| Introduced
in 1906, just before Henry Ford made his famous model "T" automobile,
these cars were the defining characteristics of steam passenger trains for the
Union Pacific, the Illinois Central, the Southern Pacific and other associated
railroads. For the traveling public, they were a step up from wooden coaches that
would break like a match stick in the event of a derailment. So durable were these
all steel cars that some lasted until 1968 ... A life-span of 60 years! The
great Edward Henry Harriman who controlled the Chicago & Alton Railroad, the
Union Pacific, the Southern Pacific, the Illinois Central, the Central of Georgia,
the Pacific Mail Steamship Company, Wells Fargo Express Company, directed the
development of the "Common Standard Specifications" among the Associated
Lines. The Common Standard allowed common specifications of parts, and allowed
for car and locomotive design and maintenance to be shared with all Harriman-controlled
railroads. This allowed economical bid prices due to the sheer size of standardized
orders. Further, it allowed the Harriman-controlled railroads to standardize on
part inventories and methods for car repair. These cars were designed with the
distinctive arched roof and diamond underframe crossbearers, a departure from
the clerestory roof design. Developed
by the Associated Lines for all Harriman controlled roads, these wide window coaches
seated 68 passengers on Hale and Kilburn reversible seats. These C-4 (Common Standard
Specifications CS 217) cars were built by Pullman 1909 to 1912 and numbered 395
cars. The purchase price for one of these Harriman Coaches in 1911 was $12,161. About
the model - Full
interior, authentic 4-wheel heavyweight truck on metal 36" wheels, magnetic
knuckle couplers, Common Standard underframe detail, all the rivets you can count
in N-scale! |
