Jamestown, Westfield & Northwestern
Car 302
This 1945 photo shows Jamestown Westfield & Northwestern Car 302 sitting in Westfield, NY. Car 302 was built by the Cincinnati Car Company in 1914 and was delivered with 60 seats and controls at each end. The coach seats were leather covered while those in the smoking compartment were covered with rattan. Around 1928 a baggage section was added to the smoking section end (the right end on the photo above). In 1939 the smoking section was removed and the car contained only reversible seats.
The car was involved in at least two wrecks during its lifetime. The first was on January 1, 1917 when it collided with Car 311 near Hartfield. The second was the August 26, 1944 when Car 302 was headed southbound near Bonita and collided with Car 304. Lou Hoadley, the engineer on Car 302, was killed in the collision, along with two passengers.
The following notes come from an undated document written by Harold Ahlstrom.
Car 302 was made into a combo about 1929 or so, but kept its seats and varnished interior to the end. By 1933 the baggage section had taken over the smoker area.
Sometime between 1936 and 1940 all the small cars (300-305) changed over to the small, circular logo on the sides instead of the full-length "Jamestown, Westfield & Northwestern" above the windows and the "America's Scenic Route" along the side of the car.
After the 1944 Hoadley wreck the baggage compartment was rebuilt a little with less wood and more metal showing.
After the 1944 Hoadley crash the 302 came out with the diamond front and "Westfield & Jamestown" in big letters on the side.
This undated photo from the Bill Volkmer collection shows car 302 and nicely illustrates some of the details of the car. Notice the change in the herald from the top photograph. This more spartan style was used initially and was later changed to include the diagonal line on the end of the car.
These photos from the Donald B. O'Sickney collection show Car 302 leaving the yard in Jamestown.
This photograph from the Bill Volkmer collection was taken after 1944 and shows car 302 at an unknown location along the line and illustrates the rural nature of the area.
This post-1944 photo from the Bill Volkmer collection shows car 302 posed on the diamond in Mayville. Judging from the number of people standing around the car this may have been a special fan trip on the line.
References
- Ahlstrom, Harold. 1942. "Jamestown Westfield & Northwestern", Central Electric Railfans' Association (CERA) Bulletin 40.
- Ahlstrom, Harold. Undated. "Seat Arrangements and Paint Jobs NW&NW Small Cars", Manuscript found at Fenton History Center.
- Ahlstrom, Harold. 1974. "Jamestown and Chautauqua Lake Trolleys", Fenton Historical Society. Jamestown, NY.
- Woodbury, John. John Woodbury photo collection. Rochester Chapter, NRHS.
- Photo from the collection of Phil Soyring, used with permission
- Photo courtesy of Dave Mewhinney