looking for SF Chief(original) Vista type OBS car interior

152696 · **Joined:** Tue Oct 27, 2020 7:26 pm **Posts:** 62

I have seen a picture of the interior that hardly shows the obs lounge. but from what i have seen it is incredible. but, I cant find any more interior pics of the original Chief Vista Series Observation Car interior in 1940 before the super chief took over.

if anyone would kindly share interior pics of these beautiful pieces of history, that would be very appreciated.

Brian Norden · **Posted:** Sun Aug 29, 2021 6:55 pm

The Santa Fe had five cars with Vista series names, Four of these were built in 1947. The fifth car was built in 1938

The four cars built in 1947 were named Vista Heights, Vista Valley, Vista Canyon and Vista Cavern. The cars were assigned to "The Chief."

The fifth car was built as Coconio in 1938 as part of a group of six cars that were assigned to the lightweight "The Chief" in that year. It was renamed Vista Plains in 1947 to operate in a pool with the 1947 built cars.

A source for information about these cars would be the book Sleeping Cars of the Santa Fe published by Santa Fe Railway Historical & Modeling Society

Peter Nicholson · **Posted:** Mon Aug 30, 2021 12:00 am

Since the car Vista Plains nee Coconino was built by Pullman Car Works in 1938 (one of six in Lot 6532, Plan 4070), you could contact the Pullman Library at the Illinois Railway Museum to see if they have any interior builder's photos from that Lot of cars.

Or, you could try to find Volume 1 of W. David Randall's The Official Pullman-Standard Library which covers the Santa Fe. If the IRM Pullman Library had any interior builder's photos for these pre-war Chief observation cars, they would appear in Randall's book.

Alexander D. Mitchell IV · **Posted:** Mon Aug 30, 2021 12:28 am

The caution is that a couple of the 1947-built quartet survive today--Vista Valley as a PV in New Jersey; Vista Canyon at Arizona Railway Museum in Chandler--but all were heavily rebuilt in the 1956 from original 4 DR, 1 BD, round-end Observation with 17 seat Lounge configuration to 4DR,1BD, 16-seat blunt-end observation.

I have an old roster claiming that all four postwar Vista cars were sold to various individuals in 1968, but so far I can only find these two survivors. Vista Canyon was scrapped in 2013:
viewtopic.php?t=36969

Note: Do not confuse with VERDE Valley, preserved by the Gulf Coast Chapter NRHS ages ago, donated directly by ATSF.

ARM Chandler has an extensive library as well as Vista Canyon; I'd try them first.