beaulieu Only big users of Stainless Steel passenger cars, CB&Q, AT&SF, and Western Pacific in the US, and Canadian Pacific in Canada. Several other companies had some cars, D&RGW, PRR, and NYC had some for example.
Only big users of Stainless Steel passenger cars, CB&Q, AT&SF, and Western Pacific in the US, and Canadian Pacific in Canada. Several other companies had some cars, D&RGW, PRR, and NYC had some for example.
My knowledge of stainless steel passenger cars on various roads comes from Durbin's Some Classic Trains. In addition to the RRs already mentioned, he shows stainless cars for prominent trains on NH, B&O/C&O, SR, ACL, RI, NP (slumbercoaches), SAL, SP, and NKP.
I do have first hand knowledge of the NYC'c large fleet as was mentioned in another post. In the mid 60s when they were cutting back long distance trains, they were recycling them to commuter service. i saw and rode on whole commuter trains made up of them. NH also had a large fleet of stainless steel EMUs, and B&M had a large fleet of RDCs.
The New York Central had hundreds of stainless steel cars. Going through several books dedicated to their lightweight passenger equipment, they bought approximately 300 cars from Budd.
That should put the Central at #2 on the list behind the Santa Fe.
Stainless steel is expensive to begin with and paint doesn't adhere to it very well without special treatment. Also, stainless steel passenger fleets were not that common, consider that Amtrak took stainless steel cars for most of its fleet when it acquired its initial fleet from the former passenger carriers and a lot of non-stainless steel cars were then scrapped or demoted to MofW service.
Looking at the Trains Photo of the Day of the Burlington stainless steel deisel caused me to wonder. With stainless steel passenger car fleets being so common, why were there so few diesel engines done-up in stainless?
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