Passenger Cars

Passenger Cars & Equipment

Unlike the freight car roster, the ACR's passenger car fleet had a lot of variety. Over the years, the ACR bought all of its passenger car equipment used from many different roads. Here are some photos of this equipment.

New photos are shown with the caption cells in a pale yellow colour.

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	71 - Just prior to scrapping - Steelton on a cold rainy November 7, 1972.
	72 - Steelton August 1, 1992.
	74 - Here is one of the ACR's home built steam generator cars, #74. Shown at Steelton in June of 1979. This was built in 1951 from 40 ft wooden box #3182 - obviously only the underframe was used.
	74 - Just a few years later in the silver paint scheme. Steelton June 20, 1994.
	75 - Still in VIA colours but numbered AC 75 - Hawk Jct. July 30, 1992.
	75 - Frater June 15, 1994.
	76 - This steam car (#76) was built from troop sleeper car USA 7357. The original Allied Full Cushion trucks have been replaced with smoother riding leaf spring trucks. At Steelton December. 30, 1979.
	77 - Another ex VIA steam car. Hawk Junction June 16, 1994.
	This is a steam generator built from an ex Northern Pacific 4-8-4 tender - one of 2 bought by the ACR in 1972. 3 others like it went to Auto Train. Shown here at Steelton on November. 8, 1972. This later became ACR 81.
	80 - (ex NP H-5) at Steelton February 18, 1973.
	80 - 23 years later it has reached the end of the line - shown here in Sault, Michigan along with a lot of other old junk being scrapped. July 11, 1996. Photo ©1996 by Joe Seidl - used with permission.
	81 - Here is the ex NP H-3 freshly painted and just needing the ACR logo to be applied. At Steelton on June 19, 1973.
	ONR 200 at Steelton August 1, 1992.
	205 - This is an ex troop sleeper car converted to baggage service. These cars were very rough riding account their Allied Full Cushion trucks and were used to carry boats, dead moose, propane tanks, etc. This photo taken at Hawk Jct. on Feb. 15, 1977.
	205 - Nearly 3 years later and the silver paint has been applied, but still no lettering! Hawk Junction - December 26, 1979.
	206 - shown on Sept. 16, 1973 at Steelton.
	209 - This car may have been from the Denver & Salt Lake. Shown here at Steelton on June 13, 1974.
	301 - ex DRGW baggage car - Steelton August 9, 1996.
	302 - The ex California Zephyr baggage car "Silver Antelope" at Steelton August 1, 1992.
	303 - Slowly rotting away in the weeds in Hawk Jct. June 19, 1987.
	307 - Steelton June 1, 1983.
	308 - Steelton July 2, 1983.
	308 - Just a couple of months later the 308 is in fresh ACR silver/maroon paint at Steelton on September 11, 1983.
	1201 - 2 baggage cars were acquired in 1973 from the Denver & Rio Grande Western RR. Shown here at Steelton on Oct. 6, 1973. The next photo shows the car after repainting.
	Here is the above car after repainting to ACR colours. Nov. 16, 1974.
	1100 - This is the ex DRGW/California Zephyr baggage car "Silver Antelope" shown here at Steelton September 30, 1973. See below for the car after re-lettering for the ACR.
	9603 - Steelton July 2, 1983.
	670 - Late in 1973 the ACR was buying all sorts of old passenger cars - here is one of 4 ex Central of Georgia "City of Miami" cars at Steelton December 23, 1973. I'm sure this car wasn't used to the cold and snow of Northern Ontario!
	672 - Another one of the ex C of G cars - Steelton December 23, 1973. The small white lettering under the CofGA reporting marks reads "owned by the Algoma Central".
	3056 - A couple of months later 2 ex GM&O coaches showed up on the property - this one is GMO 3056 - Steelton March 7, 1974.
	3058 - The other GM&O car was the 3058 - Steelton March 7, 1974. Updated February 8, 2013! I just finished watching the old movie "In the Heat of the Night" and near the end of the movie as Sydney Poitier is leaving town I noticed this coach was the one that he boarded on! The car number is very clear in the film.
	407 - One of the old ex-DRGW passenger cars, sometimes called the "Jesse James" cars account their age. Car #407 at Steelton June 10, 1976.
	408 - Another ex DRGW coach, this one the 408 at Steelton April 6, 1976.
	409 - at Steelton September 12, 1976...apparently they ran out of paint while re-painting this car!
	416 - Steelton June 1, 1983.
	422 - One of the ex-Canadian Pacific coaches at Steelton in fresh paint on April 16, 1972.
	422 - Hawk Jct. August 6, 1996.
	425 - Steelton August 1, 1992.
	426 - Steelton June 18, 1983.
	429 -Steelton October 28, 1983.
	440 - The ACR was in no hurry to repaint these ex CofG cars - 5 years later they are still brown and orange and only re-lettered and re-numbered. Steelton August 7, 1978.
	441 - Steelton June 1, 1983.
	During the fall colour season the ACR would rent coaches from wherever they could find them, and this would make for some colourful consists at times....Frater October 2, 1979. The 2 ex SP articulated coaches in this consist are shown below.
	450 - Frater October 2, 1979.
	451 - Frater October 2, 1979.
	450 and 451 - shown here at Frater September 21, 1982. By this time the coaches have been painted in the ACR colors - compare to above.
	458 - Here is a set of ex Southern Pacific articulated chair cars (coaches). The unit closest to the camera is numbered 45x (a white square is covering the last digit) and the other unit is 458. Steelton June 10, 1976.
	2453 - Steelton April 26, 1974.
	2454 - Steelton April 26, 1974.
	2498 - Steelton, May 19, 1980.
	1362 - Steelton June 18, 1983.
	2067 - Steelton August 1, 1992. I think this is the ex 443 - it looks to have suffered a hard coupling account the diaphragm plate is bent.
	3210 - Steelton June 14, 1994. Ex VIA/CNR coach.
	3228 - Steelton August 1, 1992.
	3243 - Steelton August 1, 1992.
	5442 - Steelton June 20, 1994.
	5519 - Steelton August 1, 1992.
	5519 - A couple of years later in the silver paint scheme - Hawk Jct. June 18, 1994.
	9301 - Lettered "ONR" 9301 - I wonder if this car was ever repainted and used on the ACR? Steelton August 1, 1992.
	9301 - To answer my own question - obviously it was! - Steelton August 9, 1996.
	9302 - Appears to be a lunch/snack car....Steelton June 20, 1994.
	4805 - Another new car was this former Union Pacific diner 4805 - Steelton November 16, 1974.
	502 - Steelton March 7, 1974. I think this is now the Gift Shop Car at the Canyon Park.
	503 - One of the older cafe cars for the Agawa Canyon Tour. Steelton June 10, 1976.
	511 - Very late on a September 16, 1979 afternoon No. 2 pauses for a moment at the Steelton Yard Office. This car stayed in the IC orange and brown paint for many years.
	511 - Finally painted into the silver scheme - Steelton August 9, 1996.
	Agawa - Glistening in the early spring sun at Steelton April 16, 1972.
	Michipicoten - Steelton August 1, 1992.
	Canyon View - Ex New York Central observation - Steelton April 16, 1972.
	A new car washer at Steelton August 1, 1992 - no more washing windows by hand!
	302 - Seeing as how Broadway Ltd just released this car in HO in the original California Zephyr scheme, I thought I'd post this photo of it after it was bought by the ACR and renumbered 302 (it was moved from the 200 series when the GP38-2's were delivered). Shown here at Steelton on July 4, 1988.
	The mainstay of the passenger coach fleet for many years were these ex Canadian Pacific cars. Originally painted maroon, later they were painted silver for a fresh look and to help keep the cars cooler by reflecting sunlight. This coach is fresh out of the paint shop at Steelton on Nov. 16, 1974.
	The ACR bought 5 sets of these ex-Espee articulated coaches, but only 2 sets ever saw passenger service. Some of the cars were vandalized in Chicago and there was a hassle with Canada Customs regarding their import value. Finally, the main problem was that the ACR did not have a drop pit to make changing the wheels on the centre truck easier. They were very smooth riding cars however. This one is at Steelton on Sept. 22, 1974.
	Here is one set of the ex SP articulated coaches in work train service. Two of the other sets were in passenger train service, and I think one or two sets were later sold to a tourist railroad in Oregon. This set shown at Steelton on July 4, 1988.
	This is an ex Santa Fe diner car the ACR bought from the Cadillac & Lake City RR in 1973. The C&LC named it "Emerald Lakes". Here it is at Steelton soon after arrival. Photo taken on Sept. 16, 1973.
	Ex VIA baggage car at Steelton on July 2, 1983.

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