The 1950s marked a significant turning point for passenger train technology, encompassing both locomotives and passenger and freight cars. While the decade is often envisioned as the age of sleek, streamlined trains, the reality on the tracks was more nuanced. Across the railway networks, older, heavyweight passenger cars from the early 20th century were still in active service. These included classic wood cars, although their roles were becoming increasingly limited to branch lines, smaller railway companies, and maintenance-of-way (MOW) duties as the 50s progressed.
The New York Central (NYC), for instance, operated a substantial number of these shorter, heavyweight cars. Their standard baggage car was a 60-foot heavyweight model, bearing some resemblance to the Trainline car. Furthermore, a few wood-bodied coaches and combine cars were still running on the lines north of Buffalo, showcasing the diversity of 1950 Cars on their roster.
Numerous other railway systems across the country mirrored this pattern of mixed fleets. The Nickel Plate Road still utilized 60-foot wood baggage cars, coaches, and combine/smoker cars. On the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad (CB&Q), wood combine cars were still a common sight in Illinois. Similarly, both the Southern Railway and Norfolk and Western Railway (N&W) continued to operate wood baggage cars, combines, and coaches. Large fleets of short or wood cars were also characteristic of the Soo Line, Rock Island, and Milwaukee Road. The Chicago and North Western Railway (C&NW) maintained a vast collection of 60-foot commuter cars. Almost every smaller railway providing any level of passenger service relied on these shorter cars, including notable examples like the Ma & Pa, East Broad Top Railroad (EBT), Chicago & Illinois Midland Railway (C&IM), and Minneapolis & St. Louis Railway (M&StL), amongst many others.
Interestingly, the concept of short, streamlined passenger cars was largely non-existent. With very few exceptions, like some baggage cars, streamlined cars were built to lengths of at least 72 feet, with the majority extending to approximately 80 feet. This contrasts sharply with the perception that all 1950s passenger trains were glamorous, streamlined consists in vibrant colors, powered by E8 locomotives. In truth, heavyweight cars accounted for the majority of passenger-car train miles throughout the 1950s and well into the early 1960s.
For model railroad enthusiasts, this historical context is invaluable. If you are interested in modeling a commuter train or a branchline “puddle jumper” from the 1950s, you can accurately recreate such a train using readily available models. The Walthers/Rivarossi Trainline 60-foot cars are particularly suitable, with their full baggage, combine, and coach models being quite accurate, especially for representing C&NW prototypes. Athearn’s older heavyweight car models also provide a solid foundation for creating realistic 1950 cars era consists.
