Chicago Burlington & Quincy Railroad class PMC (Passenger Motor Car) 9735 at Macomb, Illinois on an unknown day in August 1960, Kodachrome by Dick Rumbolz, Chuck Zeiler collection. The body was built by Pullman in March 1929 as CB&Q 735, it was renumbered 9735 in April 1930, classed as ED-3-C in CB&Q documents. Pullman fabricated the carbody, giving it their builder's number 6203. Electro-Motive Corporation added the electrical and mechanical components and affixed their builder's number 343. Its original gasoline engine was probably rated at 275 h.p. In 1949, 9735 was upgraded to a 400 h.p. Lima-Hamilton diesel engine, although a drawing published in Bernard Corbin's book, "The Burlington In Transition" specifies an Electro-Motive 400 h.p. power plant. Sometime after June 1952, the boxy radiator over the cab was replaced by a smooth hump in the roof. Most of the 50's and 60's it spent in Illinois towns like Galesburg, Bushnell, and Macomb. Although many PMC's had passenger seating, 9735 never did - its interior is entirely devoted to a 30 foot baggage section and 15 foot mail apartment, and a 15 foot power/control section. Photos of other PMC's show them pulling standard coaches for extra capacity. CB&Q PMC's have also been photographed puling short freight trains and pushing wedge plows to clear snow drifts. Number 9735 was retired in 1967, the last operating CB&Q PMC, and was sold to Southern Industrial in June of 1969. It was acquired by the Minnesota Transportation Museum in 1984. |