BCRail is selling its passenger assets. Among them are the California Zephyr dome Silver Feather and Reading RDC-1 #9156 (oos for a few years).

Anyone know the other histories of the dinner train cars?

Rob

http://www.bcrail.com/SupplyServices/Di ... rTrain.asp

BC Rail For Sale
trains@robertjohndavis.com

> BCRail is selling its passenger assets.
> Among them are the California Zephyr dome
> Silver Feather and Reading RDC-1 #9156 (oos
> for a few years).

> Anyone know the other histories of the
> dinner train cars?

> Rob

Rob,
I'm sure that someone out there car rattle-off the histories of the whole fleet. Based I what I know about the "Moonglow" and the "Twilight", I would not rely on BC Rail's historical information. "Moonglow" may be former WP "Silver Feather". If that is the case then the car's builder history should be Budd 1948, not P-S. Also, "Twilight" is a former AT&SF Turquoise Room so it is a P-S car, not Budd. I will guess that the "Indigo" was built by Budd for the Chessie on the C&O. Further, "Stardust" is a former CMStP&P Super Dome. If "Rainbow" was actually built by Budd in 1937, I'm going to guess that it is former AT&SF, maybe a coach or sleeper as it has a vestibule. I'd venture guesses on the others but I would more than likely embarrass myself so I will quite now.
Don C.

milw261@comcast.net

Don,

You are right. I hadn't noticed how wrong some of the BCRail sale page is. Moonglow is a Budd. The CZ group says for sure she is Silver Feather.

Maybe they mixed the info with Twilight? Twilight is a Pullman car for sure, yet the description says Budd. The roof, the gun turrent dome and the fluting all look Pullman.

Rob

trains@robertjohndavis.com

> If "Rainbow" was actually built by
> Budd in 1937, I'm going to guess that it is
> former AT&SF, maybe a coach or sleeper
> as it has a vestibule.

Sorry to say, but you're wrong. The Santa Fe's lounge cars acquired in 1937 for the 2nd Super Chief and the streamlined Chief were equipped with vestibules. In Bob Wayner's "Car Names, Numbers, and Consists" from 1972, on page 187, there are copies of promotional brochure floor plans of these cars. You can match the windows, etc. between the plans and the photos.

Brian Norden



bnorden49@earthlink.net

> Sorry to say, but you're wrong. The Santa
> Fe's lounge cars acquired in 1937 for the
> 2nd Super Chief and the streamlined Chief
> were equipped with vestibules. In Bob
> Wayner's "Car Names, Numbers, and
> Consists" from 1972, on page 187, there
> are copies of promotional brochure floor
> plans of these cars. You can match the
> windows, etc. between the plans and the
> photos.

> Brian Norden

Brian,
So which Santa fe lounge is it......"Picuris"? I thought that there was a Memphis Transportation Museum that owned it but I cannot locate them on the web. Are they defunct? The only other AT&SF Budd lounge of that vintage that I know of is "Acoma" which was on the Santa Fe Southern, the last that I knew. "You're wrong" with no car name offered tells me nothing. Does anyone know out there?
Don C.


milw261@comcast.net

Don,

The Vermont Railway System has a few 1937 Santa Fe Budds (which are perpetually for sale). These are from the Sunday River ski train "Silver Bullet Express." Not sure what configuration they started life as.

As far as I know, they did not get the the "You're Wrong." but I could be wrong about that.

;-)

Rob

BC Rail For Sale
trains@robertjohndavis.com

Sorry about that. The first comment was to dismiss the concept that if the car has a vestibule it could not be a factory built lounge car.

I'm not sure which of the cars it might be. PICURUS is the only one to make it to Amtrak. And then it was with a group in Memphis; I remember someone from that group visiting OERM after they had obtained the car.

The pre-war Budd Santa Fe lounge cars (as compiled by W. David Randall) were:
1370 ACOMA retired 1968 and sold
1371 NAMBE retired 1968 sold to Kilgore, Houston Tex
1372 PICURUS to Amtrak 3380
1373 TESUQUE retired 1968 sold to Speno Co.
1374 SANTA CLARA wrecked 11/87
1375 MOENCOPI retired 1969 sold Allison, Phoenix AZ
1376 ZUNI wrecked 12/65
1377 AGATHIA retired 1968 sold to Allsion, Phoenix AZ

I would guess that it's the PICURUS. From the pictures it would still be a good car for a museum to obtain. If I had a ....

Brian Norden

bnorden49@earthlink.net

> Sorry about that. The first comment was to
> dismiss the concept that if the car has a
> vestibule it could not be a factory built
> lounge car.

> I'm not sure which of the cars it might be.
> PICURUS is the only one to make it to
> Amtrak. And then it was with a group in
> Memphis; I remember someone from that group
> visiting OERM after they had obtained the
> car.

> The pre-war Budd Santa Fe lounge cars (as
> compiled by W. David Randall) were:
> 1370 ACOMA retired 1968 and sold
> 1371 NAMBE retired 1968 sold to Kilgore,
> Houston Tex
> 1372 PICURUS to Amtrak 3380
> 1373 TESUQUE retired 1968 sold to Speno Co.
> 1374 SANTA CLARA wrecked 11/87
> 1375 MOENCOPI retired 1969 sold Allison,
> Phoenix AZ
> 1376 ZUNI wrecked 12/65
> 1377 AGATHIA retired 1968 sold to Allsion,
> Phoenix AZ

> I would guess that it's the PICURUS. From
> the pictures it would still be a good car
> for a museum to obtain. If I had a ....

> Brian Norden

Brian,
Count me in on saving the old girl. I rode the "Picuris" and took photos of the interior on Amtrak #16, the Texas Chief, in about 1973. It was still in "mint" Santa Fe condition down to the AT&SF system wall map on one of the bulkheads in the lounge. As I remember the map dated back to the early '50's. I never was in the car after it went through an Amtrak shopping but I would guess that the original light fixtures, the wall map, the beautiful quarter circle bar and all of the other Art-Deco fixtures were trashed. Shame!
Don C.

old_fxrs@msn.com

> Brian,
> Count me in on saving the old girl. I rode
> the "Picuris" and took photos of
> the interior on Amtrak #16, the Texas Chief,
> in about 1973. It was still in
> "mint" Santa Fe condition down to
> the AT&SF system wall map on one of the
> bulkheads in the lounge. As I remember the
> map dated back to the early '50's. I never
> was in the car after it went through an
> Amtrak shopping but I would guess that the
> original light fixtures, the wall map, the
> beautiful quarter circle bar and all of the
> other Art-Deco fixtures were trashed. Shame!
> Don C.

Don,
Take a look at the photos on the BC Rail website. When the page comes up you will notice several numbered buttons above the displayed photo. These will change it to other views including several interior views. It still has the Art-Deco light fixtures and check out the bar front and the back bar. Wow!!!

Brian Norden

Rainbow #154
bnorden49@earthlink.net