This past weekend, I had the pleasure of meeting Dwight Smith, formerly
associated with the B&M, Springfield Terminal, and Conway Scenic Railroads.
From February of 1952 until the Suncook Valley Railroad's demise in December of
that year, he also lived a very short distance from that line's Allenstown
station, keenly aware of it's operations, helping to document its history in
various ways, and even commuting to the B&M's Concord offices on a folding
chair in the SV's baggage compartment on days his wife wanted to use the
company car!
Upon questioning him about the line's customers at that time, among other
tidbits, he stated that a grain dealer in Pittsfield, NH, regularly received
loaded cars from the Park & Pollard Company of Buffalo, NY. This is the same
entity as the P&P Car line, reporting marks PRKX. Dwight stated that these
cars were refurbished ex-MDT wood reefers, which Roger Hinman's recent article
corroborates, now intended for grain service.
While the 7/31 ORER lists 4 series of what are obviously not (at least) MDT
"M4" design cars, the 1/40 ORER shows series 600-699 and 700-799, 200 cars
total, with the 10/51 adding series 800-899, (cars respectively now: 31, 23,
55, total 109,) all with MDT-like dimensions, excepting the fact that only an
IL for bulkheads collapsed is reported.
To get to the point of this now long winded message, I'm unable to find
among my resources at home any photographic record of PRKX ex-MDT cars. Has
anyone ever seen pictures of these cars? I'm sitting here wondering if they
bought old reefers so that they could load the grain through the hatches. I
can imagine them quite suitable for grain service, with those tight reefer
doors, and low initial investment due to their second hand status. With a 40
ton capacity, and 2516 cuft and 2598 cuft (800 series) of volume, they would
tare out prior to cubing out (wheat: 120768 and 124704 lbs lading if overloaded
to volumetric capy.)

Earl Tuson

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