Dave, I hope someone more knowledgeable than I will be able to report on what railroad prototype was used for making the Chester or JC Models cars. But I doubt they were based on the Southern Crescent cars. Chester and JC Models cars have ACF fluting. I have seen them described as Pullman Standard sides but this is incorrect. The prototype cars on the Crescent, including those that survived to operate on the Southern Crescent in the 1970s, were primarily Pullman Standard and Budd cars. Southern did have two ACF Baggage Dorm cars (710,711), built for the Crescent that survived into the Southern Crescent era. Plus there was an ACF Baggage-mail car (3589) built for the Royal Palm that was occasionally used on the Southern Crescent. Some of the Chester/JC Models sides could have been based on those cars. Southern also used at least three ACF coaches on the Southern Crescent that had been built for the Royal Palm. But most of the coaches on the Southern Crescent were Budd or PS cars. All of the dining cars on the Southern Crescent were Budd cars. The window arrangements on the Chester/JC Models dining cars were very close to the Budd prototypes, but again, the fluting of the Chester models was ACF. I really wonder if the Chester JC Models car sides were based on any one railroad. But I would like to know. Maybe someone else can chime in. - Earl Henry, Nashville In a message dated 9/28/2013 9:33:47 P.M. Central Daylight Time, riroc...@att.net writes:
I have surmised for many years that the old Chester streamlined cars with the stamped aluminum sides were patterned after the cars of the SOU's Southern Crescent passenger train. Are there any known exceptions to this? Dave Engle
