(Information from a Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum facebook posting)

Original Central of Georgia Railway combine car has been refurbished by TVRM:

Car 390 was built in 1947 by American Car and Foundry for Central of Georgia’s train "the Nancy Hanks II". It has now been released from overhaul by the TVRM shop into its as-built Central of Georgia paint scheme. The car has an interesting history: After its acquisition by Southern from the CoG, the car was painted, lettered and renumbered by the Southern Railway to car 726. It was used throughout the Southern and first Norfolk Southern Steam excursion programs as a “recording car” where passengers could collect audio on reel-to-reel or cassette tapes of the steam locomotive pulling their train. For many years it carried the name "William J. Purdie" in honor of the retired Master Mechanic Steam.

It was retired in 1994 at the end of the first Norfolk Southern steam program and sold at auction to the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad in 1994. It served the WMSR until sold to TVRM in 2018. Upon arrival in Chattanooga during 2019, it was realized there would need to be extensive bodywork to repair corrosion around the side sills and along the roofline. Much of this damage was the result of the rubber window gaskets leaking water into the car body. That work began in 2019 (after the car was used briefly in Summerville, Georgia, for Christmas train rides) and was largely completed this past summer. The car received new window gaskets, windows, microphor toilets, tanks, floor tile, upholstery, and more. Funding for the iconic paint scheme came from several generous donors.

The car’s generator is a unit made by Stadco, the gold standard for passenger car generators. It received a factory overhaul before the car was shipped from Cumberland. It generates 480 Volts and will power itself and several other cars, which will reduce the use of several single-car generators. The hushed generator sound should also make for a more enjoyable customer experience. The car provides improved ADA access for our trains utilizing the baggage compartment doors and will provide power for additional cars in the consist due to the large generator installed under the car. Plans are to roll this beautiful new addition into service for the 2020 North Pole Limited season.

TVRM purchased the car from the Western Maryland Scenic Railway. The later trade that sent three RDC cars to WMSR for two coaches was a separate event, however, all of the passenger cars traveled together to Chattanooga. Additionally, TVRM expects to do bodywork and repaint sister CoG cars #661 and #907, into the same blue and gray Central of Georgia scheme in the future. The pace of that work will depend on funding (all donations are welcome) and the availability of shop space and time.

Finally, the lawn mower brigade will be retired (or at least relegated to back up only).

Nice looking car. That blue is great.

This is what a restoration is supposed to look like - complete from the rails to the roof top! Nice job.
Bart

Looks great!

Time to restore one of their stored F units into CofG colors??....