Firefighting car on M&NJ (was:What the heck is this?)

I shot this piece of well grafittied rolling stock on the M&NJ at Middletown, NY. It looks like it started out as a flat car with two tender tanks added and part of a transfer caboose added in the middle. Judging from the jade green on the ends it is of New York Central or Penn Central lineage. can any one out there tell me what this car is??

That, my friend, is art on wheels.

A Krylon Koach Kar? A waste of a good can of spray paint? "Getto-fabulous" section-8 housing, on wheels? Who knows.........

Besides a psychedelic headtrip and low-tech message board I have no idea. The whole shebang is on top of a pre-1963 flat car (the polling pockets on each edge of the car). That is probably is a caboose in the middle, and two storage cabinets on either end. The whole thing is probably a homemade storage car.

it looks like maybe an outfit car, that was left somewhere long enough for some to add graphics lol.... I would also guess that maybe it was used for MOW storage.

Based on the position of the ladder and grab irons, the near end looks like it was salvaged from a steam engine tender. Could this have been part of a wreck train?

I think it's a water car, possibly from a fire train.

-Will Davis

Hmm. Fire train, huh? Where were (are?) they used? While this is certainly no indication that they don't exist or haven't ever existed, I've never heard or read that expression before. You have me curious now, Will.

Larry

Well, the only reason I thought that was that I recall having seen a shot of a locomotive in a book, with an odd looking car somewhat like that in the background. I believe the author mentioned it in the caption -- something like "with part of a fire train in the background." I want to say it's a book I have on the PRR's Q-class duplex-drive steam locomotives, and that the shot was taken outside the Crestline engine house. I am going to look for it now. I recall thinking it odd that the PRR would have one, since I'd thought mostly you saw them out west for fighting lineside fires. Anyway, as to this thing, I'd assumed it to be one of the water storage cars -- looks like there are two (maybe former steam locomotive tender) water tanks on it.

-Will Davis

OK, I found the book. It's PENNSY Q CLASS - Classic Power 5, by E. T. Harley and printed by N. J. International Inc.

On page 37 there's a shot of a Q-2 out of service, and in the background you can see a car that's clearly a flat car with a tender tank mounted on the end (still actually has raised sides, like you'd find beside the coal bunker) with a cabin constructed in the center. (You can only see about half the car.) It's PRR car # 496403 and is labeled on its side FIRE FIGHTING EQUIPMENT. It is not identical to the car in question here, but the method of construction appears so close in concept it's uncanny.

The shot is probably around or just after 1952 - the Q2 is out of service (not only is it obviously disused but the front coupler knuckle is missing) and that corresponds to when Mr. Harley was first assigned there and took the pictures in the book.

In the shot you cannot see the very end of the car either, so I don't know if the small doghouse or cabin is there.. but for whoever might have this book, look at page 37. OR, if there are any well-equipped PRR fans reading this, see if you can track down that car or else provide more information.

-Will Davis

Oh -- one more thing. The shot of the Q-2 and PRR #496403 was indeed taken at Crestline, Ohio and the "Fire Fighting Equipment" car is parked right beside a large building (perhaps the shop?)

-Will Davis

Well, I found this:

http://www.wsfd.com/juniorfd/newsletter ... 202006.pdf

In this document on page 8 I think is an explanation of why PRR had fire fighting cars -- for taking care of fires caused by derailments (of oil cars) during the Second World War. In the document, interestingly is a shot of PRR 496402, which is a much more crude type of construction than the aforementioned car one number higher. One might easily suppose then that NYC or some other PC component road might have had similar cars, for similar purposes. But my point is that we now have a document which explains the purpose of such cars in the East, and photos of TWO different styles of PRR cars, one of which appears similar to the graffiti-laden example under consideration here.

(I had to blow the picture up to 300% to read the car number in this document, but once you do that it's very easy to see.)

-Will Davis

By George, I think he's nailed it. A fire car it is, I believe.

This car has been parked at the Middletown & New Jersey (Middletown, NY) for years. How did it end up there?