Texas and Pacific Mail Storage Cars

[JamesBerryMoore]

In his book “Texas and Pacific: Super Power to Streamlines, 1925-1975: Joe G. Collias related that that; “using cars built in 1937, T&P’s Marshall, Texas shops refurbished 35 mail storage and express cars, Nos. 1700-1735, in 1954 and repainted them in the Eagle blue, gray and silver to match existing passenger cars and diesel power and provided a photograph of car number 1711 with 5-panel doors. A photo of car scale model of these cars in the May 1994 issue of Model Roader, which he numbered 1705.

A photo of the westbound “The Texan” near Dallas in 1952 at the top of page 107 in Collias’ book referenced above, shows two pairs of these cars sandwiched between refrigerator cars near the front of the 10 head-end cars of the 13 car consist. One of these cars is slightly higher than the others, suggesting that it is a 10′-6″ modified 1937 AAR boxcar instead of a ten footer.

A number of questions arise from these observations:

1. Are there records showing the more visible details of the remodeled T&P mail
storage cars? Doors, car heights, etc.

It’s relatively easy to decorate an Intermountain N-scale 40-foot 1937 AAR boxcar to create a model of 1709, but trying to model 1711 is difficult because doors for it aren’t available in N-scale.

2. Did the Missouri Pacific have a similar fleet of Mail Storage cars? If so, what were their numbers and details?

Diane Wolfgram
Butte, Montana
59701

[benjamintickell53]

I am attaching PDF files of diagrams for the former T&P cars as renumbered 100-134, which should answer some of your questions. MP did have some similar cars, but I do not have the car numbers.

You might consider purchasing the new CD on passenger car diagrams, available from the MPHS Company Store
http://www.mopac.org/store/cd-s-dvd-s/item/475-data-cd-passenger-car-diagrams-1963-1978

Bill Pollard

[attachment=1:b55ydsez]125-134.pdf[/attachment:b55ydsez]

[attachment=0:b55ydsez]100-124.pdf[/attachment:b55ydsez]

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