THE PULLMAN PROJECT

Heavyweight Pullman Vestibule Steps

Copyright 2001 – 2010 Thomas C. Madden

Pullman sleepers were equipped with three-tread vestibule steps until the construction of lot 4868 in 1925. This first lot of Plan 3410A 12-1 sleepers featured four-tread steps, and these henceforth became standard equipment on all new heavyweights. Older cars rebuilt or upgraded after 1925 received four-tread steps as a matter of course.

The vestibule step data field wasn't added to Pullman's Car Construction Records until sometime in the 1930s. As a result, any car that had four-tread steps when the field was added shows <4-tread> on the CCR, whether this was original equipment or an upgrade. Cars built before lot 4868 that show 4-tread on the CCR are <3T; 4T (nd)> in their CCR database record. ("nd" = "no date", i.e. the date can't be determined.) The change is dated if it occurred after the field was added to the CCR.

Here is the difference between three-tread and four-tread steps:

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Tom Madden

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