All of this 611 talk I've seen lately has had me wondering what passenger cars from the Powhatan Arrow train set and so on still survive today? I'm not 100% sure if the two observations survive after being shipped to Saudi Arabia. If anyone has any info, chime in please! But from the little information I've gathered, it looks like these cars survive.

P1 coach
N&W 501 (NS 28)

P2 coach
N&W 512 (Roanoke Chapter)

P3 coach
531 (TVRM)
532 (NS 29)
534 (Roanoke private group)
536 (GSMR)
537 (Roanoke Chapter)
538? (Roanoke Chapter)
539 (Watauga Valley)
540 (TVRM)

Diners
491 (NS 12)
492 (CSRR Hattie Evans)
493 (NS 18)
494 (NS 19)

Observations
581?
582?

Feel free to correct anything or add any info, please. Thanks

It has been impossible to verify with dealings with the Saudis, but one car was reportedly scrapped in the 1980s, the other seemed to exist in storage for a rail museum there about 10-15 years ago from Google map views, but is no longer visible.

On the diners,
N&W 491, was retired in 1973, then rebuilt to dormitory car No. 450, so no longer a diner
N&W 492, was retired in 1971, sold off to an equipment dealer, and subsequently sold to a restaurant in Lewiston, Maine with two N&W heavyweight coaches, after the restaurant closed in the 1980s, it later went to Conway Scenic
N&W 493, was retired in July 1971, and sold to Amtrak, then was involved in a wreck at Dyersburg, TN, and later sold to Lake Shore NRHS, who sold it back to NS in 1983 and it was restored to a working diner once again.
N&W 494 is the only D1 diner that remained a diner and with N&W, now NS its entire career.
Best
Ken Miller

Some great answers here!

I wonder how much other N&W equipment is still around.

I don't know if any Pocahontas equipment is still with us; that was a short consist, not too much in it, and it's possible nothing survives.

I understand at least one heavyweight baggage car, looking like a PRR B60, is still around and in good condition. I would assume at least some heavyweight coaches are still around, and maybe some sleepers, too.

The N&W, as legendary as it was, was not a huge passenger carrier. I doubt there is that much around for that reason, but it would be nice to know what is there.

The Catskill Mountain Railroad of Kingston, NY presently rosters former N&W PM coach 1727 as part of their active fleet. More information on the specific history of this car can be found on their website. However, they claim that it was once used on both the Powhatan Arrow and Pocahontas trains, and ran behind NW 611 pre excursion career.

They came into possession of this car several years back, acquiring it from a private collector who had it stored in North Creek, NY on the old D&H Adirondack branch.

I recall seeing a Facebook group for N&W coach 534 around the mid 2010’s, supposedly it was based in Roanoke.

535 is also apparently on the Ontario northland.

The 534 is privately owned in Roanoke, it had a door cut into the side while it was at a scrap yard.

Ontario Northland acquired several N&W cars, from my notes:
ON 830 former 1725
ON 831 former 1726
ON 832 former 1727
ON 833 former 1728
ON 834 ???
ON 835 former 1731
ON 836 former 1733
ON 840 former 511
ON 841 former 532
On 842 former 535

To the best of my knowledge, all have been scrapped in recent years.
Best
Ken Miller

Just to add to my previous comments. Generally speaking, when one is referring to the Powhatan Arrow equipment, they are referring to the 1949 built train. Those cars, 2 Class P1 coaches (501-502), 2 class P2 coaches (511-512) and 10 class P3 coaches (531-540) plus four diners (491-494) and 2 round-end tavern-lounge-observation cars (581-582) are, generally speaking relatively well preserved.

However, the Arrow was introduced in April 1946, and because there were so many cars on order from Pullman and Budd, N&W's small order of 20 cars kind of was low on the list, so the N&W did what N&W did best, have their Roanoke Shops refurbish equipment for the new train. Which included multiple Pm coaches (1700 series cars) as well as heavyweight De-class diners.

Once the new equipment arrived in November and early December 1949, those cars became the two Arrow trains, and the 1700 series cars and heavyweight diners went into service in the Pocahontas and Cavalier for the most part.

Best
Ken Miller