New Haven coaches 8286, 8341

Built by the Osgood-Bradley Division of Pullman-Standard at Worcester, Mass. in November 1936 (8286) and September (8341) 1937 as 92-seat streamlined coaches. These cars are familiar to many a former New Haven passenger as the 205-car fleet remained in service throughout the system until the coming of Amtrak in 1971. Designed in 1934, these landmark cars were the first production lightweight streamlined passenger cars in the U.S. Similar cars served the B&M, Bangor & Aroostook, Seaboard and Lehigh Valley. In more recent years this series has been called the “American Flyer Cars” after the many models of the fleet produced by the New Haven-based A.C. Gilbert Company. A rebuilding program for some of these cars was begun after the Penn Central takeover in 1969, and work on these had just started when the 8341 was pulled from the program. The car was set aside for scrapping and then donated by the Schiavone Company to the RMNE in 1976. 8286 was assigned a PC number (2232) in 1969, used by Penn Central and Conrail in work service at Selkirk, NY, and was purchased by the Museum in 1988. Currently awaiting movement to the Naugatuck Railroad.