Passenager Seat Heavyweight Coach 6328

[kevin_herrington22]

Hello All,

Figured someone would know this quick. How many passenger seats were available on heavyweight coach #6328 that I believe was built in the mid 1920s?

Thanks,

Ryan M. Smith

[princessclyne69]

I know of two places where this is easily found. One is an Eagle article on heavyweight coaches, researched and written by Ed Hawkins. The issue includes a spreadsheet on every steel coach owned by MP Lines. The issue is Spring/Summer 2004.

Car 6328 was rebuilt in the early 40s from coach 8173, built 2/1915. Most of the cars rebuilt at that time got larger men’s and women’s lounges, one at each end of the car, so the seating capacity was reduced. The spreadsheet does not include the seating capacity, since this is an all-time roster and so many cars were rebuilt. The most likely number is in the range of 50-ish or a few more seats. Sometimes you can count the seat pairs based on the windows, but this is not foolproof.

The other source — Some of the sets of passenger car diagrams are available from the Society, but I can’t lay my hands on mine right now. I know we published a CD of cars surviving after 1963, and a CD of passenger car diagrams beginning with the 1880s. After my move I’ve only just today uncovered some of these CDs, but the passenger car one is not there.

This CD is currently available from the Company Store.

RG7

[kevin_herrington22]

Thanks. I just ordered the CD from the Company Store.

Ryan

[benjamintickell53]

As rebuilt/modernized 6326-6329 were 52-seat coaches. 5 additional (non-revenue) seats were in the two restroom lounges so the diagrams show capacity of 57. We have gotten a number of additional diagrams since the heavyweight passenger CD was published. I believe the diagram for this series is in the original CD, but if not, let me know.

Bill Pollard

[princessclyne69]

I almost have to ask this.

Does coach 6328 have any special significance?

RG7

[kevin_herrington22]

Well sort of. This was the model car that we bought to use for programming and educational purposes here at Delta Heritage Trail State Park. It was recommended to us as from what I understand heavyweight coaches like this would have been used on the passenger train (334-335# I think) that ran from Memphis to McGehee before the Delta Eagle started up in 1941. Also, the Delta Eagle often had a coach added to it during World War 2 to accommodate increased traffic. I would assume it also had some use after the war when the Delta Eagle equipment was in for repairs. We don’t know if #6328 was assigned to this line but it is probably as close as we can get.

There was passenger service on the old Arkansas Midlands line that intersects the trail at Barton Junction and goes to Pine City and Brinkley. I do not know if they would have used heavyweight coaches on this.

Thanks,

Ryan

[kevin_herrington22]

Well sort of. This was the model car that we bought to use for programming and educational purposes here at Delta Heritage Trail State Park. It was recommended to us as from what I understand heavyweight coaches like this would have been used on the passenger train (334-335# I think) that ran from Memphis to McGehee before the Delta Eagle started up in 1941. Also, the Delta Eagle often had a coach added to it during World War 2 to accommodate increased traffic. I would assume it also had some use after the war when the Delta Eagle equipment was in for repairs. We don’t know if #6328 was assigned to this line but it is probably as close as we can get.

There was passenger service on the old Arkansas Midlands line that intersects the trail at Barton Junction and goes to Pine City and Brinkley. I do not know if they would have used heavyweight coaches on this.

Thanks,

Ryan

[kevin_herrington22]

Thanks for the info.

Ryan

@arkrail wrote:

As rebuilt/modernized 6326-6329 were 52-seat coaches. 5 additional (non-revenue) seats were in the two restroom lounges so the diagrams show capacity of 57. We have gotten a number of additional diagrams since the heavyweight passenger CD was published. I believe the diagram for this series is in the original CD, but if not, let me know.

Bill Pollard

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