Rolling Stock

n September of 1910, the American Car & Foundry Company completed construction of No. 1062, one of twelve 60-seat coaches numbered No. 1052 through No. 1063, lot No. 5522. The new cars were built for the St. Louis - San Francisco Railway (SLSF), better known as Frisco Lines. The new all-steel construction coach was a type of passenger car which would be known as a heavyweight car. Heavyweight cars had a steel frame, sides, and roof and thus rode more smoothly than earlier wooden coaches with truss-rod bracing. The brand-new No. 1062 offered Frisco passengers the latest in coach passenger comfort.

When the Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum began operations on the Calera & Shelby Railroad in the fall of 1994, the No. 1062 returned to duty in regular passenger service, although as an open-window coach. In recent years the windows and upholstery were replaced. The No. 1062 has now been hauling passengers for over 100 years. One wonders how many passenger miles the car has accumulated over its long life: 57 of those years for the Frisco and over 43 more with the Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum. It is hoped that the car will be maintained and continue to operate and tell its story well into the 21st Century. With proper care, perhaps the car will someday celebrate its second centennial!

Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum

hair car No. 2931 was ordered by the Santa Fe for use on their train the EL CAPITAN. The EL CAPITAN was America’s first and only deluxe all-chair-car transcontinental train. The train ran from Chicago to Los Angeles in only thirty-nine hours and forty-five minutes. The term Chair car is intentionally used in place of the term "coach" because a chair car was specifically designed for long distance travel, had full extending leg rests, and the seat backs reclined fully. In most cases, a typical coach may lack leg rests, only have a footrest and only limited adjustment to the seat back. The Santa Fe, intended this to be on long distance trains for the duration of its life and therefore it was referred to as a Chair Car. The El Capitan was the only all-coach or "chair car" (non-Pullman sleeper) to operate on the Santa Fe main line between Chicago and Los Angeles. It ran on the same fast schedule as the railroad's premier all-Pullman Super Chief.

Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum

Boxcars 9003, 9004 and 9007 were acquired from the Chattahoochee Valley Railroad in 1992. They have a maximum weight capacity of 116,000, 110,000, and 110,000 respectively. No. 9003 and 9007 hold 4,923 cubic feet of cargo while 9004 holds 4,918. Each boxcar is 50' in length. They were built between January and February of 1962 for the Atlantic Coast Line as 32353, 32257, and 32253. Later, following the merger of the Seaboard Air Line Railroad with the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad to form the Seaboard Coast Line, these three cars were renumbered ,adding a six before the original number, as SCL 632353, SCL 632257, and SCL 632253.

In 1983, SCL 632353, SCL 632257, and SCL 632253 along with several other cars, were acquired by the Chattahoochee Valley Railway which renumbered the cars CHV 9003, CHV 9004 and CHV 9007 which are the numbers they still wear today. As the Chattahoochee Valley Railway's older 40' boxcars began to wear out, they purchased several 50' boxcars from nearby railroads or from companies that specialized in rebuilding freight cars.

In October of 1992, the Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum acquired 9003, 9004 and 9007. They are primarily used for onsite storage and have proven quite useful in their retirement.

Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum