Re: White Pass & Yukon’s Catskill Cars

In 1900, Hicks sold to the White Pass a locomotive which had formerly operated on the Kansas Central R.R.


Then, in early 1901, White Pass inquired whether Hicks might have any narrow-gauge coaches for sale. Why, yes! Thus, in May 1901, a barge delivered the four little Catskill coaches to Skagway, Alaska.

The Callerman photo shows the Catskill cars (now WP&YR 218, 220, 222, and 224) in 1900. Note the Miller platforms and the special-order windows still existed. The Miller couplers were not directly compatible with the Janney couplers used by the White Pass – the knuckles faced opposite directions! Apparently, there was a link-and-pin coupling between the string of Catskill coaches and the rest of the train. There would have been a horizontal slot in the knuckles to accommodate the link. Fortunately, both the Catskill coaches and the remaining White Pass cars had Westinghouse brakes.


By 1901, the Miller platforms and couplers had been replaced with Janney couplers. But the special-order windows remained.



In 1912 and 1917, the four Catskill cars were converted to parlor cars.