The new edition of John Signor's Los Angeles & Salt Lake has, on page 238, a 1966 picture of #6, UP's L.A.-to-Omaha mail & express train. Right behind the power is a long head-end car with three large doors on the side and, to the left and right of the center door, three windows. It has a standard Armour Yellow paint job, and is marked for the UP, not for a connecting carrier. I have searched my references, including Ranks & Kratville's exhaustive Union Pacific Streamliners, and I can't find a car which looks like this. I may have slipped up, but I'm stumped. Anyone have an idea what this was? Thanks in advance for any guidance.
With absolutely no research to back this up and not having the photo at hand my guess would be the car you're describing may be a horse-express car?
Just a wild guess.
https://www.brasstrains.com/Classic/Product/Detail/075327/HO-Brass-Model-TCY-UP-Union-Pacific-Horse-Express-Car-1784-Original-Version-Custom
Cheers, Ed
What you are looking at is a horse-baggage-automobile car. According the March 1966 Annual Issue of the Official Register of Passenger Train Equipment, Union Pacific had such critters, numbered 1761, 1765, and 1784-1798. These cars were steel, with an inside length of 73' 10", and a length of 77' 7" over the buffers, and had an AAR mechanical designation of BHe.
Note X in UP's listing reads: " All the head end passenger train cars of this Company are equipped with small door each end to permit passage from one car to another, except as follows: Horse-Baggage-Auto cars Nos. 1761,1765 and 1784 to 1798 are equipped with small end doors and have a full width loading door at one end into which a small door is built.
All baggage cars (AAR Mech. Designation "BE" and "BH") are equipped with electric generators except cars numbered: 9151 to 9229 and 9300 to 9399. "
The ORPTE is a publication that listed all of the passenger train equipment, common carrier and private, in use at a certain time, giving dimensions, and mechanical features as well as per diem rates for off-line use but, no pictures. I hope this helps. Maybe the folks at the UP historical society can help you.
Passenger Car Photographs has many pictures of those horse express cars. Here is the link to the site. Scroll down to the 1760 series and click on the car number. A photograph of the car will come up.
http://passcarphotos.rypn.org/Indices/UP1b.htm
That explains it very well. Thanks to all of you!
So, were these cars available on the western trains so that when the cowboys wanted to take a trip they could take their horse along in order to have transportation at the other end?
Generally, these cars transported race and show horses, very expensive automobiles, and theatrical scenery as used in stage plays, among other things. The ordinary cowboy usually could not afford to transport his horse this way.
NHTX Generally, these cars transported race and show horses, very expensive automobiles, and theatrical scenery as used in stage plays, among other things. The ordinary cowboy usually could not afford to transport his horse this way.
Much more rarely, other valuable livestock that you wouldn't getting thrown into a stock car and moved with cattle would get in there too. I once saw a picture of alpacas being unloaded from a horse car.