Our heavyweight coaches were originally built for the Canadian National Railway and used in regular mainline service. Built between 1919 and 1923, many were retro-fitted with ice-cooled air conditioning in the late 1930s. The cars were regularly used on trains between Montreal and New England cities such as Boston, Portland, Maine, and Springfield, Mass. After being replaced in the early 1960s by modern passenger coaches, they settled into their new role in Montreal commuter service starting around 1969-1970. Each car is 82 ft. long, average weight w/o A/C is 145,000 lbs each. After serving a long career in Montreal, the coaches were retired and put up for sale in 1991. The cars currently serving on the Naugatuck Railroad were donated to RMNE by benefactor Thomas V.G. Brown in 1997. Cars 5046, 6608, 4952, 4962, 6606 arrived in Waterbury in 1996, the rest came in 1997. Because the coaches are equipped with roller bearing trucks, they were able to have a starring role in a major motion picture production that required a shoot in Grand Central Terminal. As time and resources permit, each coach will be restored to its mid-century appearance and painted standard CN #13 Coach Green, carrying their original numbers again.The list of CNR coaches, by current NAUG numbers:
4952, built 5-1920, CC&F, orig number 7294, stored
4980, built 1924, CC&F, orig number 5072
4990, built 1927, NSC, orig number 5114
4992, built 1927, NSC, orig number 5089
5046, built 1923, CC&F
5805, built 1923, CC&F, divided 1st & 2nd class, under restoration
6606, built 1923, CC&F, divided coach & smoker, stored
6608, built 1923, CC&F, divided coach & smoker, stored
CC&F: Canadian Car & Foundry
NSC: National Steel Car
