Former Great Northern dome car 1323, constructed for the Great Northern Railway by Budd in 1955 as 46-passenger dome coach No. 1323 for GN’s Empire Builder, has been donated to the Lake Superior Railroad Museum.
Trains.com:
Quote:
Amtrak acquired the car in 1971, and renumbered it to No. 9463. Retired in 1985, it was sold into private ownership in 1993. In 1998 the car was stored on Canada’s Algoma Central Railway. In 2001 it was again sold and sent to Avalon Rail near Milwaukee for overhaul. Avalon rebuilt the car, reconfiguring the dome with table seating, lounge space, and a dumbwaiter to a galley on the lower level. In addition to the galley, the lower part of the car was converted into sleeping space. Renamed Puget Sound, the car traveled widely in charter service on Amtrak until it was donated to LSRM. The owners who made the donation wish to remain anonymous.
The car will go into service on the museum’s North Shore Scenic Railroad, which operates a 27-mile line from Duluth to Two Harbors, Minn. The museum also has two other domes: ex-Santa Fe full-length dome No. 551 Sky View and former Burlington California Zephyr No. 250 Silver Club.
The car will go into service on the museum’s North Shore Scenic Railroad, which operates a 27-mile line from Duluth to Two Harbors, Minn. The museum also has two other domes: ex-Santa Fe full-length dome No. 551 Sky View and former Burlington California Zephyr No. 250 Silver Club.
A note in the comments said the car was originally smooth-sided but refitted with fluted siding during rebuild.
