JEWETT CAR COMPANY

1912 or 1913 (reports vary)

B-B

? hp

? (4)

Brill 27 MCB 3 (?)

? lbs

? lbs

45 ft ? in

? ft ? in

? ft ? in

1200 VDC

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One of the great mysteries of the Tidewater's fleet.  Express motor 300 is known only through a handful of reports in old publications and possibly some Approval for Expenditure reports (AFEs).  One official document I have seen that seems to refer to it lists the car as number 100, a duplication of the number assigned to the TS' ex-Southern Pacific combine and the railroad's first freight motor.  There are AFE reports listing work to "caboose" 300, including installing lockers, a desk and new windows, and a reference to its retirement.

One article, written by John Dodge in a 1956 Pacific Railway Journal, speculates that 300 was rarely if ever used under its own power and reportedly spent most of its (probably short) service life as a caboose.

Assuming the car did exist, my own speculation is that the 300 probably did see regular service.  The TS from day one knew the value of freight traffic and went after it.  The 300 would have been ideal for fast, LCL shipments.  It may even have been powerful enough to haul freight cars, as similar SN and CCT motors did.  This could explain how the TS made do with only 2 locomotives (one steam, one electric) until 1918.  If this theory is correct, perhaps the 1921 delivery of motor 106 was in response to the need for something larger than 300 to haul cars.  A decline in LCL freight was afflicting most railroads starting at this time and short-hauls such as Modesto to Stockton were the first to feel it.  These factors could have combined to render the 300 unneeded very quickly, perhaps displacing it to caboose service when less than 10 years old.

What the 300's exact uses were, when it was scrapped, even what it looked like or if it existed at all remain unknown for now.  Any photos or information concerning this car would be greatly appreciated.

Baggage Express Interurban Car 300

Tidewater Southern Railway