NCDOT auction for RBBX cars

Mostly ex UP Coaches, 44-46 seats, built by St Louis Car, rebuilt by Ringling, but many are being sold gutted.

Heres the link.

Yes Volks, the UP was acquiring new, from the builder, passenger cars that late in the game. So was ATSF with the second batch of Hi-Levels. There were also, get this, RPO cars from Budd for the UP.

Notably absent, from those orders, though, were any Sleeping and Dining cars.

However, the final order for LD equipment was that made by the KCS. Ironic how they had just been delivered as KCS decided to pull the plug when the Post Office Department (USPS not around until, like Amtrak, '71) decided no further need to handle First Class Mail by rail.

The timing of KCS decision caused TRAINS to have the "Jinx of Jinxes". I was "in the 'Nam" that October '67 (about 260 DTG) when first, my TRAINS showed up with a cover proclaiming "KCS; we have no intention of getting out of the passenger business...". Funny how, after getting off duty one evening, I went to the Tan Son Nhut Base Library got out the two day old Journal, and there was a "What's News" item on the front page saying KCS was going to do just that.

Ouch for TRAINS; even though DPM had been foreseeing "The End".

Most of these cars are ex-UP St. Louis cars from 1960 and 1964-65, including UP 5542 (RBBX 43008/
RNCX 400022) the very last private Class I passenger car built by St. Louis Car (delivered 3/1965, the
KCS Pullmans followed in June/July). The notes have the St. Louis cars as aluminum, I thought
St. Louis Car did not build any aluminum construction until the PATH PA1s for PANYNJ in 1965.

Also interesting is RNCX 400501, a 1965 St. Louis baggage car (NP 257). Given how late in the game this
is, I wonder would this be the last order of new build baggage cars for 50 full years until the 70 baggage
Viewliners were delivered and accepted in 2015? Obviously not including "coach-baggage" variants of
Superliners and Surfliners.

The three remaining cars were sold at auction for $28k in November. This was an unfortunate, but well intentioned effort by NCDOT. I’ll really miss the heritage gear when its gone.

https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/state ... 231c403c31

Apologies if this is a little off topic, but is it possible that the Ringling Circus Train may return in the future now that Feld wants to bring the show back?

That would require a whole new investment in rolling stock that would need to be custom-fitted again, and be qualified to travel across multiple major lines. I wouldn't bet on it.

NHV 669 wrote: ↑Mon Dec 26, 2022 6:03 pm *SNIP* and be qualified to travel across multiple major lines. *SNIP*

What do you mean by this?

As in servicable, poor choice of words there. I guess I was thinking of when Amtrak has certain requirements for certain cars on its lines.

NHV 669 wrote: ↑Mon Dec 26, 2022 6:03 pm That would require a whole new investment in rolling stock that would need to be custom-fitted again, and be qualified to travel across multiple major lines. I wouldn't bet on it.

I'd think it will likely be a re-hash of the Gold Tour until it's proven to work. They're not in a position to be investing in assets, so they'll be leasing trucks and motorcoaches.