These cars were seen on railroads across North America. Harriman cars were developed during the time of 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, and directed the development of the "Common Standard Specifications" among the Associated Lines. This set of specifications allowed parts to be shared across all Harriman-controlled railroads, allowing economical bid prices due to the sheer size of standardized orders, standardized part inventories and methods for car repair.

These cars were designed with the a distinctive arched roof and diamond underframe crossbearers. The Arched Roof construction handled rainy weather better than clerestoy design - once lighting and ventilation problems were solved. Non-Harriman Arched Roof cars, while similar, had fished-belly underframes developed by Pullman Mfg. Co. and copied by others. Some of these 60-ft cars remained in use until the advent of Amtrak while others became maintenance-of-way cars.

Canadian National, Maple Leaf (1954 scheme)

Delaware Lackawanna & Western

Erie Lackawanna, Maintenance-of-Way

Southern Railway

Southern Railway, Maintenance-of-Way

Illinois Central, 64-ft "Mail Storage" car

Illinois Central, 64-ft "Magazine Loading" car

Southern Pacific, 60-ft Harriman Baggage-Express car, Class 60-B-1:6,

Southern Pacific, 60-ft Harriman Baggage-Express car, Class 60-B-1:6, Two-Tone Gray, modernized doors, Globe vents

Union Pacific, 60-ft Harriman Baggage, Modernized Roof, CS Class 60-B-2 Pullman built 1910-14, Streamline colors, originally assigned to UP's Oregon Short Line