ALTOONA, Pa. — The Railroaders Memorial Museum has acquired a former Pennsylvania Railroad baggage car for use in a planned exhibit train to accompany K4s No. 1361, currently undergoing restoration.
In a post on its Facebook page, the museum reports the car — a model B60b baggage car built in the 1920s — was donated by Railway Excursion Management Co., which acquired it from Amtrak in a late 2022 auction. The car had been in maintenance-of-way service at Amtrak’s Ivy City terminal in Washington, D.C., for decades before going to auction. Its exact history is uncertain, as the original car number is unknown, although it is believed to have carried No. 9004.
“We knew the car had an important value as an artifact, and it was in good enough shape to be saved for future restoration,” said Adam Auxier of RailExCo. “When searching for a new home, we reached out to FMW Solutions, and they connected the pieces with the RMM.”
A key to the effort was finding a place to store the car until it can be moved into the museum’s Altoona roundhouse for preservation. The Everett Railroad, a short line and heritage rail operation in nearby Holiidaysburg, has agreed to store the car in the interim.
“We were happy to lend a hand, and some track space, to provide it a temporary home,” said Everett Railroad President Alan Maples. “As with their other collaborators, the Everett Railroad is honored to play a small part in bolstering railroad preservation in Central Pennsylvania, and we value the chance to support this restoration project.”
Railroaders Memorial Museum Executive Director Joe DeFrancesco says the planned exhibit train to accompany No. 1361 “will not only help us visually recreate a Pennsylvania Railroad passenger train, but host exhibits and educational displays that will bring railroad history to every community the locomotive visits. … We are excited to see our fleet of rolling stock grow in order to support the K4 No. 1361’s education program as well as its operation.”
The B60b was as good as it got with PRR Bags. See the classic porthole doors. They put in many a mile behind K4s engines. (except for 28-29)