Looking at a Youngstown Steel Door Co. ad on the rear cover of the June 17, 1937 issue of Railway Age shows PMcK&Y USRA single-sheathed box car number S-81290 before and after rebuilding. If it is, indeed, the same car it has been renumbered 83400 when rebuilt. The ad claims the rebuilt car is 4" higher and 3" wider.
When rebuilding the car would the truss members be left in place? Reused somehow? Discarded with a new structure attached to the side sill?
Three inches extra width is approximately the thickness of the original wooden sides. Surely the rebuilt car is double-sheathed.
How did the car get wider?
What does the "S-" in the original number represent? I am sure I am not the first to ask this question but I couldn't find an answer in the archives. Searching for "NYC" plus "S-" yields every message containing NYC and any word beginning with the letter S.
Would any of the original single-sheathed USRA box cars on the NYC (any number series) have survived until 1950 without being rebuilt?
Would the paint scheme on the rebuilt car have survived from 1934 rebuilding all the way to scrapping? The picture shows pretty standard lettering with the PMcK&Y reporting marks and a New York Central Lines herald with the box car color as the background color. A lot number that is almost legible is above the herald.
Sorry for such a long message. Should I post a scan of the ad somewhere?
