PULLMAN CONSTRUCTION DATA
Pullman Construction Information

This spreadsheet represents the construction data of the Car Manufacturing divisions of Pullman's Palace Car Co.; The Pullman Company (1900-1924); Pullman Car & Manufacturing Company and Pullman-Standard.  It contains *some* data on the Pullman Co. (1924-1947; 1948-1965). 

Information for this spreadsheet originated from multiple Lot Books, Plan Books and other data.  The list also has other materials garnered from Floor & Elevation Plan drawings; Estimate Log Books; Shop Journals and other primary sources.  (Just because they are primary does not imply that they are 100% correct, they are not). 

This has been a multi-decade project, and it has evolved in many ways...inconsistencies are rife. As I continually edit the document, I try to correct errors and inconsistencies. There are spelling and typo errors. 

The list was intended for *MY* benefit, therefore, should it not live up to your expectations, desires and what not, well....you can start your own.  There are methods I use that will, no doubt, cause heads to be scratched.  Note that Microsoft's Excel has also evolved a tad over the past 2 decades, and some "features" in this list are based on very early renderings of that product.

This list is different than most in that it is structured and organized in relation to the Manufacturing as opposed to the Operations Departments, Divisions, Companies, Subsidiaries that made up "Pullman."  As such, the principal column is LOT, not PLAN.

Some style considerations:
  • Car names are capitalized.  This differentiates a car from a train from a city from a railroad.  It was a practice by P-S (not always employed).
  • Lots are indicated for the specific time frame and action. That means a car built in 1922 will have an entry there under the original Lot number, when given A/C it will have that Lot number, when modified, that Lot Number, etc.  If subsequent Lot numbers were not provided or known, that shows in this list.  I do not provide the original Lot on a car modified decades later, rather I use that Lot, Job Order (JO), Mechanic Order (MO). etc.  Tom Madden's list provides the Lots for all (Pullman Co. owned/operated) car, this wasn't meant to supercede such efforts.
  • Cars - especially LW cars of the 30s & 40s may be under multiple entries - for Pullman Co. & the railroad.  That made it easier on me when looking for things - your mileage will, no doubt, vary.
  • Yes, "other" stuff is here.  ACF, Budd, Standard Steel, Osgood-Bradley, etc.  Sometimes because there was a Pullman Plan associated, sometimes because we have the drawing (and I really haven't begun Budd, SSC or "others").  Again - for internal Library usage.  Freight, Budd, SSC and others are being worked on separately as well, which is one reason I curtailed adding such in this list (after a given point). 
  • There were (at least) two mishaps with sorting without expansion - which can (and did) skew the columns.  Again, something I have tried to correct as discovered, but there may be artifacts
  • There are or may be some discrepancies - between Lot Lists, Between Drawings & Documents; Between data in the Library and noted works (Barger, Dubin, Kratville, Madden, Wayner, et al).  I started color coding to identify such and to allow return for more research - obviously not complete
  • At the bottom of the list is a key of sorts that may answer other questions
  • You'll notice some color changes - due to changes in Excel
  • Pullman Manufacturing changed their standard practices multiple times. 1900, 1910-1912, 1922-1924, 1927, 1932-1934, 1947, etc.  Usually this was a result of merger, management turnover or sunspots.  But it makes some numbering sequences and naming standards difficult to follow.
  • There are over 20 additional tabs on the original, with specific data related to and supporting specific aspects of the main sheet. 

Column Descriptions
  • Railroad - Obvious - the railroad or entity that ordered the car, estimate, etc.
  • AFF RR - Affiliated Railroad - and effort to "group" affiliated/associated railroads or functions.
  • Quantity - the number of cars ordered
  • Description - Usually the description found for the order in the Lot books, or on the Drawings
  • Date - complicated, as this may mean, the ordered date, first inquiry date, started date, called date, delivered date, date in service, etc.  I used what was in the Lot book and/or Drawing (usually unidentified as to type of date)
  • Lot Prefix - this was used to simplify sorting - R = Repair Lot, A=A/C Lot, but also the Plant (Buffalo, Detroit, St. Louis, Denver, etc.) - also JO, MO, CO, CC for various order numbers
  • Lot Number - Lot, Job Order, Construction Order, Mechanical Order, etc. Number
  • Lot Suffix - Again, for simplified sorting - this can be an indicator of sub-Lots (No Longer used, deleted)
  • Plan - Plan number as in the Lot Book, Drawing, etc.
  • Plan Seq - a numeric translation of the Plan - simplify sorting and allowing sorting of items in a different order than alpha
  • Neg # - The Pullman Builders Photo negative number - here SI = Smithsonian, CSRM= Cal State, IRM = Library, etc.  Not at all complete, but does provide a good start
  • Codes - if the drawing has a code number (the most common is "VH" for Vapor Heating") it went here - an early hanger on, really
  • See Also - if the library has the Floor plan (FP), Elevation Plan (EP) or the Newberry has the Floor plan (FP-NEW) it is so indicated
  • Plant - something relatively recent (otw some of the items in Lot Prefix would be here) - used in this case to identify cars modified in the 30s & 40s at Calumet (CAL - Pullman Co.) or Pullman car Works (P-S - PCW).
In theory, this data will provide the backbone of a version of the "Passenger Car Catalog".  I have been compiling various parts and pieces of such.  I would likely restrict it to specific years, but that is undetermined. 

I have (intentionally) not cross checked the data with Tom's database, or books.  This list was intended for internal (to the Library) only - we needed to know what we have and how it's indicated in materials we use to locate them. 

Note that some verbiage, usage, spelling, etc. are as PC&M/PCW/P-S wrote it.  Some words, like "EMPLOYE" are correct - for the time period (Pullman Companies used that spelling into the 1930s, at least).  There are myriad examples.  I like to put that in here so I can pretend there aren't more misspellings, and only contextual issues.  

PDF Version - Pullman Construction Information

Excel Version - Pullman Construction Information

 

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