Did SOU ever own a dynamometer car? If so, are there any models available or resembling it, like the HO Walthers car?

-- Marty Flick (Golddenim@insight.rr.com), November 05, 2002

Answers

Marty,

Southern Railway owned at least two dynamometer cars built by Lenoir Cars Works (owned by Southern), Lenoir City, TN, in 1915 for $15,400 each. They were numbered 1 and 2, though listed in a 1916 ICC Valuation as D1 and D2. One car was used on Eastern Lines and one on Western Lines. I suppose that Central Lines could use either. The Eastern car was stationed at Charlottesville, VA. A CNO&TP dispatcher, now deceased, told me that they were burned at Coster Shop in Knoxville in early twenties. Southern sources found that Coster Shop Building 2C-58 was burned on 11-9-1920. Southern News Bulletin of June 1916 ran an article on the cars with a picture of number 2. I have never seen any other picture of these cars. No other dynamometer cars were built. The Southern used EMD's car at least once.

-- J. Marvin Black (sr6100diesel@bigfoot.com), March 15, 2003.