A friend recently sent me these pictures of two classic roadside diners in Arkansas. They were taken in the early 1960's by the late Earl Saunders. (As usual, these images are copyright and may not be reproduced without authorization, etc.) In both cases, the original identity of the cars is unknown, so please take out your detective caps and let's get to work!
Pine Bluff
Enough advertising signs for you? Hidden behind them appears to be an unusual rapid transit or excursion car of some sort, #572. Can anyone identify it? The (nameless) diner itself was demolished some time in the 1970's.DeValls Bluff
The Coffee Cup was located in downtown DeValls Bluff, which was also a station on the Rock Island. It was razed in the 1980's. This car reminds me of the original cars built for the Brooklyn Bridge, as implausible as that seems. But there were no rapid transit lines in Arkansas, so anything's possible.
Update: That didn't take long! Bill Wall has the answers:
And see the comments for links to pictures that are exact matches. Problem solved!
Update: That didn't take long! Bill Wall has the answers:
The two cars you have as diners in your blog are ex Manhattan Elevated cars that were sold off in 1942 for use around the country during World War 2. I believe there was an arsenal at Pine Bluff that used these cars, and they wound up all over the country, including some (original composite construction subway cars) that wound up on the Illinois Terminal. All were locomotive hauled, with the exception of the famous Shipyard Railway in California (of which Bay Area has two cars).
Anyway, 572 is a trailer car built in 1878 for the Metropolitan Elevated (later Manhattan Railway, then IRT) that was used until 1940.
The other unknown car is also a Manhattan Railway trailer, early 1880’s, built by either Pullman or Bowers Dure. There were several deliveries spread out over a number of years, so without a car number it is tough to say which one is which. These were also retired in 1940.
1940 was the year the 2nd Avenue el closed above 59th Street and the 9th Avenue el closed except for one short remnant, which rendered the cars surplus.
Hope that clears up the mystery. 572 looked pretty decent as a carbody in those photos.
Bill Wall
Branford and NYCT.
