The New Haven RR Image Page -- The Streamlined Coaches

THE IMAGE PAGE

The 'image page' is where we put a changing variety of New Haven Railroad photographs and advertising material for you to enjoy. Be sure to check back here often because we plan to refresh these images on a regular basis.

The Streamlined Coaches

November 1st, 2001

The New Haven Railroad ordered 180 new passenger cars from Pullman-Standard during late 1945 and early 1946 to fully re-equip its highest class intercity trains and better prepare the railroad to compete against the automobile and airliner in the immediate postwar era. The majority of these new stainless steel sided cars, 103 in all, were coaches. These coaches, which were numbered 8600 through 8702, were delivered in several batches during 1947 and 1948. The postwar coaches were the workhorses of the New Haven's passenger fleet through the Penn Central merger. Although Amtrak did not elect to take any of these cars for its intercity fleet in 1971, many continued to soldier on in suburban service for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, and the Metro North Commuter Railroad through the 1980s. All items from the collection of Marc Frattasio.

The New Haven's postwar coaches were equipped with Haywood-Wakefield reclining seats. These seats were upholstered in dark blue mohair fabric. Linen head rest covers decorated with a blue "script" monogram were used up through 1954 or 1955, at which time the coach seats were fitted with permanent vinyl slipcovers.

Each postwar coach carried its number on a pair of stainless steel plaques, one per side. A red stripe under the number, as seen here, indicated that the car had been refurbished.

As delivered, the postwar coaches were decorated with hunter green window bands and black "script" monograms on square stainless steel plaques. Each car had four of these plaques, two per side, centered over its trucks. The "script" monograms were actually etched into the metal using acid or a sandblasting process to help the paint adhere to the otherwise smooth stainless steel surface.

The McGinnis administration introduced a new corporate color scheme and logo during late 1954. The postwar coaches swapped their hunter green window bands for red-orange and their "script" monograms for the new "NH" logo during the summer of 1955. The "NH" logo was painted on the side opposite the "script" monogram. Thus, most plaques found today have the older "script" monogram (which was protected from exposure) instead of the "NH".

This is a paper towel holder from a postwar coach's washroom. The decorative "script" monogram was actually engraved into the stainless steel plate and then painted hunter green.

Each postwar coach had a stainless steel builder's plate, like this example, fixed to one of the bulkheads inside its passenger compartment.

This unique wooden display was hung up at a passenger station or ticket office during the late 1940s to promote the new postwar coaches.

The New Haven placed full-page advertisements such as this one in magazines and newspapers to promote its new coaches and other passenger equipment. This advertisement was run in Railway Age magazine in 1946, some time before any of these cars had actually been delivered to the railroad.