PV (Ex- SAL Sun Lounge) Hollywood Beach

This is a little off-topic, but I hope you will let it go. Someone spotted Hollywood Beach, one of the former SAL sun lounges, in the DC area and speculated it would be part of the Union Station anniversary display, but it was not. My question is, is there any way to find out when this car might be in the New England area? I'm not looking for a personal tour, I would just like to see (and photograph) the outside.

BRUCE

PS: Amtrak operated this car for many years as Amtrak 3271 "Sun Ray".

The Hollywood Beach is owned by the Lancaster & Chester RR, a Short Line known for its colorful past. The exotic performing artist (or in streettalk "stripper') Gypsy Rose Lee once held the office at that railroad and title of Vice President - Unveiling.

http://www.jefflubchanskycpa.com/HLYWDB ... 3DG366.jpg

Gilbert B Norman wrote:The Hollywood Beach is owned by the Lancaster & Chester RR, a Short Line known for its colorful past. The exotic performing artist (or in streettalk "stripper') Gypsy Rose Lee once held the office at that railroad and title of Vice President - Unveiling.

http://www.jefflubchanskycpa.com/HLYWDB ... 3DG366.jpg

Not entirely correct, Mr. Norman.

HOLLYWOOD BEACH is owned by Dr. Arthur Cushman M.D. of Old Hickory, TN. The car is stored on (and maintained by) the Lancaster & Chester Railway in Lancaster, SC; they also handle charter marketing on behalf of the owner. When recently seen at Washington Union Station, HOLLYWOOD BEACH was on the way home from the annual convention of the American Association Of Private Railroad Car Owners, which was held in San Pedro, CA. It would have been a logical participant in the Washington Union Station Centennial Celebration, as it regularly passed thru the station on The Silver Meteor between New York and Miami.

However, you are right on the money in terms of Gypsy Rose Lee's past association with that South Carolina shortline. You can see that relationship documented in some framed art work on the wall of Lancaster & Chester Railway business car J. PINCKNEY HENDERSON.

Since this seems to be on the topic of Private Cars, Whilst in DC I and probably a few others saw that there were a few PV sitting around but were not taking part in the celebration, they seemed to be on the tracks used by VRE and they had an HHP sitting with them.

Kaback9 wrote:Since this seems to be on the topic of Private Cars, Whilst in DC I and probably a few others saw that there were a few PV sitting around but were not taking part in the celebration, they seemed to be on the tracks used by VRE and they had an HHP sitting with them.

There were four other PVs in the station, but they were not part of the display/tour.

On track 30:

GREENWICH ESTATE, Budd built x PRR parlor car, owned by the same folks who own GREENWICH HARBOR, which was on display and open for tours on track 9.

PINE TREE STATE. Pullman Standard built x New Haven bedroom lounge, which was used as the crew rider car for the equipment move from the NC Transportation Museum to Washington Union Station and return. Owned by Piedmont Carolinas Chapter NRHS, but stored at NC Transportation Museum.

LITTLE JUNIATA RAPIDS, Budd built x SP Sunset Limited 10&6 sleeper owned by Juniata Terminal Company.

On track 16:

Lancaster & Chester Railway business car J. PINCKNEY HENDERSON (Pullman Standard built for MKT) operating a charter trip from Charlotte NC to Washington DC and return via Amtrak's Carolinian.

MODERATOR'S NOTE:

Moved to Mr Benton's Rail Travel and Trip Reports Forum.

Reference the Pine Tree State- Piedmont Carolinas' NRHS Chapter formally donated the car the the Transportation museum last spring.

I rode "Hollywood Beach" and probably "Palm Beach" and "Miami Beach" as well, in regular service on the Silver Meteor from NYP to Florida in the 1960s. I always enjoyed those cars. In fact, I remember sitting in the sun, in one of the lounge chairs, reading a Newsweek article about John W. Barriger and how he had saved the Katy Railroad. In the same Newsweek was an article about the troubled state of passenger rail in the U.S. I looked around the lounge car and was a bit puzzled. Seaboard seemed to be doing fine (that was maybe 1965, and I was 12).

I also rode "Pine Tree State", but not in regular service. It and "Cimarron River" were regulars on special trains run by Clark Johnson (owner of PV "Caritas") for a number of years in the 1980s and 1990s. I do seem to recall that sister "Nutmeg State" showed up in Florida service after the Penn Central merger, and I was in the car, but I can't be sure.

In any case, the Silver Meteor was possibly the finest train in the East in the mid- and late-60s, and those sun lounge cars were the equal of anything on the 20th Century or the Broadway Limited.