Saw this posted on the NRHS Facebook page:

http://www.ozarkmountainrailcar.com/det ... ess-Car-90

Not sure what to think about this car, the way it is painted doesn't do anything for me, but the interior is exquisite.

My wife and I got a tour of this car a couple of years ago, and it is beautiful! I'm a little bit surprised that the car is being offered for sale. By ITM? Or by a private owner?



Les

Several reports online indicate that this car is privately owned and only stored/displayed at ITM, for what that's worth.

As a footnote, this car is one of a handful rebuilt or restored by Reuben Darby of Hagerstown, MD. Darby, who was in the lumber business, once claimed he stumbled into passenger car work and at the time " . . . didn't know one end of a railroad car from another." In the 1960's he amassed a small collection of mostly heavyweight Pullmans that he intended to rebuild as private cars. Around 1971 Reuben Darby vanished under mysterious circumstances and the remaining equipment was eventually sold or scrapped.

Alan Maples

Couple of interesting footnotes to MR. Darby

article from Farm Collector
http://www.farmcollector.com/steam-trac ... x?PageId=1

Footnote from Train orders web site
NYC #10755 Dover Harbor to Pullman 1958, sold to Reuben Darby-Darby Wood Products 4/1967, sold later that year to Joseph F. Belfiore, then resold in 1974 to Air Couriers International, which is listed in some source material as Air Careers Company in Silver Spring, MD, car numbered #912, resold in 1978 to G. Scott Rutherford, resold in 1979 to the Washington D.C. Chapter NRHS, as NRHX #1 and #800073.

The 90, in the past was reported to have been owned by the Hullman Foundation. The Hullman family owns the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and in the past made a significant contribution to a then-small technical college in Terre Haute, now known as Rose Hullman Technical Institute.

The 90 has an interesting connection to Indiana. Ike Duffy the operator of the Central Indiana Railroad bought the car (from the FEC?) and named it Duchess after his dog. He even had air conditioning installed, but in a way that did not interfere with the cosmetic appearance of the car.

I believe Duffy sold the car to Tony Hullman at some point, who had it restored. When ITM was summoned to get retrieve it, it was stored in a shed in the PRR yard in Terre Haute.

Of minor interest, the car was built as a wood-sided car, with two open end platforms. The one at the kitchen end was likely a "blind" end, with no windows, but just a door and ornate railing. At some point it was sheathed in steel, and the front platform closed in. I don't know if it ever operated in the yellow FEC scheme in this configuration.

The 90 is significant for many reasons, mainly because it is probably one of the most ornate private cars still around from the Gilded Age. The only other car that is still around that retains that much of the original interior is August Belmont's Oriental, which is on display in upper New York State in its later guise as a L&N business car.

Its sister car, the 91 is on display at the Flagler home in Palm Beach, Florida. The museum built a very nice enclosed pavilion to house it, and to hold special events. The pavilion is of significance in that it is built in the Beaux Arts style. The car has had a very credible restoration performed on it, even returning it to three axle trucks at some point.

There is a very interesting website on the railroads of Madison, Indiana by a gentleman named Roger Hensley. If interested:

http://madisonrails.railfan.net

Mr. Hensley has a very informative section on the Central Indiana Railway, its predecessors and also the Central Indiana & Western, which operates a present day short line over a small surviving section of the Central Indiana Railway trackage. There were a couple of fan trips over the line including using number 90 and the other (!) CIRY business car #100, the Maude Walker. Hensley's site reports the name of number 90 as "Dutchess", spelled slightly different than above, but if named after a dog, the spelling might be different than the "norm". Although there are a number of photos of the 90 when on the Central Indiana, I can't quite make out the spelling on the side of the car. Perhaps someone has a larger screen than my computer and can verify which was correct. Also, the color photos of the 90 when on the CIRY seem to show the car wearing Pullman Green paint. Number 100 by the way, wears a nice two tone scheme, perhaps light gray/medium gray ala New York Central which was one of her two owners (the other was the Pennsy).

Les

Another car from the Golden Era that has a very well preserved interior is the Roamer built for oil barron Joshua Cosden in 1918 by ACF. The car was used by GBW as their office car for a while.

Currently it belongs to the AC&W RR and has received a lavish and perfect restoration...even being air conditioned with no visiable ductwork. Aside from the exterior being painted metal flake fuschia (seriously) it is an amazing relic from the past.

They use the car for economic development trips and other railroad functions...so it is still in regular service after all these years!

T7