Bill,

You wrote:

The 9000 series O&W box cars were near duplictaes of the Southern wood
boxcars with Hutchins style ends and two horizontal straps on each car
side running from the corner post to a point about 1/3 of the way to
the door.

The 5000 series box cars had wood ends with a horizontal re-inforcing
bar across the middle of the end. (FWIW, the remains of at least one
of these cars along with a pair of steel baggage cars, a pair of steel
RPO's and at least one caboose are rotting away in a scrap yard near
Scraton PA, way beyond any hope of restoration).

Because the New Haven purchased a controlling interest in the NYO&W in
October 1904, I suspect that the 36' SUF Boxcars of both the #5000 and
#9000 series were a design developed by the New Haven.

This would be entirely consistent with the way the New Haven imposed its
own 36' SUF boxcar design upon the B&M in 1910 for the construction of
B&M 1,500 car series #66788-68287 which superseded the B&M 36' SUF
design (2,500 cars within the B&M series #64680-66787 plus auto and VV
and SC cars). The New Haven design was slightly lighter than the B&M
design which became evident in the ORER's after 7/7 stamped steel ends
had replaced the original wooden ends in the mid-1920's - cubic capacity
for the steel-ended NH Haven design was 2,506 feet versus 2,542 for the
B&M design when the steel ends replaced the original wooden ends.

The photos which you cite of the NYO&W boxcars appear to be of cars with
"modified" ends - the original wooden end which had no exterior bracing
was modified with a Hutchens style ends - the same procedure probably
which the New Haven followed when they modified their wooden ends.

Tim Gilbert