The first rolling stock, of record, was purchased by the Celina Van Wert and Stateline Railroad, and delivered in May of 1879. It consisted of a boxcar and three flat cars built by an unknown Dayton. Ohio manufacturer. A locomotive was purchased from another unnamed manufacturer in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The presumption of a Baldwin 4-4-0 might be correct. All were the narrow, three-foot gauge. The five miles of track south of Van Wert were completed on May 17. 1879, and the locomotive was delivered on May 30. 1879, just in time to meet the contract conditions of completion of the five miles south and the running of trains by June first of that year.
Poor’s Manual of the Railroads of the United States for 1897 has a roster for the Cincinnati Northern Railroad’s rolling stock as of June 30 1896.
There are shown 29 locomotives with no classification.
In the passenger classification, 19 passenger cars: 3 combinations; and 9 baggage, mail and express are shown.
Freight classification lists 1047 box cars (all 33-34 feet by 6-7 feet high); 231 flat cars; 18 stock cars; 112 coal cars ( hoppers?), 13 cabooses: 4 others.
The same source for /910 showed 24 locomotives, again unclassed.
Passenger cars: coaches 14: and 5-baggage etc. (sic)
Freight cars: 1836 box cars, 111 flat cars: 39 Stock cars (30 being leased to the CN); 73 coal cars: others at 78 which included cabooses. Maintenance of Way and emergency equipment.
The CCC&StL RR, (which had acquired the Cincinnati Northern in 1902) in its 1910 report, does not indicate the motive power, but lists some1869 cars as Cincinnati Rolling stock. It lists 14 coaches. 3 baggage. 3 combinations, and 3 baggage, mail and express cars.
The freight list shows 471 box cars: 936 flats, 14 stock cars; 97 coal cars; 73 side dump cars and 17 cabooses.
One derrick, 2 steam shovels, 1 spreader, 1 snowplow. I emergency car and 2 cabooses are listed in the MOW area for that year.
CIN NOR markings began slowly to disappear and to be replaced with CCC&StL and eventually with NYC, and separate accounting was discontinued. By 1938, it was rare to see any car marked CIN NOR or CCC&StL.




Note that the identifying road symbol is NOR. not CIN NOR



ACF phoyto Hawkins/Wider/Long Collection

Freight Cars of the Fifties
New York Central System
by Richard Hendrickson
The nation’s two largest railroads, the Pennsylvania and the New York Central, pioneered the construction of all-steel box cars with steel exterior sheathing in 1915-1916, at a time when the box cars being built for other railroads were entirely wood sheathed and many of them still had wood body framing. Shortly afterward, when the railroads were nationalized during World War I under the United States Railway Administration, the USRA addressed a severe shortage of modern freight cars by commissioning a number of standard freight car designs that could be built economically in large numbers. Included among the USRA designs was a 50-ton all-steel box car that closely resembled the cars already built for the Pennsylvania and New York Central.
Though the USRA’s single and double- wood-sheathed box cars were built by the thousands, the steel cars were not ordered into production before the war ended. The USRA steel box car had not been designed in vain, however, for in late 1920 and early 1921 the New York Central system ordered a thousand of them from the Standard Steel Car Co., along with 750 automobile cars of the same design except for 1-1/2 doors with 10-foot openings. These cars followed the USRA design exactly except for ends and roofs. Their ends were two-section 7-8 corrugated instead of three section 5-5-5 corrugated, and their roofs were Murphy solid steel with inverted U-section seam caps rather than the lap-seam riveted roofs shown in the USRA drawings. Trucks were USRA U-section Andrews.

NYC 180000 was the first of 1,000 cars in lot 414-B, built at Hammond, Indiana by the Standard
Steel Car Company to the steel box car design developed (but never built) by the United States
Railway Administration during World War I. The NYC cars faithfully followed the USRA drawings,
including their 9-foot inside height, except for 7-8 instead of 5-5-5 corrugated ends and Murphy
steel roofs instead of X29-style riveted lap-seam roofs. —Standard Steel Car Company photo, John
C. LaRue, Jr. collection

The Specification 486 steel box cars were essentially USRA-design steel box cars with height
reduced from 9 feet 0 inches to 8 feet 7 inches. The first of them were 4,000 cars built for the
Big Four and the New York Central in 1922-23. NYC 182999 was built by the Standard Steel Car
Company in September 1922. Note its Bettendorf 1-section trucks. The “S” prefix before the car
number indicated that these were front-line cars and were to be repaired and returned to service
unless repair costs exceeded 85% of their valuation. —AC&F photo, Al Westerfield collection
…began replacing the original roofs with Murphy rectangular-panel and (after 1948) diagonal-panel roofs until almost all of the cars had new roofs. On earlier cars, the original 3-panel doors were also gradually replaced with Youngstown corrugated doors, so that few cars still had 3-panel doors in the 1950s.
Starting in the 1940s, the original KC air brake equipment began to be replaced with AB brakes, and all cars were converted to AB by mid-1953. Also, many of the 1922 cars with 1-section trucks eventually had them replaced with ARA U-section trucks, though some 1- section trucks remained in service until the cars were retired.
Stenciling and Numbering After 1921, all of the NYC’s 1920s steel box cars had an “S” prefix before their numbers indicating that they could be repaired up to a cost equivalent to 85% of their value on the Master Car Builders valuation table, and this practice continued through the 1920s. In
1936 the New York Central embarked on a massive freight car renumbering program, in the course of which all of the Specification 486 box cars received new numbers and the cars formerly assigned to the Michigan Central, Big Four, and Cincinnati Northern subsidiaries were gradually renumbered and given NYC reporting marks. Most ended up numbered in the 102500-123499 series.
It was many years, however, before this renumbering was complete, and even as late as the early 1950s there were still a few cars with MC or CCC&StL reporting marks and original numbers. It should also be noted that, in the 1940s and ’50s, many of the 1920s steel box cars were renumbered at various times to reflect specific service assignments and/or the installation of special loading equipment, rendering it difficult in many cases to trace specific car numbers in the NYC roster.
A couple of NYC subsidiaries were exceptions to the renumbering effort, at least at first. Cars assigned to the Boston & Albany did not begin to be absorbed into the NYC roster until around 1952, and some still had B&A reporting marks and numbers a decade later. Peoria and Eastern cars were never incorporated in the NYC inventory and kept their original reporting marks and numbers until they were stricken off.
When the Specification 486 cars were built in the 1920s, the then-standard NYC oval heralds were white with black backgrounds and were lettered -New York Central Lines.” Around 1935, the heralds were changed to read “New York Central System- and continued in that form until the 1967 Penn- Central merger. In 1942, as a wartime labor-saving measure, the black herald backgrounds were discontinued, and the heralds continued to be stenciled without black backgrounds until 1955. Then, at the same time that sans-serif lettering replaced Roman lettering, the black herald backgrounds were re-introduced, only to be discontinued once more ca. 1959.
Another stenciling detail worth noting was the adoption of triangular symbols at the lower left corner of each side, When the Specification 486 cars were built in the 1920s, the then-standard NYC oval heralds were white with black backgrounds and were lettered -New York Central Lines.” Around 1935, the heralds were changed to read “New York Central System- and continued in that form until the 1967 Penn- Central merger. In 1942, as a wartime labor-saving measure, the black herald
backgrounds were discontinued, and the heralds continued to be stenciled without black backgrounds until 1955. Then, at the same time that sans-serif lettering replaced Roman lettering, the black herald backgrounds were re-introduced, only to be discontinued once more ca. 1959.
Another stenciling detail worth noting was the adoption of triangular symbols at the lower left corner of each side, which showed where and when the car had last been repainted. These symbols, though seldom modeled, appeared on every New York Central freight car in the 1950s and ’60s.
Though increasingly obsolete in size and design, most of the Specification 486 cars remained in revenue service until the late 1950s, when they began to be retired in sizable numbers. Many soldiered on into the 1960s, however, and a few cars were still active in the late 1960s, 40 years and more after they were first delivered. The October, 1967 Official Railway Equipment Register showed 67 Specification 486 cars still in revenue service on the eve of the Penn-Central merger, almost half of them under Peoria & Eastern reporting marks.

Indiana via Elgin Joliet & Eastern railway.” —AC&F photo, Al Westerfield collection


MC 98630 was one of the 4,000 Specification 486 1-1/2-door automobile cars that were built in three lots in 1922-23. All went to the NYC system’s Michigan Central subsidiary, which served the rapidly developing automobile industry in Detroit. By the time AC&F delivered MC 98630 in October 1923, U-section ARA trucks were being applied instead of Bettendorf 1-section trucks.
—AC&F photo, Al Westerfield collection
At the same time, the New York Central’s mechanical department was busy modifying the USRA design by reducing the interior height from 9 feet 0 inches to 8 feet 7 inches and the capacity from 3,216 to 2,955 cubic feet. This slightly smaller version became NYC Specification 486. Orders were then placed, beginning in 1922, for additional steel box and auto cars of the revised design, and deliveries continued until 1927. By that time, almost 21,000 of these cars were in revenue service for the New York Central and its subsidiaries.
By far the most numerous NYC box cars, these 1920s steel cars went everywhere on the New York Central system, as well as traveling in interchange almost everywhere in North America. As a common sight in freight yards and freight trains, they rivaled the X29 class box cars of the Pennsylvania railroad, and models of them have long been on the “most wanted” lists of many steam and early diesel-era model railroaders.
Variations in the NYC steel box car design were relatively few over the six-year span of their construction. Cars built in 1922 had Bettendorf T-section trucks, while later cars had ARA trucks with one piece U-section cast-steel sideframes. From 1922 to 1925, doors were three panel; later cars got Youngstown corrugated doors. On cars built in 1927, Dreadnaught ends replaced the 7-8 corrugated ends used on earlier cars. Underframes, side framing and sheathing, roofs, and brake equipment remained essentially unchanged.
Specification 486 was also the basis for another 10,000 cars of similar design, though taller, which were built between 1924 and 1930. Many of these larger cars were 1-1/2-door automobile cars, and some had full width and height end doors. However, all were much the same in design and construction as the basic 2,955-cubic-foot New York Central System “signature” box cars.
Other Owners In the early 1920s the Pennsylvania Railroad’s X29 design was proposed as the basis for the American Railway Association’s standard steel box car, owing largely to Pennsy influence on the ARA’s car construction committee. Though its adoption as a standard design was never approved, cars derived from the X29 (though often with some modifications) were built during the 1920s for a number of railroads. By contrast, the NYC’s Specification 486 steel box cars were hardly copied at all. Only a single private owner, the Universal Portland Cement Company of Chicago, ordered duplicates of them. Those cars, however, had an interesting history.
Three hundred cars numbered in the UPCX 701-1000 series were delivered by American Car & Foundry in 1923. When new, they had colorful paint and lettering with gray sides and bold red lettering and emblems. They were used by Universal Portland Cement through the 1920s to ship bagged cement. Then through a merger in 1931, the company became the Universal Atlas Cement Co. and reporting marks were changed to UACX.
At about the same time, 150 cars were transferred to the Northampton & Bath Railroad (see below), followed later by another 50 cars and then smaller numbers of cars until, by the mid-1930s, only 10 box cars numbered UACX 980- 989 remained under Universal Atlas ownership. Those 10 cars were then converted to bulk cement cars by fitting them with hopper bottoms and roof hatches. The ten remaining cars survived until the early 1950s, when they were withdrawn from interchange service.
The Northampton & Bath, an eastern Pennsylvania short line with heavy cement traffic, kept the cars it acquired from Universal Atlas Cement in their original number series, so they became N&B 701- 867 and 901-950. They received minor modifications with the passage of time such as strengthened doors, AB brakes, and type E couplers but otherwise most of them survived, essentially in their original form, through the 1940s and 1950s. In the 1950s they began to be supplemented by covered hoppers for bulk cement loading, but more than 100 of the box cars were still in revenue service in the late 1960s.
Service History of the NYC Cars As with the Pennsylvania Railroad’s X29 box cars, which were also built in large numbers in the 1920s, the NYC steel box cars had a sidesill design that tended to trap any water that leaked into the cars, causing the side sheathing to rust out from the inside. By the 1940s it was becoming necessary to apply patches to the lower sections of the side sheathing on some cars, and these patch panels became increasingly common until, in the late 1950s, most cars had them.
Beginning in the early 1930s, all new house cars were required to have two grabirons at the lower left corners of the sides, instead of the single grabiron that had formerly been requited. On older cars with single grabs, an additional grabiron was to be added on each side when the cars were shopped for repairs. NYC’s Specification 486 box cars began to get these extra grabirons in the 1930s, and all cars had them by the end of World War II.
The development of Evans double-deck automobile-loading racks in the early 1930s instantly rendered older, low- height auto cars obsolete, and on the New York Central, as on other railroads, such cars were then suitable only for general merchandise service. Accordingly, the NYC rebuilt 1,000 of its 1-1/2-door Specification 486 auto cars in 1933 with the auxiliary doors removed and the door openings plated over. Most of the remaining cars of this type had their auxiliary doors fastened shut, making them, in effect, single-door cars. Then in 1953 another 2,000 of the 1-1/2-door cars were converted to single-door cars with the auxiliary doors removed.


In the 30’s onward, the cabooses we all two axle, two truck cabooses.

“The Big Cars” Part II
OHIO NORTHERN COACH LINES
DIVISIONS LIMA-DEFIANCE-VAN ‘WERT-BRYAN LIMA-JACKSON & OTHERS?
by David Kirchenbauer
Less than a block away from the Auburn car dealership and the bus garage for the Greenville Dayton Transportation Company’s Auburn seven passenger sedans was the operating offices and bus barn for the Ohio Northern Coach Lines. This is the story of how a second bus line, also headquartered in Van Wert, was started to replace discontinued Interurban service provided by the Cincinnati Northern Railroad and the Lima-Defiance Railroad.
In 1935 the Cincinnati Northern Railroad petitioned the Public Utilities Commissions, in Ohio and Michigan, to discontin- ue the passenger service between Cincinnati, Ohio and Jackson. Michigan. At that time the CCC & St. Louis R.R. operated the CNRR. The CCC & St. Louis RR were owned by the New York Central System. Today, Highway 127 runs parallel to where the rails were once located. The main repair and rebuilding shops with up to 1000 employees were located near the midpoint in Van Wert. Gasoline powered Interurban Passenger and RPO (Railway Post Office) cars that were manufactured by Brill were used by the CNRR. The self-powered cars were originally equipped with a six cylinder. 250 horsepower, Winston gasoline engine. According to John Keller the Brill cars were retrofitted by the CNRR with a twelve-cylinder Lycoming gasoline engine prior to stopping passenger northbound service in 1936. Mr. Keller is a noted railroad. historian from Lima. Ohio who started the archives at the Allen County Museum in the late 1930’s which today contains a vast collection of Interurban memorabilia. Since the original Winston engine still remains near Van Wert, one could assume the Lycoming engine was installed in the CNRR shops in Van Wert.
Prior to starting his own bus line in 1934 Roy Dean Pennell was employed by the GDTC as their Superintendent of Maintenance working with John “Jigger- Johnson. About the same time in 1935 when the CNRR petitioned to abandon rail passenger’s service. Pennell then expanded his existing bus routes to compete directly with the railroad. Pennell was familiar with his competitor’s operation since he served his apprenticeship with his father in their machine shop. The ONCL used Auburn seven pas- senger sedans plus custom vehicles; Pennell created units from L- 29 Cord chassis and 1931 or 1932 Auburn bodies. The picture shown is of a four-door unit with reports from career automobile mechanics that up to eight door vehicles were made by Pennell. In addition to owning Van Wert’s Auburn Distributorship since 1928. Pennell’s resume stated he was employed by Senet-Solvay Engineering Co. in Owasso. Michigan to do experimental work for Cord Corp. at locations in Auburn and Indianapolis, Indiana.
For approximately one year the CNRR and the ONCL ran identical routes and schedules. Pennell believed for his bus line to survive, it must meet or beat the times of the Interurban. This required the limousines to travel faster than the schedules approved by the Public Utilities Commission. Pennell would brag that he was able to avoid speeding tickets by changing the speedometer gears. Also, when questioned by the authorities in Michigan as to why he was ahead of schedule he replied that his drivers were only allowed to speed in Ohio. Obviously, in Ohio the story was reversed!
For one year until April 1936 the Lycoming powered Brill Interurban cars would race against the Lycoming Auburns and Cords between towns along Highway 127 from Van Wert. Ohio to Jackson. Michigan.
The Lima-Defiance Bus Line Division of the ONCL also replaced passenger service from another defunct traction line, the Lima-Defiance Railroad. Pennell’s 1947 resume indicated the ONCL employed 80 full and part time employees plus operated 40 vehicles. Other routes included contracts with the U.S. Postal Service to carry bulk mail that previously was transported by the Interurban. The known mail routes were in southern Michigan in the vicinity of Jackson, Owosso. Hilldale and Adrian. Possibly, due to the number of employees and vehicles, there may be other lines yet to be rediscovered.
The Interurban rail companies offered special excursions and charter service to generate additional revenue.
These excursions included trips to resort areas and amusement parks. which were often owned by the railroads. The ONCL continued this service with trips that included Devil’s Lake. Cascades in Jackson. Michigan. and with trips as far away as New York State. There is an unconfirmed story that the ONCL provided transportation for the Fort Wayne Pistons Basketball Team, which are now the Detroit Pistons.
The recollections of some senior citizens are that the later sketched out vehicles looked like sleek torpedoes or submarines! It has been difficult to differentiate the stories between the GDTC and the ONCL since both used the Inn Hotel in Van Wert as their waiting room. This hotel was located directly across the street from the Interurban Station. Both companies used similar looking vehicles nicknamed “The Big Cars” by the local citizens. It is believed that charter service stopped in about 1939 and scheduled routes earlier. Some remaining artifacts may include an L-29 chassis fitted with an eight door Auburn body that was found near Jackson, Michigan. Also, an extra long L-29 frame was discov- ered in the same vicinity. There are still many other ACD stories to be rediscovered involving both the Greenville Dayton Transportation Company and the Ohio Northern Coach Lines.
