A&Y Cabs
Background
The A&Y leased most of its cabs from the Southern Railway according to the correspondence between the two companies I have been able to obtain. Lately, members of the Southeastern Model Railroaders Forum (SMRF) have helped me identify two other sources of A&Y cabs: the N&W and the RF&P. Both of these railroads appear to have sold a pair each of wooden sided cabooses to the A&Y. I have no photographs of Southern-style or N&W originating cabooses with A&Y lettering yet, but I hope one day to uncover some. In the meantime, here is the information I have obtained from my sources.RF&P origin cabs
Experts on Southern Railway's cabs have told me that the one photo I have of an A&Y lettered cab is most definitely NOT of Southern Railway heritage. Cab #862 (see image below) appears to have originated from the Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac Railway. A fellow SMRF subscriber, S.A. McCall noted a striking resemblance between the 862 photo and a photo of RF&P #839 in the book RF&P by W.E. Griffin, Jr on page 181 at the top. Now that I have seen this photo and photos of several other RF&P cabs in this same 800 series, I'm convinced that this is the origin of 862. The RF&P cabs in the series 801-845 were built from 1904 onwards and many were sold to other railroads! These were 25' long over body by 7'-5" sides, cupolas were 6'-6" front to rear, 6'-6" wide by 3'-5" high.
Here is the 862 in the only photo of an A&Y cab I have been able to locate.
It is likely that this photo was taken in Greensboro in the 1940's. 861, together with 862, are mentioned in correspondence between the Southern Railway and the A&Y. Both were retired in 1950, although the 862 was in regular service on the A&Y only until mid-1948 and the 861 was stored in Pomona beginning in November, 1949.
N&W origin cabs
Fellow SMRF, Fred Mullins, first informed me that the Norfolk & Western Railway sold two CF class wooden cabin cars numbers 518107 (built August, 1915) and 518162 (built January, 1917) to the A&Y in April, 1946.
To the left, I now have a photo of one of these cabin cars in A&Y lettering thanks to a photo recently shared by John Porter and cropped (on the left) by me. In the full photo on the right, the cab is in the top left corner of this street photo taken January 19, 1948 in Greensboro. Note the snow storm...the wrecker is out.
In addition, the Virginia Tech ImageBase which houses much of the N&W photo archives has several photos of this class in N&W lettering. Here are links to examples showing each side of these wood side, steel underframe cabin cars. "Cabooses of the N&W" (N&WHS, 1994) by Robert Bowers & James Brewer has a disposition list for the CF class, and shows N&W 518107 and 518162 going to A&Y. The CF was around 33 or 34 feet (with the Duryea steel underframe, which the A&Y cars had), had one square window on each side, a slightly off-center cupola, and a small, high window just to the left of the cupola on the side opposite the smokestack. The CF was the first example of the "typical" N&W caboose design from 1914 to 1949. Thanks for this info to James Thompson, Don Yelverton, Bill McClung and Fred Mullins.
Perhaps this December 18, 1950 photo of X-865 in Pomona (Greensboro), NC which appears to be a CF class cab in Southern lettering is one of these A&Y purchased cabs repainted after the Southern absorbed the short line. The timing is nearly a year after the Southern absorbed the A&Y into its Winston-Salem division, given the photo's location and timing, the circumstantial evidence is strong. Here's the photo (below) from Marvin Black's collection. Click on it to get an 800x600 image.
Southern origin cabs
I do not have any photos of the Southern origin leased cabs in A&Y lettering. It may be that they were always kept in Southern lettering. Here is what I know about them, gleaned from the A&Y - Southern Railway correspondence collected by Marvin Black:
Car type
number
first date mentioned
last date mentioned
A&Y lettering?
lease or rent?
Notes
boxcar cab
X-2939
9/1/1945
1/8/1946 ?
lease
Jan 1946, replaces in lease X-1731 which was destroyed Sep 1945 in collision and temporary loan cab X-2043.
cab
X-1660
4/10/1930
4/11/1930
?
lease
in lease to A&Y for sure as of Feb. 1, 1930; taken out of lease Oct 21, 1937. Was returned to Southern 11/1/1937.
cab
X-1718
6/1/1936
6/1/1936
Southern
rent
temporary service on A&Y begin June 1936
cab
X-1722
4/10/1930
6/1/1936
?
lease
in lease to A&Y for sure as of Feb. 1, 1930.
cab
X-1730
7/27/1933
4/21/1936
Southern
rent
temporary service on A&Y 1933, rejected for use 1934
cab
X-1731
10/12/1934
10/19/1938
?
lease
in Spencer Shop Oct 1934, returned Nov 1934; repaired Spencer Shop April 1936; demolished in collision on A&Y 9/21/1945. A&Y charged $323.75, the depreciated value of cab for demolished cab.
cab
X-1732
11/16/1929
6/1/1936
Southern
lease
in service on A&Y for sure Feb 1, 1930; some confusion as to change from rental to lease; overhauled June, 1934 at Spencer.
cab
X-1736
4/10/1930
12/1/1935
A&Y
lease
in lease to A&Y for sure as of Feb. 1, 1930; returned Dec 1, 1935
cab
X-1737
4/10/1930
12/1/1935
A&Y
lease
in lease to A&Y for sure as of Feb. 1, 1930; returned Dec 1, 1935
cab
X-1740
4/10/1930
12/1/1935
Southern
lease
in lease to A&Y for sure as of Feb. 1, 1930; returned Dec 1, 1935
cab
X-1789
4/10/1930
12/1/1935
Southern
lease
in lease to A&Y for sure as of Feb. 1, 1930; returned Dec 1, 1935; considered not fit for use for 1934-1936?
cab
X-1796
4/10/1930
10/19/1938
?
lease
owned by Atlantic & Danville Company, in lease to A&Y for sure as of Feb. 1, 1930; overhauled June, 1934 at Spencer; returned to Spencer and Columbia 1949.
cab
X-2027
7/13/1949
7/13/1949 Southern
lease
replacement for cab 1796; however, it too was Atlantic & Danville property and was returned to Southern; replaced by X-2649
cab
X-2037
6/7/1933
6/1/1936
Southern
rent
temporary service on A&Y in June 1933, July 1934, repaired bad end sills Spencer 1935; temporary use July 1937
cab
518107
4/1/1946
4/1/1946
A&Y
purchase
CF class cabin car bought from the N&W in April 1946. Info from Fred Mullins, SMRF, N&WHS.
cab
518162
4/1/1946
4/1/1946
A&Y
purchase
CF class cabin car bought from the N&W in April 1946. Info from Fred Mullins, SMRF, N&WHS.
cab
X-2043
9/27/1945
7/7/1949
Southern
rent; later lease
loaned to A&Y account of 1731 wreck in collision on 9/21/1945, but needed on Southern on notice. Rent $1.15/day.; noted on A&Y extra 7/7/1949; loaned by mistake to A&Y for switching Siler City 7/7/1949; mistaken for "boxcar cab" and returned. Added to lease 7/7/1949.
cab
X-2053
8/31/1938
8/31/1938
Southern
rent
loaned to A&Y to replace bad order A&Y cab on Walnut Cove round trip Aug 1938; loaned again Feb-Mar 1939.
cab
X-2068
10/6/1949
lease
replaces x-2649 destroyed in Glenn while in temporary use on Southern. Added to lease.
cab
X-2116
4/14/1936
4/16/1936
Southern
rent
temporary service on A&Y in April 1936
cab
X-2185
8/12/1937
8/17/1937
Southern
temporary service on A&Y Aug 1937
cab
X-2299
6/7/1933
6/1/1936
Southern
rent
temporary service on A&Y in June 1933, July 1934, underwent repairs Spencer June 1934.
cab
X-2519
3/3/1938
3/4/1938
Southern
rent
loaned to A&Y to replace bad order A&Y cab on Mount Airy round trip Mar 1938; on Sanford round trip July 1938; again Oct 1938.
cab
X-2570
11/11/1949
11/11/1949 Southern
lease
Washington div. Cab to replace 862 and 2939 in lease as of Nov 1949.
cab
X-2579
4/10/1930
4/11/1930
?
lease
in lease to A&Y for sure as of Feb. 1, 1930. Steel underframe car to be replaced with wood underframe car per lease.
cab
X-2649
4/10/1930
4/11/1930
A&Y
lease
in lease to A&Y for sure as of Feb. 1, 1930. Steel underframe car to be replaced with wood underframe car per lease; returned to lease agreement as final replacement for X-1796. 10/6/1949 cab destroyed in Glenn when borrowed by Southern. Replaced by X-2068.
cab
X-2690
11/11/1949
11/11/1949 Southern
lease
Washington div. Cab to replace 862 and 2939 in lease as of Nov 1949.
cab
X-2939
11/11/1949
11/11/1949 A&Y
lease
considered in so bad a shape in 1949 it was retired and replaced by 2570 or 2690.
cab
X-861
4/27/1950
4/27/1950 A&Y
lease
in service on A&Y until Nov 1949, stored in Pomona, retired in 1950. Most likely bought from RF&P.
cab
X-862
11/11/1949
4/27/1950 A&Y
lease
in service on A&Y until mid 1948, stored in Pomona, retired in 1950. Most likely bought from RF&P.
cab / relief coach
X-1660
10/12/1934
11/1/1934 ?
lease
caboose used as "coach" on Ramseur and Madison branch mixed trains; in Spencer Shop Oct 1934 returned Nov 1934
