HELP Received

This page covers questions I have had about A&Y history where people have contributed answers to help me. This may become a sort of FAQ for the A&Y.

Q. Does anyone know whether A&Y passenger operations changed from a locomotive and cars to a motor car? Someone quite knowledgeable has stated that the A&Y converted to motor car for passenger service during the Depression, but I don't have any evidence yet of that happening. I would be very interested in hearing from someone about this possibility.

A. It appears from the ICC annual reports listing equipment owned or leased that the A&Y did not switch to a motor car. There may have been a motor car on A&Y rails at some point, but there is no evidence that it was part of regularly scheduled passenger service. I have evidence of pure passenger trains, with mail/express, combines and coaches, and mixed trains with combines on the A&Y, but nothing of a motor car.

A photograph of work trains on the A&Y. I have received a number of photos of MoW equipment on the A&Y rails, including one photograph from Sandy Isley showing a camp car lettered for the A&Y at Belews Creek!
Kevin von der Lippe located a photo labeled "scrap metal" at the University of North Carolina Greensboro archive web site that shows a double door boxcar lettered for the Atlantic & Yadkin RY and numbered 301 or 361 in the A&Y yard. We are trying to get a hard copy print to confirm the number and possibly read the rest of the lettering to determine if it was a maintenance of way car. At any event, it is exciting to have another A&Y car identified via photograph.
John Porter responded to a call looking for photographic evidence that the former N&W CF class caboose was lettered for the A&Y. He provided a shot of A&Y X865 in Greensboro circa January, 1948. This photo convinced Spring Mills Depot to offer an A&Y lettered version of their new CF caboose series -- the first commercially available RTR HO scale model lettered for the A&Y.