Wait a minute - is that another USATC S100? Sure looks like it from that photo.

Yes, it is an S100, and a fairly nice one too!

Mark Jordan
ex-General Manager
Queen Annes' Railroad

For what it is worth the cars at the Royal Zephyr are former New Haven Osgood Bradley coaches. If my notes are correct, they are NH 8625 and 8664. The cars came from Orrville Ohio in June of 2005. The were sold to Gulfstream Development (the original developer/owner of the restaraunt) by Boulder Scientific Company of Mead Colorado which had owned the cars since 1991 and stored them in Orrville. BSC has (or had) several other NH cars stored in Orrville. The cars have horrible rust problems and are structuraly deficient to say the least (We were able to remove some of the seats bare handed and the side sill on one of them collapesed while it was being craned onto the truck for the trip to Delaware).

Jason Midyette
Niwot CO

Jason,

We had four Osgood Bradleys cars that we used on the (operating) Royal Zephyr dinner train (1993-1998?). I don't remember the car numbers, as I left QARR in 1997. They were owned by Boulder Scientific. I had assumed that the restaurant cars were the same cars, but apparently they are not. Where did the operating cars go if they are not at the restaurant? The operating cars were not much better structurally.......I always got in trouble when one or more of the owners were "talking up" the dinner train, and I would walk by and slap the side of the car just to see how much rust would fall out.......

Those cars may still be on the DCL. Just after the Nov 2004 election an excursion was run from Lewes to Georgetown, DE, and back, using some stainless steel cars and an ex-Conrail GE unit. (I don't have my trip notes with me at the moment so I can't provide more details.) The heavy rain that day canceled the parade, speeches, etc., in Georgetown. Later I spoke to the DCL about other possible excursions but they didn't show much interest, and I believe the cars were owned by a third party. I haven't been out there for a few years, but they may be hidden in the woods on the tracks behind the DCL enginehouse at the Georgetown airfield.

Last I knew the cars were still on the DCL. They had been on a siding inbetween Lewes and Georgetown, but may have been moved as mentioned above. Boulder Scientific also had at least some ownership interest in a PRR twin unit diner and an Amtrak baggage car that were stored in Georgetown.

Jason Midyette

Oh, god. Oh, god. Is THAT thing still around--the old one from the Maryland Midland? If it's the same one, it's like the proverbial bad penny!

Can't tell on the photo, but is the stack capped? If not, as a public service to the world, anybody local please let them know how important that little detail is!

Just for the record, and from the best of my memory, the following were on the property (Lewes/Georgetown) in 1997:

USATC / W&W / QARR #3 ex-Navy 0-6-0t

PRR MP54 ex W&W stipped of electric gear / roller? bearing

NYC heavyweight coach / 4 wheel trucks / friction bearing

N&W combine #1504 (Jim Crow intact)/round roof/6 wheel trucks friction bearing

Amtrak baggage (qty 2) roller bearing

Amtrak/PRR double unit diner/roller bearing

Osgood Bradley ex NH stainless over carbon steel(rust) Qty 4 (Dinner Train) roller bearing


Mark

I found this post on Railforum regarding the Delaware Coast Line, home of the QARR.
http://www.railroadforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=12405

And this image of an Observation(?) named "Cygnet"

Wesley