also had end doors. Both X32 and X33 cars were built in 1933. Then, in 1936 after some design improvements, the X32a and X33a classes were constructed. While the X33 class was specifically designed for carrying finished automobiles, the X32 boxcar classes, while designed to haul finished automobiles also hauled auto parts around the country as well. The resulting need for specific service X32’s resulted in different batches and classes being built, which introduced the X32b class. In 1940 auto loading racks were applied to some X32b, which created the X32c class. Finally, starting in 1953 through to 1956, X32a/b/c boxcars were rebuilt with a single door into the X32d class.
Although considered large capacity when first built in 1933, line side clearance improvements made the cars obsolete, so in 1959 the PRR stripped the superstructure of 1,000 X32 and X33 subclasses cars to build their X51 class of boxcars. By April of 1968, the PRR only had less than a dozen X32/X33 cars in revenue service. (Source: www.mountvernonshops.com)
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Bowser X33
In 1932 the PRR designed boxcars that would be specifically used for the automobile industry. To maximize capacity they used a new unique roof design, where it curved at the edge, termed a “round roof” or “wagontop”. The X32 and X33 classes were both 50 '6" cars with staggered doors. The X33 differed from the X32 in that it also had end doors. Both X32 and X33 cars were built in 1933. Then, in 1936 after some design improvements, the X32a and X33a classes were constructed. The X33 class was specifically designed for carrying finished automobiles.
Although considered large capacity when first built in 1933, line side clearance improvements made the cars obsolete, so in 1959 the PRR stripped the superstructure of 1,000 X32 and X33 subclasses cars to build their X51 class of boxcars. By April of 1968, the PRR only had less than a dozen X32/X33 cars in revenue service. (Source: www.mountvernonshops.com)
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Railworks X30
The PRR built one X30 class 70' 6" box car in Sept. 1931 for the express purpose of shipping fire equipment from the American LaFrance plant in Elmira, N.Y. It was designed to haul their longest, at the time, ladder truck from the plant to any destination on the continent. It featured double 6' Youngstown doors, an end door. As built, the lettering read "EXPERIMENTAL" but was shortly thereafter changed to "AUTOMOBILES".
This car has been produced in brass by Railworks.
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The X42 was created following WW2 when head-end mail and express traffic took off across the nation. For the PRR it was cheaper to build a boxcar with door spacing and dimensions similar to a B60 baggage car for bulk mail shipments. This unique boxcar was classed as an X42, and 10 of the 60' cars were built between August and September of 1950, series 2540-2549. Equipped with steam and signal lines like an express car, it was initially painted in the Circle Keystone Scheme used for freight. However, in a May 1951 paint & lettering diagram, the scheme was made obsolete when all X42 were repainted into a unique Tuscan Red Passenger scheme. The car sides and ends were painted Tuscan Red. The roof, underbody, and trucks were painted black. The side lettering was Gold Leaf and the end lettering was white. All 10 X42’s were later painted into the Shadow Keystone Scheme with some later receiving the Plain Keystone monogram as well. The entire fleet of 10 cars lasted into Penn Central. (Source: Mount Vernon Shops)
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Funaro & Camerlengo X28A - Available with multiple brake and door configurations.
The PRR’s X28 boxcar was developed from a combination of the evolution of lessons learned with the X25 fleet and the ARA mandate for standardized single-sheathed 50 ton boxcars. The X28 was an automobile version of the ARA boxcar, although based on a PRR design. The first 1,000 cars of the 5,000 car fleet were equipped with corrugated Youngstown doors, with the remaining 4,000 equipped with three-panel car builder doors. The X28 fleet was built during 1924 and 1926. Following development of the X31 “wagontop” boxcar in 1933 by the PRR, the X28 Automobile version was deemed obsolete and a rebuild program from 7/1933 to 7/1935 removed the double door configuration to only a single door creating the X28a. Nearly the entire X28 fleet was converted to the X28a class. By 1955, 3,500 X28a remained and by 1968, only 8 were still on the roster. (Source: www.mountvernonshops.com)
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Between 1924 and 1934, the Pennsylvania Railroad purchased or built over 30,000 of the X29 class of box cars and an additional 5,000 of the auto car variant, the X28. The X29 -- a 40' 50-ton all-steel car -- became the most ubiquitous freight car of the late steam/transition era. These cars appeared in every corner of the US and Canada.
