Detailed information on the fleet of Ahnapee & Western boxcars which were acquired by the Crab Orchard & Egyptian Railroad in the 1980s.
The Crab Orchard & Egyptian (CO&E) acquired 25 of the Ahnapee & Western's 4000- series double door boxcars in the 1980s. All of the CO&E cars had small stenciling for NOR 6-83 and 11-83 where the "NEW" date would be stenciled. When the cars were sold in March 1984, the GB&W Norwood shops covered the large AHW logo with bright orange paint. The first two cars to arrive on the CO&E received logos, but the remainder were put into service without them. The cars are now roaming the country re-lettered for McCloud River (MR) railroad, along with many of the other AHW 4000- series cars. Edward Bridges, the unofficial historian of the Crab Orchard & Egyptian Railroad who is also modeling the railroad in N gauge, personally researched each car while he was an employee of the CO&E. The AHW numbers were verified by carefully looking at the re-stenciled number to make out the outline of the old number. The following is a car by car list of all 25 CO&E boxcars. Hopefully Edward will get us a picture of the CO&E version of the cars soon.
AHW
Number |
COER
Number |
NOR
Date |
BLT
Date |
Notes |
4000 |
1417 |
|
12-77 |
|
4001 |
1418 |
6-83 |
12-77 |
|
4002 |
1423 |
11-83 |
12-77 |
|
4013 |
1419 |
|
12-77 |
|
4014 |
1400 |
11-83 |
12-77 |
|
4017 |
1413 |
11-83 |
1-78 |
|
4021 |
1420 |
|
12-77 |
|
4024 |
1414 |
|
12-77 |
|
4027 |
1404 |
11-83 |
12-77 |
|
4028 |
1405 |
|
12-77 |
|
4036 |
1412 |
11-83 |
1-78 |
|
4037 |
1406 |
|
12-77 |
|
4042 |
1407 |
11-83 |
12-77 |
|
4047 |
1401 |
6-83 |
12-77 |
|
4049 |
1422 |
|
1-78 |
|
4058 |
1408 |
11-83 |
1-78 |
Received CO&E heralds. |
4059 |
1424 |
6-83 |
12-77 |
|
4061 |
1409 |
|
1-78 |
|
4065 |
1410 |
|
1-78 |
|
4066 |
1402 |
|
1-78 |
|
4067 |
1415 |
6-83 |
1-78 |
|
4077 |
1411 |
|
1-78 |
|
4086 |
1421 |
|
1-78 |
|
4096 |
1403 |
|
1-78 |
|
4097 |
1416 |
|
1-78 |
Received CO&E heralds. This car has Superior doors on one side of car, Youngstown doors on the other. (All cars were originally equipped with Youngstown doors.) |
AHW
Number |
COER
Number |
NOR
Date |
BLT
Date |
Notes |
COER Boxcar Images: COER 1408 (Ex- AHW 4058)
COER 1415 (Ex- AHW 4067)
Edward Bridges photo, 1986 |