B&O 3301 was the Buffet-Obs car from the third and longest serving Royal Blue trainset. The Royal Blue was B&O's streamliner in Jersey City-Washington-Jersey City service. All of these trains had mid-train dining cars, so none of the obs cars were dining cars.

The First Train was a new ACF lightweight train in 1935. Parlor-Obs 5998 was in this train that that went to the Alton Route (later GM&O) for Chicago-St. Louis service in 1937.

The Second Train was the first rebuilt heavyweight set in April, 1937. Buffet-Obs car was 3300 and this train replaced the First Train and became the Columbian in Wash-JC-Wash service later in 1937 until 1941 when it became Buffet-Obs car 3303 for the Wash-Chi Columbian until 1949 when it was replaced by a new lightweight Tavern-Obs.

The Third Train was a newly rebuilt heavyweight set in December 1937. Car 3301 was the Buffet-Obs in this set and remained in Royal Blue service until service East of Baltimore was withdrawn in 1958.

Parlor-Obs car 5998 from the 1935 Royal Blue and the Alton/GM&O Abraham Lincoln is at the National Museum of Transportation in Kirkwood MO as GM&O 5998.

Buffet-Obs car 3302, from the 1941 Columbian, and Tavern-Obs car 3316 Washington from the 1949 Columbian are at the B&O Museum in Baltimore.

Phil Mulligan

Didn't the B&O buy TWO lightweight trainsets in 1935 - One was originally used in Royal Blue service and the other was sent straight away to the Alton. When both trainsets ended up on the Alton - one operated as the Abraham Lincoln and the other as the Ann Rutledge - creating daily double round trips between Chicago and St. Louis. Diesel engines 50 (box cab) and 52 (EMD EA) both ended up on the Alton.

That is correct. There were two lightweight trains and one went directly to the Alton. I believe B&O 4-4-4 No 1 went with it. B&O 4-6-4 No 2 and B&O EMC boxcab diesel 50 were assigned to Royal Blue I. When Royal Blue I was bumped by Royal Blue II it and engines 2 and 50 went to the Alton.

When the Alton went into bankruptcy, the two steam engines 1 and 2 went back to the B&O while the Alton kept diesel 50 as Alton 100, later 1200 (now in the National Museum of Transport in Kirkwood as B&O 50) and both trains. The trains and Alton 100 later flowed to the GM&O when they took over the Alton. Alton 50 became GM&O 1200.

B&O EA 52 had also gone to the Alton as Alton 100A but not EB 52X which stayed with the B&O. At one point 50 (Alton 100) served as 52's (Alton 100A) B-unit.

I believe GM&O got 52/100A rebuilt to an E8 in 1953 while the 5 EA and 6 EB units on the B&O were rebuilt to E8M's, 5 A units and 6 B units, rated at 2000 HP.

I'm not an expert on the Alton Route or the GM&O so if this needs corrected, please post accordingly.

Phil Mulligan