Does anyone feel like recounting the history of Blackpool Belle, when it came to Glenwood, Oregon? What happened to its pieces?

In case you are wondering what Steve is talking about.

http://www.transportnostalgia.co.uk/BLA ... 0BELLE.htm

-Hudson

I can only answer to the sale of the Belle in the early 1990's as I sold it for Gales Creel Enterprises to a company in Round Rock, TX. for a test bed for different propulsion systems. The owner had planned on testing the car to operate on solar as well as battery power to simulate passenger operations with station stops every 300-500 feet. He did test out the battery operations with 42 heavy duty batteries and operated the car for several 8 hour periods with great success and found that there was still excess power left for more than 8 hours of operation. After he was satisfied that there was no other reason to continue the tests for other systems, he parked it and it was in storage for several years.

The Belle was stripped to the frame and a new floor was installed for the electrical equipment and the operator. Al other parts except for the trucks and electrical equipment were discarded to the side where the car was stored. Some years later, the car was sold to a Houston group that wanted the trucks and electrical parts for restoring a Houston MoPac rail bus. I have not been able to determine exactly who, or where, the group is located in the Houston area as I understand they have moved to a new site.

Harry Nicholls

I do know that the MoPac rail car had been in a scrap yard in South Houston for years before being offered for sale and purchased by the Houston group. As far as I know, the MoPac car has not been completely restored yet.