Mystery Solved
by Dan Myers
A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to have a WONDERFUL tour of the new museum that houses the Warwick. I brought along one of the stained glass windows that I've been driving everyone nuts about for years and showed it to Bill Rigby who is, perhaps, the best 'attention to detail' guy I've ever met. Bill immediately picked up on the number 82 (Ulster) and builder number 7182 stamped in the window's frame.
I'm now writing to the Cotton Belt Historical Society to see what they know of these cars and the number 7182. Take a look at these attached photos. One photo is a frame from the O&W DVD that Ron Vassallo pulled out for me. The other photo is from ebay & was sold as the interior of the Ulster. In the photo of the Ulster the shades are drawn between the plate glass windows and the stained glass transom windows but the two shots are obviously of the same car. Three windows at the end of the car also show in the frame from the DVD. There were actually four windows in the hallway surrounding the lounge and I believe the the fourth window (closest to photographer) is there also, just hidden. The Ulster was also painted in diesel cars, just like the windows and stayed that way until the end as car R150. I don't believe that the Orange ever got the diesel paint job. Mystery solved. Thank you all. Dan
Page 155 "Ridin' the Rails........" 2007 Observer; -- both AC&F cars vestibule end to vestibule end..........as they were often run [and together with an OB MB car -- protecting the last of the express business]. When I was sorting images for the 2007 Observer this was the only suitable B&W (of high enough resolution for publication usage) I had when I rushed this section together; -- though I've seen better color slide images of both cars together.
Prior to being painted in the diesel scheme........ca. 1947 the cars were in green after their return to the O&W (sometime after the end of May 1945) from service on the Seaboard Air Line. They were then numbered accordingly the SAL equipment number allocations:
* (NYO&W 2nd 82) - Ulster; -- Seaboard Air Line No. 610
* (NYO&W No. 83) Orange; -- Seaboard Air Line No. 611
The images on Page 133 "Ridin' the Rails........" 2007 Observer; are both of the former 2nd 62 (Ulster) in Company Service as R-150. A paucity of images of car 83 (Orange) in diesel paint (and identifiable as such; -- often nearly impossible to do since there was so little contrast in many period images, or otherwise with such small numbers near the car side bottom edges such that road grime and filth defy easy car number recognition) may lead to a conclusion that Orange was repainted green.
I think that unlikely, since the O&W records indicate that both cars were converted to Company Service after the March 22, 1954 New York Public Service Commission decision allowing termination of Trains # 1, 2, 5, and 96 (by entry of expenditures noted in the 1955 AR [for expenditures during the calendar year 1954]). That is a time by which it is nearly a foregone conclusion that the O&W will not survive, employment is so vastly reduced and expenditures so dramatically cut that repainting of cars submitted to company service seems highly unlikely.
Mal Houck