Victor Baird asked:
"I know the B&O and the Wabash did it. The B&O covered M26 box cars and the
Wabash convered single sheath wood cars. Perhaps the PRR and who else did this?"
 
PRR definitely did, all from automobile boxcars as they became obsolete:
Class X24 to Class K7A (HO - BLI)
Class X32 and subclasses to Class K9 (HO - Bowser)
Class X31 and subclasses to Class K11 (HO - Bowser)
 
In addition, Wabash did similiar conversions from secondhand PRR 50 ft
automobile boxcars.
 
Other roads in the eastern US converting boxcars into stock cars include B&M
(from XM-1 SS boxcars), N&W, and Erie.
 
 
"I suppose unlike western railroads, eastern roads did not warrant capital
expenditures on new cars for this dwindling traffic?"
 
The reason why the Pennsy converted the Class K9 and K11 was that the railroad
significantly GAINED stock traffic.  Early Truc-Train service from
Chicago tended to be light on tonnage, so cuts of stock cars were added to the
trains.  Once the word got out that the railroad could knock enough time off the
schedule to eliminate the requirement for a feed and water stop in Pittsburgh,
the shippers jumped on this service.  The Pennsy soon added "NF" symbol stock
trains to the schedule, but lacked the equipment to cover the new traffic.  The
railroad actrually wanted to purchase new stock cars (Class K10) but chose
instead to convert the automobile boxcars instead.
 
See Richard Burg's "The Last Stand of Stock Cars in the East" in the January
1993 issue of RMC for more information.
 
 
"Or, did some western roads convert cars too?"
 
At least one - GN converted DS boxcars into stock cars as modeled by the
Accurail 4700 series kits.
 
 
Ben Hom

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