BACKGROUND

"In an unprecedented flood of orders for head end equipment, Pullman Standard received orders totaling 250 baggage cars from the Santa Fe between May 1955 and December 1963.  These cars were desperately needed to replace aging heavyweight cars.  The new smooth side cars were ordered as shells only and delivered to the Santa Fe for completion in their Topeka Shops....The delivery of these cars marked the end of an era, the Santa Fe was never to obtain any more passenger equipment from PS."  (The Official Pullman-Standard Library, Vol. 1, Santa Fe, page 162¹⁵.)

"Depending on the service to which they were assigned, some were painted gray [with black roofs] while others were painted aluminum."  (Head End Cars of the Santa Fe, page 153¹.)  Underbodies and trucks were silver.

The table here records color by car number based on photos of the actual cars.  The year that the various groups of cars were placed in service is also included.  Let me know at ggreen@inreach.com if you find an error or have more information that can be added.

I intended to include information about the "white stripe" that shows in photos below the windows on the doors.  Examining the photos in the Priest's Santa Fe Heritage, Vol. 4¹⁷, I wondered if what was seen in the photos was truly a white stripe.  The conclusion is that it wasn't.  Some expert comment included:

Charlie Slater:   I think that is just the way the light is reflecting off that metal strip on the door. I do not remember any white stripes on the doors.

Dennis Kogan:  Charley's right!  I rode in a couple of these cars on excursions back in the '60s.  That is not a painted stripe.  It is a strip of stainless steel affixed to the car door with flat-head screws.  It is a common feature on other classes of Santa Fe baggage cars as well.

Its purpose is just as Charley states --- to protect the outer surface of the baggage door from being scratched or abraded as the door was being opened or closed.  These doors hung from overhead tracks, and had no direct contact with the floor below.  For this reason, they had a slight "swing" to them as they were being opened or closed.  These metal "buffer" strips, as we might call them, rubbed up against some sort of a padding material or roller (I can't quite remember) on the inside wall of the car as the door was being opened or closed which prevented the outer surface of the door from coming into direct contact with the inside wall of the car or the door frame as this slight "swinging" action occurred. 

When these semi-lightweight baggage cars were re-painted, these strips were usually painted over.  But then, through the contact of use as described above, these strips gradually became more visible as the paint wore off.  This is why these strips seem to be very apparent in some photos, yet not apparent at all in others.

I have highlighted the car number when both colors have been reported for a car.  I've also included multiple entries for a car to preserve detailed information such as photo dates and page references.  The numbering of the contents of the notes section generally reflects the order in which documentation became available.

Photos of many of the cars can be purchased from Stan Kistler.³