From Yahoo Mopac group, April 2012

I’ll start out by repeating a post from PCL in which NKP Car announces the production of kits for some plans of Clover series sleeper, 8 section 5 bedroom. These were betterment cars, several of which were bought by MoPac (mostly MP, a couple I-GN) on Pullman divestiture in 1948. Most of the cars MoPac got were plan 4036I, although there was at least one other (4036B, I think). Most kept their Clover names, although MoPac assigned Mexican names to a few of them (the famous Popocatepatl and Ixtaccihuatl among them).

So here are the questions: besides StL – Mexico City, to what other Pullman lines were these cars assigned? Is there evidence they were used in pool service? They were not withdrawn from service until fairly late, as opposed to some of the 12-1 sleepers that seem to have gone into Government storage early on. The TRRA-HS publication on MoPac sleepers mostly covers later lightweight cars, and the only heavyweight sleeper illustrated there is one of the Tower cars, later to become a Thrift-T-Sleeper. That one has helpfully already been done in brass.
Can anyone point me to photos of these Clover cars?
Ron Merrick

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Ron,
Of the 11 8-5 heavyweight Pullman cars, 4 of them retained their Clover names (Clover Flats, Nook, Spray, and Wreath). At least 5 of the 11 cars received skirts, typically in June/July 1948 before MoPac took ownership.

In 1958 Clover Spray and Ixtaccihuatl were routinely used on the overnight trains 9/10 “The Missourian” St. Louis to Kansas City. During
the period 5/30/58 to 9/19/58, most of the train consists used these two sleeping cars as the last car in the train.

Starting about 9/22/58 and for the last 3 months of 1958 these two cars were replaced by 6-6-4 lightweight sleepers Colorado River & Eagle River. On occasion other heavyweight Pullman cars from the Pullman pool were substituted including Fir Forest, Fir Gardens, Fir Terrace and Reas Pass. This data comes from a total of 77 train consists from 5/30/58 through Dec. 1958, mostly eastbound train #10.

Regarding photos, I have a color slide of Ixtaccihuatl from an Al Chione slide set. I have a color print of Clover Wreath taken at Chicago from the J. Michael Gruber collection. Clover Flats was photographed by Dean Hale, and I have a photo of this car from Jay Williams. Art Riordan photographed Clover Nook after it had been retired in Sept. 1962. Photo taken at Osawatomie, Kansas during the 1960s.
Hope this helps some.
Ed Hawkins

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Thanks for jogging my memory, I probably have the Chione slide. I haven’t done much digging yet. I should mention I’ve looked at the Pullman Project database, and it does note some cars having had skirting added, while others do not have that note.
Ron Merrick

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