Southern Pacific Motor Car Page Quicklinks

The Gilded Era – #1, #3, #5, #7, #9, #11, #13, #15, #17 #19

Standardized and Simpler Times –  #21, #23, #25, #27, #29, #31, #33, #35, #37, #39, #41, #43, #45, #47, #49, #51, #53, #55, #57, #59, #61, #63, #65

McKeen Motor Cars on the Southern Pacific Co. Railroads

Photo Courtesy of The Boardmans & Browns of Winnipeg founder, Bonnie J. MacDonald http://boardmanbrown.wordpress.com/2012/04/19/vancouver-b-c-the-road-leads-west/

The photo has no markings, front or back, but because of the 55′ #31 Southern Pacific McKeen Car, I can tell that that car was built 8/1909 and so was its sisters #33 and 35.  But in this photo, the motor car in front of the #31 is the Oregon Short Line #480, and you can see its number if you look closely.  The 70′ behind the #31 is probably the Oregon Short Line #470 because of the window configuration. #31, #33, and #35 where 55′ 6″ which was an odd size; only two other 55’6″ McKeen Cars were the Maricopa & Phoenix Railroad #1 and 2, which later became the Arizona Eastern #1 and 2 and even later becoming the Southern Pacific #69 and 70.

Mystery #1

This negative turned up on ebay and it shows an unknown Southern Pacific 70′ McKeen Car with odd striping, possibly factory.  One other  car I know of had similar striping, the Bentonville McKeen Car. 

Photo Courtesy of the Guy L. Dunscomb Collection

Here are a few photos of the 6 car McKeen Train, which shows 6 Southern Pacific McKeen Cars being transported under their own power to Sacramento.

Photo Courtesy of the Guy L. Dunscomb Collection

Photo Courtesy of the Guy L. Dunscomb Collection

Photo Courtesy of the Guy L. Dunscomb Collection

Here is Design Plan #134 for a 55′, parabolic all passenger McKeen Car, like that used in the motor car’s #19, #21, #25, #27, #29, #31, #33, and #35.  The only exceptions to this are that #27 and #29 were sent back to the factory to become 70′ models, design plan #211

Design Plan for a 70′ Parabolic Mail/Baggage/Smoker/Passenger Motor car.  The S.P. and C.P. motor cars that had this design were S.P.- #37, #39, #43, #45, #47, #49, #51, and #53, while the C.P. Cars were #55, #57, #59, and #61.

Design Plan for a 55′, knife-edge nose, all passenger Motor car.  The S.P. had this design on #3, #5, #7, #9, #13, and #15 while the O&C (Oregon & California) had this design in car #41, and the C.P. had it in car #17.