Like most railroads of the time, the North Shore line handled package freight. To move this, they ordered Merchandise Dispatch Cars. The first order of cars had loading doors on each end of the car. For this order, the design remained the same except that a single loading door was placed in the center. Eventually this service dwindled, and the cars were converted for other uses. Some cars were used in multiple as locomotives during the busy war years. For the most part, they were used in various maintanence tasks such as plows or sleet cutters during the winter. Car 229 was used as a switcher and work car at the Highwood shops. The car is operational but the roof needs repairs.
| Builder | Year built | weight | seats | length | Width | Height |
| Cincinnati Car Co. | 1922 | 90,000 | 0 | 50' | 8'8" | 12'4" |
Above: two pictures of the exterior of MD car 229.
Above: pretty spartan conditions inside the cab of 229.
Above: the freight compartment on 229 like other center door cars was seperated from the cabs by bulkheads, as opposed to the earlier end door cars. Note the rope hanging in center, which is attached to communicating bells in both cabs.
