Detailed information on the fleet of Ahnapee & Western boxcars which were acquired by the Crab Orchard & Egyptian Railroad in the 1980s. 

The Crab Orchard & Egyptian (CO&E) acquired 25 of the Ahnapee & Western's 4000- series double door boxcars in the 1980s.

All of the CO&E cars had small stenciling for NOR 6-83 and 11-83 where the "NEW" date would be stenciled.  When the cars were sold in March 1984, the GB&W Norwood shops covered the large AHW logo with bright orange paint. The first two cars to arrive on the CO&E received logos, but the remainder were put into service without them.  The cars are now roaming the country re-lettered for McCloud River (MR) railroad, along with many of the other AHW 4000- series cars.

Edward Bridges, the unofficial historian of the Crab Orchard & Egyptian Railroad who is also modeling the railroad in N gauge, personally researched each car while he was an employee of the CO&E.  The AHW numbers were verified by carefully looking at the re-stenciled number to make out the outline of the old number.

The following is a car by car list of all 25 CO&E boxcars.  Hopefully Edward will get us a picture of the CO&E version of the cars soon.

• Related material:
  AHW Boxcar #4054 (2000)

COER Boxcar Images:

COER 1408 (Ex- AHW 4058)

COER 1415 (Ex- AHW 4067)

Edward Bridges photo, 1986