Since this is Christmas week and lots of you will be playing with toys, wrenching on stuff, and generally delinquent from your daily BangShift duties at the end of the week we figured that we should get our “freak on” early. After taking our kids to the “Polar Express” train ride up in New Hampshire a couple of weeks ago, we’ve been on a train kick, searching the internet for cool old history on rails. That triggered a memory we had of this amazing collection of photos depicting rail inspection cars from back in the 1920s-1940s or so. We’ve seen pickup trucks modified to run on the railroad lines but who knew that back in the days of yore, big passenger cars were converted to work the same duty. These things are truly freakish but had to have been comfy and fun to drive down the rails.
We’re not 100% sure if they were used solely for purposes of checking track or of railway executives may have ridden in them between stations. We think that because of the fact that there were luxury cars like Packards and Cadillacs used instead of just base model transportation. It would seem that the level of car used would indicate that the passengers were of some importance. Either that or the railway company guys just snookered the accounting department into buying them the most expensive thing that they could gets past the bean counters.
You also have to believe that since these cars were not only luxurious but also some of the fastest of their day that these “rail inspection cars” probably achieved some fun and/or death defying speed while serving their duty. We’re wondering if any of them still exist and if they do, if we could get a ride in one. We think it would be really, really neat! Anyone have any ideas? Which one do you want to drive? We’ want the Caddy!
GALLERY LINK: Click here to see the photo gallery of rail cars.
They most likely were used buy the big shits. Every picture that has someone in it the person is wearing a suit.
I bid one a 38 Packard rail inspection car a couple years ago at an estate sale in Atlanta. As cool as it would be to have it, I had to dropout when the bidding got past $25,000. The car went for $38,400. I think some guy from Nashville bought it.
Ooopppppsssss! Did I say big shits. I meant big shots. Honest.:)
I agree with above comments that they most likely were the “big wheels” of the railroad companies.They look like staged pictures. My uncle, from whom I learned the auto repair trade, when I was a kiddie in the 50’s & 60’s, never wanted his pic taken unless he was dressed up, including his Sunday hat. I believe that a lot of people back in the day wanted to look their best for posterity. As far as vehicle choice, I am led to think that the heaviest built cars (Cadillac, Packard, Chrysler, Buick, etc) were chosen. You’d never seen light weight cars used as hearses, or ambulances, or wreckers. Sure there were some lighter vehicles used (mostly home – made), but they couldn’t do heavy duty service with out damaging them.
I once worked installing Hi-Rail gear on trucks. Rail testing them was the best part.
A train museum in Wisconsin has a Cadillac inspection car.
I lied, it’s a Dodge. http://www.midcontinent.org/collectn/service/dodge.html
makes me all warm and fuzzy inside to see they all had “cow-catchers”
I could imagine driving one where you had a long straight of track and going for top end.