Heritage Equipment

[gokeefe]

Small town Americana; which 43 years later, has no place in moving people through dense populstion centers.

We can always hope, Mr. Norman, that someday one or two of these routes will return. I remain curious about the Capitol Limited and the Cardinal.



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[mtuandrew]

We can always hope, Mr. Norman, that someday one or two of these routes will return. I remain curious about the Capitol Limited and the Cardinal.

I don’t follow. Are you suggesting using Heritage Fleet cars including a dome for these two trains?

[gokeefe]

No ... Merely saying that perhaps the Floridian and/or the South Wind will return someday and that I remain interested in the view from the window of the Capitol Limited and the Cardinal.

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[Backshophoss]

There're Dome cars stored at the "Stainless Steel" graveyard in Granite City IL that could be rebuilt for use,but need to be inspected as to the amount of time and $$$$$ needed to rebuild.

[jhdeasy]

Note that UP got a VERY good price for its domes from Auto-Train, as did the Santa Fe and their Big Domes. None of those rolled even a mile on Amtrak’s rails.

Mr. Garfield’s Auto-Train owned about 42 dome cars. Most coach seats were under glass. He certainly made a successful pre-emptive acquisition of dome cars.

As a new PV owner in 1986, I learned a good bit of useful information from a former Auto-Train carman/electrician who was then working as manager of a shortline Railroad.

[Gilbert B Norman]

Mr. Deasy, according to The Late Mr. Ainsworth's site that is still hosted by Trainweb, only the Q and UP owned more.

And all to watch the "if you've seen one Pine Tree, you've seen 'em all" vista roll by.

[jhdeasy]

Mr. Dunville, the Domes that were assigned by The Pullman Company to both the "City of Miami" and the "South Wind" were owned by the Northern Pacific. They were a Chicago-Portland line during the Summer and this Chicago-Miami line during the Winter.

The IC required the Domes assigned to the "City" to be in their livery. The roads opersting the "South Wind" were less concerned with the "spit and polish".

But I continue to note, why any road spent $$ for sightseeing cars to serve Florida escapes me. For "if you've seen one Pine Tree, you've seen 'em all".

For winter service, IC leased dome sleepers from NP and dome coaches from MP.

IC repainted the cars into their own livery and blanked the upper and end dome glazing with metal sheets, supposedly in the name of safety, probably because they were operating under live catenary in the Chicago suburban district. Maybe they also had some bad experience with local hooligans dropping bricks from overpass bridges onto dome glass. At the end of the lease, before returning these domes to NP and MP, they would repaint the cars into the owners' livery and reinstall glazing in the upper and end panels of the dome. Today I think that would be called an emphasis on the brand image.

As the Conductor on Southern Railway train #1 remarked to me on Labor Day weekend of 1977, even pine trees and kudzu can be more enjoyable scenery when viewed from the dome of SR # 1602.

[Gilbert B Norman]

Mr. Deasy, there appears to be conflict between our respective recollections.

On my "easy days", i.e. few or even no classes and usually Tu and Th, I'd bike it down to the station for a peek at 52 or 53. The NP Sleeper Domes to my knowledge did not have the Dome windows sheet metaled over; somehow I think I would have noticed it.

Now I was "outta there" short of a degree June '65 to raise my right and "do my duty for my country" (I am a U of IL graduate; I knew I'd return to finish up). Who knows, as I don't, how long after the severe '67 IC and elsewhere downgrades, the lease of those Domes continued, or if after I left the scene they did in fact give 'em the sheet metal treatment.

By the time I did have my first and only City of Miami ride Opelika to Chi during Oct '68 (still "in" but CONUS), the Missouri Pacific Coach Domes were in consist - and they indeed were sheet-metalled over. Of course by then the whole train had been badly downgraded; the only Food & Beverage was from a Lunch Counter car that was on the City NO during '62 and still the "de facto Jim Crow" days.

Oh well, I guess from the "Dome" our arborist colleagues could see the tops of the Pine Trees; maybe even tell if it were a "Pitch" or a "Loblolly". To me though, I needed to see a listing of the L&N 6-4-6 car names in the Official Register to know that Pine Trees came in more than one varietal.

[Tadman]

IC repainted the cars into their own livery and blanked the upper and end dome glazing with metal sheets, supposedly in the name of safety, probably because they were operating under live catenary in the Chicago suburban district. Maybe they also had some bad experience with local hooligans dropping bricks from overpass bridges onto dome glass.

It might be the latter reason as those domes ran parallel to the catenary but never under it. Diesel trains ran on the easterly side of the ROW on four tracks, electrics on their own four tracks on the westerly side. The crossover at about 20th street was a bridge. I don't think there was ever even a detour, as the IC and Metra have always been content to treat that as two properties. I think the first dome under wires was John Darling's daugther's 16th birthday train around 1986.

[John_Perkowski]

There're Dome cars stored at the "Stainless Steel" graveyard in Granite City IL that could be rebuilt for use,but need to be inspected as to the amount of time and $$$$$ needed to rebuild.

Unless and until Amtrak changes its corporate mind on PV haulage, they will just sit there. As I understand it, even the market for PC-2 current cars is pretty soft right now

[gokeefe]

Wow. That's too bad.

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[STrRedWolf]

I wonder what else is out there in the Granite City "graveyard". Domes, any sleepers? Baggage cars? Is there a catalog? (*gets an idea*)

[Tadman]

As I understand it, even the market for PC-2 current cars is pretty soft right now

I can't say this is a surprise. It was perhaps the easiest bet of the decade. Iowa Pacific bought up anything that rolls for five years, driving that market way up and creating a shortage. We never knew where he money came from to do this or how it made money, we still don't, but we know it didn't work out. All those cars are for sale now at once, meaning the high prices are gone.

Then Amtrak tightened up their PV policy big time, letting more air out of the balloon. That part wasn't nearly as obvious as Iowa Pacific trying to corner the PV market then bursting, but it's not surprising if you know a few guys that interface with the PV operations.

Ergo the PV market is very soft right now, perhaps the softest its ever been, although I would defer to experts.

[jhdeasy]

I wonder what else is out there in the Granite City "graveyard". Domes, any sleepers? Baggage cars? Is there a catalog? (*gets an idea*)

The “graveyard” to which you refer is Gateway Rail Services, Inc in Madison IL. This is a shop with plenty of passenger car experience. They also store an inventory of various (out of service) passenger cars. Serious prospective purchasers (rather than curious railway enthusiasts) can contact the manager to discuss specific pieces of equipment that are available for sale.

[mtuandrew]

I wonder what else is out there in the Granite City "graveyard". Domes, any sleepers? Baggage cars? Is there a catalog? (*gets an idea*)

That’s... vague. Care to share with the class?