--- In STMFC@..., "benjaminfrank_hom" <b.hom@...> wrote:

Frank Bongiovanni wrote:
"It's an open question as to whether or not [any leased PRR Class
H21A hoppers] were ever lettered for Virginian. Yes, Bowser did
them, but there's also been information that the lettering scheme w

<snip>

Do you know of any company source material (memoranda, car records,
etc.) detailing the lease? They'll give a more complete picture than
just the ORER listings at least.

Frank, Ben,

The only reference I have seen is contained in the VGN's 1944 Annual
Report: "To take care of immediate needs, 1,000 coal cars were rented
from the Pennsylvania Railroad during 1943. The return of these cars
at the request of the owners (sic) was accomplished during 1944."

In its Annual Reports each year the VGN would comment on changes in
its equipment. Thus there are references to significant coal car
building and rebuilding programs during the war years, but the above
is the only reference to the PRR lease...or to any lease.

Those reports also include tables showing the number of cars in each
class at the end of the year. In the 1941 Annual Report the table
shows 428 50- and 55-ton coal cars leased from "SBPX" in 1940 and
purchased in 1941. However, the same tables for 1943 and 1944 have no
references to the cars leased from the PRR. Why would one lease be
mentioned and another omitted? Perhaps the lease from PRR was of very
short duration. Perhaps the SBPX cars were listed because they were
purchased in 1941. In other words, maybe leased equipment was never
listed, only mentioned in the comments section.

While I ave been told by someone in whom I have great faith that he
has seen a photo of a PRR H21 in VGN lettering, I have been unable to
find such a photo. And if the lease were so short-lived that the
addition didn't make the equipemnt table, then I wonder if they were
ever relettered VGN.

Just another of those mysteries that have great interest to a very few
people! <g>

Bill McClure
Richmond