Info about CPR 35’ Business Cars? Revised

[OT Dean]

When my brother passed away, I was still in HO and inherited several of his cars, one of which was a neat little drovers caboose made by adding a cupola to a Mantua/Tyco “1860” combine.  I repainted and lettered it for my 1895 era model railroad at the time and have kept it all these years since.  I went back into O scale in ’93 because of my failing elderly eyes and got the idea that I’d like to model the car in 1/4” scale.  I lucked out a few years ago when I bid on four unbuilt pairs of Sierra RR passenger trucks on eBay—and won.  Now, I’d only needed one pair, but these formerly Walthers trucks, made by the late John Kiel, cost me about what two pairs of them would’ve cost from the manufacturer.  In short, they were sort of “burning a hole in my pocket.”

 

I’m a great admirer of the work of the late Paul Larson, whose 2-part article for building an HO Canadian Pacific business car appeared in the December ’56 and January ’57 Model Railroader and I realized these shorty (5'6", 36"D wheels) passenger trucks would look even better than the prototype’s special (4'10", 33"D wheels).  I have since discovered that the CP built several of these little cars (35'0" over end sills, about the same as a caboose), then proceeded to modify some of them with observation railings and iceboxes built out over the left front platform—the way Larson’s prototype had.  I Googled “canadian pacific railway wooden business cars” and found photos of quite a few of them, an equipment drawing for #5, Larson’s model, but I was unable to print them as my H-P printer had quit on me (wouldn’t print black and white!).  Like a lot of online things, most of those original photos have since disappeared. 

 

I recently found photos of Nos. 21, 22, 26, and 27 (which now rolls on the little Thurso & Nation Valley, without the rear bulkhead and stateroom to enlarge the lounge area) online.  Like just about every piece of equipment on railroads, each car was an individual, some with rear observation type railings, with or without the exterior icebox, etc.  I’d appreciate help in locating more photos to aid in this project, maybe someone belongs to the CPR Historical Society and has access to photos and equipment drawings?  Thanks.

 

Deano

 

As I tell my friends, here in our cozy Senior (62+) Apartment Building, "Gee, how I wish I had a memory..."  See below (it was Jack Work's article).

 

P.S. If you want to know more, follow this link: www.okthepk.ca/dataCprSiding/cprNews60/88030100.htm 

 

 

[dknelson]

OT Dean

I’m a great admirer of the work of the late Paul Larson, whose 2-part article for building an HO Canadian Pacific business car appeared in the December ’56 and January ’57 Model Railroader

That was indeed a great two part article but the author was Jack Work, not Paul Larson (who of course would have been equally capable of building such a nice model).

Dave Nelson

[doctorwayne]

Ah, yes, Jack Work.  I remember that article, as it was what inspired me to cut an Athearn observation car apart, in order to shorten it.  I was only a kid at the time, so the project, in three pieces, languished in a box for a l-o-n-g time.  I think that my plan was to use the cut-out section to build a version of Walthers' "Oscar". 
I did, many years later, cement the two end sections together and built a new underbody, but it turned out nothing like Mr. Work's...not surprisingly.

Wayne

[dknelson]

But it does look a bit like CP business car 24, doesn't it?

http://www.trainweb.org/oldtimetrains/CPR_London/BC_24.jpg

And also a little like this Santa Fe car

https://photos.smugmug.com/Sante-Fe-Atchison-Topeka-Sante/Santa-Fe-1980s/i-bGNmx9D/0/c4434a95/L/ATSF%2016%20-%20Dec%2031%201959%20-%20Business%20Car%20423%20%40%20Pueblo%20Colo%20-%20Jim%20Ozment-L.jpg

Since you mentioned Walthers' "Oscar," Doctor Wayne, inquiring minds want to know ... did you include the "lady in the shower" in your model?   

Dave Nelson

[doctorwayne]

My version of Oscar was never built, although that little piece of the original Athearn car is probably kicking around somewhere.

I wasn't aware of the "lady in the shower", or I might have saved-up for one of those kits.
The shorty business car didn't get a lady in the shower either...in fact, the amenities in that car aren't all that impressive...

Perhaps the life of a rail magnate in the late '30s wasn't all that the public thought it to be.

Wayne

[mbinsewi]

Dave's post got me interested in just what these cars were all about.  I did some searching, and sure enough! I found the lady in the shower. Only visable because the side of the car was off, exposing the interior.  I don't know how to post pics on here from Google images, unless I run it through my pictures, and into  Photobucket, not worth the hassle.

Cute little cars.

I sure do like your little business car, Wayne.

Mike.

[OT Dean]

Sorry, it WAS Jack Work!  Sometimes my brain goes to lunch and doesn't take me with it.

Deano

[doctorwayne]

mbinsewi

I sure do like your little business car, Wayne.

Thanks, Mike.

Here's the other side of it...

This one has a little more room, but no lady in the shower, either...

 

Wayne

[g&gfan]

The Thurso & Nation Valley Business Car No. 27 is preserved by the Bytown Railway Society in Ottawa, ON, Canada.

They have a little page on each of the items they have preserved, including T&NV No. 27. 

If in doubt, send them an email. I'm sure someone there could help you out. Many members of the group are model railroaders.

Link is here: https://www.bytownrailwaysociety.ca/index.php/equipment/tnvr-official-s-car-no-27

 

Steve Hoshel

[OT Dean]

Thanks, Steve, I discovered this restored little gem a couple of years ago and have visited their photo site a number of times for their excellent slide show.  They also provided me with the CP Eqipment Drawing of some of the early cars, including #5, the subject of Jack Work's article.  The Thurso & Nation Valley #27 was originally "as built" when they received it and is shown in an early slide in the show.  This car never received the observation platform and fancy railing at the back or the rebuilt icebox on the right side of the front platform. 

Since I posted this string, I again found an article from the March, 1988, CP Rail News, (which I'd found and lost several times!) about Car No. 21's new home with the Vintage Locomotive Society to be rebuilt.  The story covers the details of this interesting group of business cars and is quite interesting.  I'd very much like to someday build an O scale model of one of the rebuilt cars and have already built up a nice collection of detail parts, including a Monitor (clerestory) roof I can cut down to save myself from becoming mired in a scratchbuilding project for making one myself.

Thanks for your help, guys.  I'll keep you posted.

Deano