On Nov 22, 2020, at 23:21, A&Y Dave in MD <dbott@...> wrote:

I was doing some data analysis on Conductor Snow's log books from 1934 today and noticed that there were three passenger car "types" routinely on mixed trains 13/14 on the North Wilkesboro branch.  Conductor Snow identified them as a mail (Southern 71),  express (Southern 373) and one of two coaches (either 1520 or 1523).   These were listed as the last cars on the train (there was a caboose listed as 1st in order in his books, but that may be because it was assigned to the train first and may not reflect position in the train).

Anyone have any info/photos about these mail, express, and coach cars?

I'm hoping to use these to write up a story on the Winston-Salem division mixed trains with a little background on the North Wilkesboro line for a TIES article.  These mixed trains were usually about 29 cars pulled by consolidations (either Ks 812 or Ks 654 for most).  On the way to N. Wilkesboro they had mostly (60% boxcars with merchandise, feed, lumber, sugar,  flour, fertilizer, and hides) , and usually with a gondola of coal and a tank of gasoline. Occasionally they would see a reefer of meat from Schluderburg-Kurdle out of Baltimore (often marketed as Esskay meats).  On the way back, the boxcars were more often empties, but those with loads carried furniture and merchandise, often waybilled to Spencer or Potomac yard.  There seemed to be a regular set of 36' SU box cars that were LCL merchandise regulars.  On these trains about 70% of the boxcars were home road Southern with N&W (10%) and ACL (5%).  The tank cars with gasoline were mostly UTLX and Texaco (TCX), although there were a fair number of INSX (International Shoe via GATX) waybilled to North Wilkesboro empty (for leather dye loading?).

But I don't know much about the passenger equipment from 1934.  So any help would be appreciated.

Dave Bott


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