Pay car
Encyclopedia
A pay car was an official railway car operated as a mobile bank
to disburse cash
wages to railway employees
. Railway company
employees were widely dispersed with some maintaining track in relatively remote locations, while others moved from place to place with train
crews. A railway pay car was typically attached to a train traveling over the line at fixed intervals to disburse wages to employees who would assemble at every station
and designated intermediate stopping points to be paid. The pay car was usually a converted passenger car fitted out with two door
s allowing formation of a queue through the identification and disbursing procedure. The pay car also contained sleeping and eating facilities for the paymaster, armed guards, clerks maintaining pay records, and a cook.
s when local banks became available and automobile ownership increased among employees. Canadian Pacific Railway
operated the last pay car in the United States
or Canada
weekly over the International Railway of Maine until 6 July 1960. Mexican
railways used pay cars for a few more decades.
Bank
A bank is a financial institution that serves as a financial intermediary. The term "bank" may refer to one of several related types of entities:...
to disburse cash
Cash
In common language cash refers to money in the physical form of currency, such as banknotes and coins.In bookkeeping and finance, cash refers to current assets comprising currency or currency equivalents that can be accessed immediately or near-immediately...
wages to railway employees
Employment
Employment is a contract between two parties, one being the employer and the other being the employee. An employee may be defined as:- Employee :...
. Railway company
Railway company
A railway company or railroad company is an entity that operates a railroad track and/or trains. Such a company can either be private or public...
employees were widely dispersed with some maintaining track in relatively remote locations, while others moved from place to place with train
Train
A train is a connected series of vehicles for rail transport that move along a track to transport cargo or passengers from one place to another place. The track usually consists of two rails, but might also be a monorail or maglev guideway.Propulsion for the train is provided by a separate...
crews. A railway pay car was typically attached to a train traveling over the line at fixed intervals to disburse wages to employees who would assemble at every station
Train station
A train station, also called a railroad station or railway station and often shortened to just station,"Station" is commonly understood to mean "train station" unless otherwise qualified. This is evident from dictionary entries e.g...
and designated intermediate stopping points to be paid. The pay car was usually a converted passenger car fitted out with two door
Door
A door is a movable structure used to open and close off an entrance, typically consisting of a panel that swings on hinges or that slides or rotates inside of a space....
s allowing formation of a queue through the identification and disbursing procedure. The pay car also contained sleeping and eating facilities for the paymaster, armed guards, clerks maintaining pay records, and a cook.
History
Railways brought industrialized jobs to remote locations without banking facilities. Efficiency was increased by avoiding wasted man-hours assembling employees at a central pay location. The trains offered greater security than alternative methods of bringing payroll cash to remote locations. The pay car might be run as a separate extra train or included in a regularly scheduled train with appropriate routing and scheduling to accommodate the numerous stops. Pay cars were discontinued in favor of wage paycheckPaycheck
Paycheck can also refer to:* Paycheck , short story by science fiction author Philip K. Dick* Paycheck , film adaptation of the Philip K. Dick short story starring Ben Affleck...
s when local banks became available and automobile ownership increased among employees. Canadian Pacific Railway
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
operated the last pay car in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
or Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
weekly over the International Railway of Maine until 6 July 1960. Mexican
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
railways used pay cars for a few more decades.