Iowa Pacific buys Carolina Southern F's, Cars

Alexander D. Mitchell IV · **Posted:** Thu Mar 01, 2012 5:55 pm

Snipped from Trains Newswire:

Quote:

CHICAGO – Iowa Pacific Holdings has acquired several locomotives and passengers cars from short line Carolina Southern, based in Conway, S.C. Iowa Pacific President Ed Ellis told Trains News Wire the equipment is being acquired for existing and planned passenger and tourist operations. All will require extensive rehabilitation before being put into service.

Included in the sale were ex-Canadian National F7Au 9163, built in 1952, and former CN and VIA F9B 6622, built in 1957. Passenger equipment includes former Illinois Central observation car 3320 Paducah built as a coach and rebuilt to an observation in 1947; IC rebuilt heavyweight diner 4109 Auguste Chouteau built as a coach and rebuilt to a diner in 1947; IC Pullman Greenville built for the New York Central in 1940 and sold to IC in 1958; and three heavyweight coaches.

Ellis said Iowa Pacific now owns three ex-Illinois Central round end observation cars: No. 3305, Mardi Gras; No. 3310 Pontchartrain Club, and 3320. He said the company is searching for former City of New Orleans observation No. 3306, Audubon Park which is reported to be in use as a fishing cabin north of Dallas, Texas.

Normally I would edit out some of the story and make subscribers go and read it for themselves. In this case, some of the details I would have chopped out raise questions:

1) Did Iowa Pacific acquire the Mardi Gras from the Roanoke Chapter NRHS? If so, did any of the other recent acquisitions also come from the Roanoke roster?

2) Are any of us astute enough to know about the mysterious Audobon Park fishing cabin?

3) This is now a heavy ex-IC collection. Are these former IC cars in superior condition to other such existing equipment (as in the old Budd-versus-ACF debate), are they specifically seeking ex-IC cars for their heritage, or is this just dumb luck?

u25b · **Posted:** Thu Mar 01, 2012 6:17 pm

I thought I once read that the Monticello museum had acquired a round end ex IC observation car that was in use as a fishing cabin. This is in line with them recreating a genuine IC passenger train (except the loco will be ex PRR).Could this be the one?

Wes

Gary Gray · **Posted:** Thu Mar 01, 2012 8:32 pm

Iowa Pacific bought the Mardi Gras off of us a little over a year ago. Carolina Southern did own 2 former Roanoke Chapter coaches, ex-Southern #'s 1204 & 1205. I'd love to have one of them back now that we are regularly running rides at VMT.

PennCentral4321 · **Joined:** Wed Jun 23, 2010 7:45 pm **Posts:** 128

Have they also acquired the 2 IC E8s?

filmteknik · **Posted:** Thu Mar 01, 2012 10:13 pm

Indeed. The last two IC E's need saving!

Steve

trolleyira · **Joined:** Fri Jul 22, 2005 11:22 pm **Posts:** 219

Ed Ellis is an IC fan. Enough said.

gnufe · **Posted:** Thu Mar 01, 2012 10:57 pm

Hi everyone,

There was group of IC cars used as a fishing camp north of Jackson, Mississippi. I don't remember what town they were in, but do remember that one car was the "Gulfport" and there were two sleepers which I can't recall there name and a couple of baggage cars on the property. The cars were all still painted chocolate and orange and lettered for the IC. The interiors were in tact, but none were on trucks. I walked through them when I was a teenager....

Stuart

o anderson · **Posted:** Thu Mar 01, 2012 11:33 pm

The Gulfport is indeed at the Monticello Railway Museum in IL.
I have not heard of restoration progress on this car
http://www.mrym.org/gulfport.html

robertmacdowell · **Posted:** Fri Mar 02, 2012 4:09 am

I take it you hired a moving company? Who was the moving company?
I need to truck-move coaches of comparable size and weight.

Alexander D. Mitchell IV · **Posted:** Fri Mar 02, 2012 8:57 am

filmteknik wrote:

Indeed. The last two IC E's need saving!

I'm reasonably certain you're referring to the two that are/were owned (along with two ex-PRR E8's and that Monon-painted E9 over in the Chicago area) by "Omni Midwest" and stored in Minerva, Ohio:

4258 E8A c/n 17752, 4/53, ex MARC 63, ex NJT 4258, nee IC 4033
60 E8A c/n 14084 4/51, ex MARC 60, ex NJT 4237, ex ICG 4023, nee IC 4023

http://www.flickr.com/photos/fan-t/6918205373/

The last time I followed up on these locos, the attitude was "they don't eat much." I'm reasonably certain that Iowa Pacific and the locos' owner(s) run in common circles in the Midwest, and that Ed Ellis is keenly aware of the existence of these locos. Remember, several years ago a bunch of folks were "telling" Bennett Levin to acquire the two ex-PRR units, and nothing has happened along those lines.

I would just sit back and munch on the popcorn.......

PennCentral4321 · **Joined:** Wed Jun 23, 2010 7:45 pm **Posts:** 128

Yes, those are the 2 that were being referred to and I was just curious if there had been any movement on them.

arjay3 · **Joined:** Fri Jul 22, 2005 9:50 pm **Posts:** 162

Glad the equipment, especially the F-units may have a better future than rotting away on a moribound railroad.

Orion Forbes Taylor · **Posted:** Sun Mar 04, 2012 4:07 pm

This website (http://passcarphotos.info/Indices/I1.htm) seems to indicate, via a couple of photo links to RR Picture Archives, that the Carolina Southern owned 3306 Audubon Park. I am not certain how accurate the information on these websites is, but is it possible the identities of 3320 Paducah and 3306 Audubon Park have gotten confused?

Here is a link to one of the photos in question:
http://rrpicturearchives.net/showPictur ... id=1385753

Alexander D. Mitchell IV · **Posted:** Thu May 17, 2012 3:03 pm

Add yet another E-unit to the fleet:

One of the former BN E-units used by MARC, former MARC 66/BN 9906 (earlier CB&Q 9972), is now reported en route from Museum of Transport in St. Louis to Colorado (by way of Mid-America Rail Car near Kansas City) for rebuilding to potential main line excursion service.

http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/r ... %2C2768082

Mark Z. Yerkes · **Joined:** Mon Jan 02, 2012 8:47 pm **Posts:** 486

These guys seem determined to buy up most of the old EMDs. They also own the two "Lackawanna" E8s from the CNY chapter of the NRHS.