In regards to Southern Pacific car 107, Delmonte, I thought I might offer some information and clarifications..
Car 107 was built under lot 4399 and plan 2926 as car San Marino lettered for the San Joaquin and Eastern Railroad ( a railroad owned by Huntington but was not suitable to handle the all steel full size private car ) Car was delivered in September 1916 as the private car for Henry E Huntington. Car was kept indoors at Huntington's home in San Marino California. ( it replaced MKT 170.. originally the 110, that Huntington bought a year or so earlier as his personal private car ) and was housed with San Marino 2 ( a combine for his help and goods ) and the Alabama ( a St. Louis Car Co private interurban built for Huntington ). The MKT 170 ( San Marino ) was sold when the newly built 1916 San Marino was delivered.
It is believed based upon personal letters from Huntington to the Pullman Company, in 1917, that the car was to be re-lettered Chesapeake and Ohio and retain the name San Marino as the Huntington family had a controlling interest in the C&O. Records in my possession indicate that in 1920, the car was re-lettered again for the Southern Pacific ( Huntington's also had a controlling interest in the Southern Pacific ) and it is believed the car retained the San Marino name, until after H.E. Huntington's death in 1927. The car was sold to the Southern Pacific at that point and re-named Delmonte and became car 107.
The car much later in life was sold to the Ferrocarrill del Pacifico and became their car ASR 6078 while in Mexico. In 1985, Anbel Corporation bought two SP cars back to Texas that included the San Marino / Delmonte and the SP Los Angeles. Both cars were offered for sale upon returning to the United States.
An attorney from California purchased the San Marino / Delmonte and had the Anbel Corporation do the initial work to return the car to Amtrak compatibility. The cars return to mainline service happened in July 1986 in private ownership. The attorney from California ran the car for a few years, and then started a second lengthy rebuild for Amtrak service but the project was never finished due to an untimely automobile accident that took his life. The estate sold the car, then at the Filmore and Western RR in California to a gentleman from Birmingham who took on the remaining restoration and completed it in 1999.
I bought the car in 2002 and the car is still Amtrak compatible and stored indoors and retains its original 1916 interior. A photograph of the car at New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal shows the current condition.
Hope this information is helpful
Dean Levin
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