IN THE YARDS PT 15

A new Engineering Department car has shown up in Hillsdale!

Car 30 is an old, WW2 troop sleeper, that was purchased after the war and converted into a dynamometer car. A dynamometer car is used to help test a locomotive's performance in service. When the APRR began dieselizing during the 50's, the car was used to test the various demonstrator locomotives produced by the builders; the results led to purchasing decisions. Today, the car still tests locomotive perfomances -and it still has its Allied full cushion trucks, which were banned in interchange service soon after the war!

Painted Engineering Blue with white roof, the car stands out. Note the recently applied yellow conspicuity striping. Underneath, from left to right, are the water tank, equipment box, and battery box. On the roof, the smokejack for the heater is in the center, two vents are on either end, and the exhaust for the diesel generator is on the left end. A bay window allows the engineer to observe track conditions while in motion.

Car 30 is coupled to Sewalls Point in the yard.

A group of crewmen walk past Car 30, on their way to a pair of crew changes with two passing trains.

All three area engineering cars are here.The local engineers are glad to see Car 30 show up; unlike the other two cars, it has beds and a kitchen! Given Hillsdale's location in south western Pennsylvania, this is a good place to test engines and other equipment; if it fails the repair shops are in nearby Cumberland, Md.!