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Home > Rolling Stock > Passenger Cars > Types > Baggage Cars
Baggage Cars
Location: Minnesota Transportation Museum
Jackson St. Roundhouse, St. Paul, MN
Type: Storage mail baggage car
Series: 262-276
Built: 1945 rebuilt from heavyweight passenger cars
Picture taken: May 2003 by Eric Hopp
Remarks: Car is currently undergoing restoration at the Jackson
St. roundhouse.
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Location: Inland Empire Railway Historical Society
At the Fairgrounds, Spokane, WA
Type: Storage mail baggage car
Series: 262-276
Built: 1948 Rebuilt from heavyweight passenger cars
Picture taken: July 28th, 2000
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Location: Inland Empire Railway Historical Society
At the Fairgrounds, Spokane, WA
Type: Baggage-express-storage mail
Series: 300-324
Built: Rebuilt in the 1950s by GN from heavyweight solarium-
observation car.
Picture taken: July 28th, 2000
Remarks: Built by Pullman as a Solarium-Observation car for
Great Northern's 1929 Empire Builder, it was named
"C. O. Jenks" to honor a long-time G.N. official. It was
rebuilt in the G.N. shops in the 1950s as a semi-
streamlined baggage car.
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Location: Inland Empire Railway Historical Society
At the Fairgrounds, Spokane, WA
Type: Baggage
Series:
Built: 1893 by Barney & Smith
Picture taken: July 28th, 2000
Remarks: Built as open ended wooden passenger car in 1893 it
was converted to Business car A-12. In 1940 it was
rebuilt with metal sides as baggage car 429.
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Location: Minnesota Transportation Museum
Jackson St. Roundhouse, St. Paul, MN
Type: Rider-storage mail car
Series: 475-486
Built: Converted between October and December 1948 from
Pullman tourist sleeper cars at GN's St. Cloud Shops.
Picture taken: July 18th, 2001
Remarks: This baggage car is part of an unique series of
baggage-rider cars on the GN. Converted from Pullman
Sleepers they were used for mail storage on the end of
certain trains like the Western Star and were equipped
with a compartment for the rear brakeman (hence the
vestibule and single coach window).
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Location: Northwest Railway Museum
Snoqualmie - North Bend, WA
Type: Rider-storage mail car
Series: 475-486
Built: Converted December 1948 at the St. Cloud Shops.
Picture taken: Date unknown. Courtesy Richard S. Wilkens
Remarks: This baggage car is part of an unique series of
baggage-rider cars on the GN. Converted from Pullman
Sleepers they were used for mail storage on the end of
certain trains like the Western Star and were equipped
with a compartment for the rear brakeman (hence the
vestibule and single coach window).
GN 485 was built by the Pullman Car & Manufacturing
Co. in 1921, Lot 4624, Plan 2411C, as Pullman Co.
Sleeping Car EPICURUS. In September 1941 the car
was changed to Pullman Tourist Sleeping Car #1056,
the number it would hold for the next seven years.
After World War Two Pullman was suffering from a glut
of older heavyweight sleeping cars and a number were
sold to the Great Northern for conversion to baggage,
mail storage, dormitory, rules, and work service.
In March 1948 GN acquired TS #1056 and in December
1948 after conversion work the car emerged as GN
Baggage Car #485. Work consisted of welding over the
vestibule doors and side windows, removal of the
interior, and installation of a desk and coal stove. The
car lasted in regular service in to the creation of
Burlington Northern in 1970 and was one of the few
cars to receive the Great Northern Big Sky Blue paint
scheme. With the forming of Amtrak in May 1971 the
cars revenue service days were over and in 1972 the
car was assigned maintenance of way number
BN 968060, but this number was changed to BN 950190
in the same year. Retired from BN in 1986 the car was
purchased by the Northwest Railway Museum.
(History kindly provided by Richard S. Wilkens)
Number history: Pullman Co. EPICURUS
- Sleeping Car (1921-1941)
Pullman Co. #1056
- Tourist Sleeping Car (1941-1948)
Great Northern #485
- Baggage Car (1948-1970)
Burlington Northern GN #485
- Baggage Car (1970-1972)
Burlington Northern BN 968060
- Work Service 1972
Burlington Northern BN 950190
- Work Service (1972-1986)