Conrail 4 Office Car

Railroad Office CarsConrail OCSConrail 4
Written By Wes Reminder

Conrail OCS 4 - Amtrak 800356 - Observation Car

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Conrail 4, a former Southern Railway heavyweight office car was purchased by Conrail in 1983, a few months after Conrail 1 was purchased. Conrail 4 was purchased at a time when the Conrail OCS fleet was growing and evolving. Both of the Southern heavyweight cars replaced the original New York Central cars, which were both sold off and ended up with private owners. Another significant change occurring in the early 1980s was the removal of steam heat and the installation of Amtrak compatible 480-volt power.

Both Conrail 1 and Conrail 4 stayed relatively unchanged from their Southern days, other than cosmetic interior changes (like carpet, curtains, etc.). While the cars were basically the same, there are some differences between them. Some of the differences are:

  • Conrail 4 retained its Southern Railway style 6-pronged TV antenna (Conrail 1’s was removed).

  • Conrail 4 had its FRA approved Translite marker lights (originally model 4491) mounted to the roof edge. (Conrail 1 kept its 4491 marker lights). Conrail 3 and Conrail 5 also had this done.

  • Conrail 4 had one roof hatch (compared to Conrail 1 which had three).

  • Conrail 4 had a kitchen vent mounted above the kitchen (imagine that).

  • Conrail 4, during its Southern Railway days, had a marker light in the middle of the end gate on the observation platform. That circle remained without the marker until the last day of Conrail.

Conrail 4 had the same interior layout as Conrail 1, the only differences internally were cosmetic. Some of the interior differences:

  • Different style of wall sconces in the observation room.

  • Conrail 4 had a table with a lamp on it in the observation room.

  • Conrail 1 had photographs hanging on the fold down beds in the dining room, whereas Conrail 4 had no photographs hanging in it.

  • Carpet, couches, and chairs were all different than CR 1.

In summary, the cars were very similar. They also were both self-contained, meaning the 30KW Western Engines could keep those cars powered and operating completely on their own. If there was fuel in the tank, the cars would stay running indefinitely, even without a HEP power source.

Both cars also had a small room with bunk beds for the porters just in front of the kitchen and behind the dining room cabinet. The rooms were so small that they were rarely used for anything other than storage. The crew typically stayed in Conrail 11.

Let’s take a look at a brief history for Conrail 4:

Norfolk Southern 4 “Michigan - (6/1/99)

Conrail 4 - (4/26/83)

Southern 4 - (1980)

Southern 4 Tennessee - (5/29/1953)

Southern Tennessean - (12/51)

Pullman “Lexington” - (6/16/48)

Pullman “Portsmouth” - (3/8/27)

Conrail 4 (2nd) was built on March 8, 1927 as a 12 section, 1 drawing room Pullman sleeper named Portsmouth (Pullman Lot #6055, Plan #3410A). Thecar was renamed Lexington on June 16, 1948 before being sold to the Southern Railway in December of the same year. After three years of sleeper service, the Southern converted it into office car Tennessee in December of 1951. On May 29, 1953, it was numbered SOU 4 and initially retained its name. The name was removed in 1980, and the car was thereafter known simply as office car 4. The Tennessee was first assigned to Ernest E. Norris and later to W. M. King after the car was renumbered to SOU 4 in 1953. Conrail purchased the car on April 26, 1983 and numbered it 4.

Norfolk Southern acquired the car in the takeover on June 1, 1999 and kept the 4 but named it “Michigan.” It is interesting (and rare) that this car has used the number 4 since 1953. The former Conrail 4’s life as a two-bedroom observation car would be shorter lived that its number. Norfolk Southern 4 was seen at Pete Messina’s passenger car shop in Metairie, Louisiana in 2012. Photos of the car in the shop reveal significant patching, new window installation and configuration, blanked out observation end windows, and a whole new interior. In a conversation with Dennis Pennabaker in 2013, he confirmed that the car had been rebuilt to a 5-bedroom sleeper. The former Conrail 4 had returned to its 1948 sleeper roots (although much more elegant). As a side note, Pete Messina has done work on other Norfolk Southern business cars, including Wick’s Sandy Creek observation car.

According to Norfolk Southern documentation, “Michigan was refurbished in 2012 to a four-bedroom executive sleeper with private bathrooms and a crew room with a bunk.  The interior is all wood with a cherry finish.  Bathrooms are fitted with granite countertops and ceramic-tile floors and showers.  A satellite track-vision system will be installed with televisions in all five bedrooms.”

However, that's not the sole transformation the car has undergone since its Conrail days. In the spring of 2019, the former Conrail 4 had a significant alteration: over the winter, the observation end had been filled in, rendering it no longer an observation car. Fortunately, it still serves in executive capacity, and I hope it remains so for the foreseeable future.

For those interested in those heavyweight trucks found on Conrail 4 and many private cars today, here is some technical information found in my copies of the original office car data books.

  • Truck Class - K11XRSOU - 6 wheels - Roller Bearing size 5-1/2” x 10”

  • Brake Type - Clasp 2-1/2” Comp. Shoes

  • Brake Cylinder - Bushed 7” x 9”

  • Outside Swing Hangers

Conrail often gave out pins and other promotional materials to riders of their office car specials. This pin was given out on the 21st Century Express on 8/26/96.

Collection of Wes Reminder


If you are interested in Conrail passenger operations, read about how Conrail operated their OCS train, including stories from those with first hand knowledge. Check back soon for other Conrail Office Car articles by Wes Reminder.

- sources: Conrail trip booklets, Conrail Diagrams of Office and Research Cars, Norfolk Southern business train booklet, Norfolk Southern Facebook. Special thanks to Chip Syme for allowing me to use his photos. Thanks to the Conrail Historical Society for providing the images from Rob Palmer.

All images are © copyright Wes Reminder, Chip Syme, Steve Sullivan, Rich Frey, Charlie Murphy, Jr., and Rob Palmer and may not be used in print, web or any other use without permission.

Wes Reminder

https://www.the-boring-the-adoring.com/
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