Business Car 15000

1923: Waterloo Central Railway business car 15000 was built by the Canadian Car & Foundry for the Canadian National Railway as 12-1 sleeper car 1570 Jellicoe.

1948: the car was rebuilt into a 8-1-2 sleeper, and was renumbered to 1819 Jellicoe. This rebuild included several major modifications to the car, including a new roof and new windows to match the more modern coaches at the time (WCR passenger coaches 3216 and 5504 are some examples of these coaches). Prior to 1948, the car had a canvas clerestory roof, similar to the roof on passenger coach 1437 Midway.

1973: Sleeper car 1819 Jellicoe was removed from regular service and was rebuilt into a Track Geometry Car. The car was renumbered to 15000 and was used to inspect track across Canada on the Canadian National Railways. Part of this rebuild included the removal of several sleeper sections in the car and the addition of new computer systems for inspecting the track.

1984: 15000 was temporarily removed from track maintenance service and was repainted from its CN grey and black paint scheme to the VIA Rail Canada blue and yellow paint scheme for use on the launch train of VIA Rail Canada’s new Panorama train. The car was then returned to track maintenance service.

1995: Waterloo St. Jacobs Railway purchased the car for use on their tour trains in the Waterloo Region. WSJR removed the track geometry computer systems from the car and rebuilt the car into a business car. The car became WSJR 15000.

2002: The Southern Ontario Locomotive Restoration Society purchased 15000 for use on their operations in the St. Thomas area. The car became STCR 15000 and was given the name Lord Elgin. 15000 was restored to operating condition and was occasionally used on the SOLRS’ steam tour trains.

2007: 15000 was moved with the other SOLRS equipment to St. Jacobs, where it became Waterloo Central (WCRX) coach 15000 Lord Elgin.

2020: Business car 15000 is currently undergoing an extensive restoration including the removal of the remaining rooms. Once completed it will become a part of Waterloo Central Railways tourist trains where passengers will be able to experience history brought to life aboard this heritage car.

Road Number	15000
Type	Business/Parlour/Dining and Open Observation
Builder	Canadian Car & Foundry
Date Built	1923
Lineage	Canadian National 1570 “Jellicoe” (12-1 heavyweight sleeper) Canadian National 1819 “Jellicoe” (8-1 -2 heavyweight sleeper) Canadian National 15000 (track Geometry Car) Waterloo-St. Jacobs 15000 (business car) St. Thomas Central Railway 15000 "Lord Elgin" Waterloo Central Railway 15000
Capacity	64
Total Area	720 sq. ft.
Dimensions	Interior: Width 9 ft., Length 80 ft. Exterior: Width 10 ft., Length 85 ft.
Other	No A/C Open end vestibule

The historical information and photos presented on our website are gathered from several sources including historical websites, literature and first-hand accounts of volunteers, staff and industry experts.