Review - Golden Gate Depot (Part 2) - 60ft Harriman Business

Last year, in August 2016, with much chatter on the various groups about the pre-production publicity photos on Golden Gate Depot's website announcing five newly tooled Harriman Passenger Car models in HO and O-scales.  In the 'Golden Gate Depot's New "Harriman" Cars - Thoughts on the prototype cars' blog I covered the prototype information on the various models that Golden Gate Depot were announcing via their photos of other models.

Golden Gate Depot's new "Harriman" passenger cars in HO scale

A couple of weeks ago I received an offer from Golden Gate Depot to do a review for this blog of the five (5) carbody styles using a set of six pilot models.  Golden Gate Depot is offering these cars for sale both in a 6-car set (reviewed here) and single cars.  The MSRP $539.95 for 6 car set and
MSRP $89.95 per car individually.  All of the cars reviewed are painted in the Southern Pacific (SPG) Dark Olive Green with Delux Gold lettering, which is correct for cars painted after June 1946.  Some car types are offered with up to six different numbers applied.

I will be using the Southern Pacific Historical & Technical Society Passenger Car books, Volumes 1 (Coaches & Chair Cars) and 3 (Headend Cars - Baggage and Railway Post Office), and photos of other models from various manufactures as references relating to prototype measurements and details.  ** I do not consider myself to be one of the "True Experts in SP passenger cars", because other than what I've read in the books listed above and other publicly available information used to gauge these models by I don't have any extra resources than any serious modeler of the SP and passenger equipment of 2012-2017+ should have.

In 'Review - Golden Gate Depot (Part 1) - 60ft Harriman Coaches' I covered the new Coaches from GGD.  In this post I turn my attention to the SP 109, advertised as a 60ft 'Business' car.

Left side of the Golden Gate Depot SP 109 "Business Car".

The SP usually went for longer cars to be used as Business cars.  One of these cars went to the NWP to be used as their business car, becoming the NWP 06 "Redwood".  The T&NO had a couple of cars of this length as well.  I'll cover more of this below dealing with the interior.

Golden Gate Depot '60ft Business Car #1"

Mechanical

This model generally follows the same mechanical arrangements as seen in Part 1.  The length is the same on the 60ft Business car model as the 60ft Coaches.  The main visual differences being that this car has the open 'observation' platform to the rear with the safety gate and rails surrounding it.  Also the car has the 'painted over' transom windows instead of the 'patched over' look which the Golden Gate Depot 60ft Coaches have.

Historical Info

I've not had a chance to look in SP Passenger Cars Vol.5 and no steel 60ft Observation cars show up there.  So this car might be covered in SP Passenger Cars Vol.6 - Business cars, which I do not have a copy of on hand.  The Common Standard Passenger Train Cars Southern Pacific Lines, March 1, 1933 doesn't have anything on this type of car either.  John Ruehle provided me with the following information and photos from his heavily modified Soho Sp 109 project.

Originally a 60-C-8 coach, SP 109 was rebuilt and became the T&NO 992, "Dallas" business car in 1922.  The T&NO rebuilt several cars of this same plan into business cars for the T&NO.  Some migrated west to the Pacific Lines over the years.  SP 109 spent some time on the San Joaquin Division, and for a short time wore the name "San Joaquin" while based out of Bakersfield and Fresno.

Also most SP business cars had a couple of sleeping compartments, at least one for the official who the car was assigned to.  Often a couple of other compartments were provided for the cook and an assistant or two for the official.

John Ruehle was kind enough to send me three photos of his highly modified SP 109, circa 1962.

Right side of SP 109, circa 1962. - John Ruehle photo, used with permission.

From the SP Business Car book, these cars once converted from the 60-C-8 coaches always were configured as business cars.  This included a kitchen and crew quarters in the front right corner of the car.  The paired windows on the right side were sleeping compartments for the Officers who used the car.  Often a couple of other compartments were provided for the cook and an assistant or two for the official. 

Dining Room of the ex-CN Business car, now Private Car 'Tioga Pass', looking forward. - Jason Hill Photo October 20. 2017.

On the SP 109, there was a dining room and table mid-car, which could also be used to look over engineering drawings.  The lounge and observation section of the car is located inside the rear sets of windows (on both sides of the car).  This area usually includes very comfortable parlor-chairs and couches for inspection trips of the railroad and general meeting space for conducting business.

Left side of SP 109, circa 1962. - John Ruehle photo, used with permission.

The left side of the car was basically covered in the old coach windows, adjacent to the isle the length of the car from the lounge in the rear up to the forward end opposite the kitchen accessing the vestibule.

Roof & End Details

The SP 109 model has square "Utility" style roof vents, which differ from the 60-C-5 coaches, and is correct for the 60-C-8 origins of the SP 109.  There is also a a simple centerline conduit for the electric lighting.

End view of the Golden Gate Depot SP 109.

The end railing and windows are decently molded.  There is a striker plate at the rear of the platform to land the lower part of another passenger car diaphragm if this car was running in the middle of a passenger train.  The Steam and Air/Signal lines are also visible in this view.  Because of the moving coupler box, they are set outboard of the usual location for them.

The roof of the GGD car (above) seems to match fairly well with John Ruehle's super-detailed model (below). 

Roof of SP 109, circa 1962. - John Ruehle photo, used with permission.

Interior of GGD Car

Moving over to the GGD model, the right side of the SP 109 is more interesting than the left side in terms of the car's interior furnishings.

Right side of Golden Gate Depot's 60ft 'Business' Car

The right side of the car has what would appear to be bathrooms or very narrow (not even to the center isle) compartments (which should be the kitchen & crew space) at the front right corner of the car.  These compartments however do not cross the center isle as they should.  In the middle of the car there is also an annex (toilet) compartment.  However instead of a 'business car' arrangement for the interior as described above, the rest of the car is full of rearward facing bench seating.

Up close details of the Golden Gate Depot SP 109 'Business' Car

I'm not sure where GGD came up with this floor plan for the car.  From what research I've been able to do with the help of several other people looking in the SP Passenger Cars Vol.6 Business Car book, by SPH&TS, it would seem that the SP 109 and her sister cars never hand an interior anywhere near this configuration.

Conclusions - GGD 60ft 'Business Car'

Rear view of Golden Gate Depot, SP 109

Given the oddity of the prototype of this car, I have to wonder if Golden Gate Depot was simply looking for the 'sterotypical' consist of cars in the trainset: Mail Car, Baggage Car, Coaches, Food Car, Observation Car.  I suppose with some kitbashing of the interior this model could be rearranged to be configured more like a business car.  I would say right now it's more of a 'viewing' coach-observation type configuration.

In 'Review - Golden Gate Depot (Part 3)', I take a close look at the All-Day-Lunch car.

Jason Hill

Links to Related Articles:

Thoughts on New Golden Gate Depot "Harriman" Cars (August 2016 - Announcement)

Review - Golden Gate Depot (Part 1) - 60ft Harriman Coaches

Review - Golden Gate Depot (Part 3) - 60ft Harriman All-Day-Lunch

Review - Golden Gate Depot (Part 4) - 70ft Harriman Baggage, RPO-Baggage, & Conclusions

Modeling Index of SP Heavyweight Passenger Classes - General index of SP passenger car models.