What VGN freight car classes survived the merger?
Q: What classes of Virginian freight cars survived the
merger with the N&W? Or to ask the question another way, how
can I tell that an N&W car (or car class) was originally a
VGN class?
A: This is a tricky two-part question, since many freight
cars survived in VGN paint for quite a few years after the merger.
A friend of mine has a photo of a VGN hopper with an ACI label
affixed to its side, probably in the early 1970's!
To answer the question in a general way, VGN cars that survived into the N&W numbering scheme generally got "20" added to their class number. (The VGN C-10 caboose class became N&W class C-30, the VGN BX-12 class became N&W's B-32 class, etc.) Not all classes survived: numerous classes of older cars were scrapped outright.
More specifically, the VGN car classes that are documented to have been re-assigned in this way are as follows. Keep in mind that this data indicates only that the class was re-assigned. This does not definitively mean that the cars were repainted for N&W, or ever saw revenue service again.
| VGN Class | N&W Class | Car type |
| BX-1 | B-21 | Round-roof boxcar |
| BX-12 | B-32 | 1937 AAR Boxcar |
| BX-15 | B-35 | PS-1 Boxcar |
| C-10, C-10A | C-30, C-30A | Steel caboose |
| PW-1, PW-2 | F-28, F-29 | Pulpwood flat cars |
| G-5 | G-25 | Low-sided gondola |
| HC-1 | HC-21 | Covered hopper |
[Created November 1998]