Obviously the ramifications from the recent changes to Amtrak private-car policy are still being felt and worked out, but an intriguing report just reached me through the grapevine:

After the demise of the Ski Train in 2009, three private ex-D&RGW business cars that were not sold with the rest of the Ski Train equipment (California, Utah, and Kansas) were sent to California where owner Philip Anschutz began a new endeavor called the American Railway Explorer.

I was told that all three cars are planned to be placed in semi-permanent storage, at a building to be constructed on a rail-connected Anschutz-related property.

According to what I can find online, Kansas was a D&RGW business car originally built as DRGW coach 1240 by the Pullman Standard Division of Pullman in 1950 and converted to a business car in 1951, formerly named Wilson McCarthy and numbered 100.

Utah was built by the Budd Company for the M&StL as 53, then to the Rock Island Railroad as coach 364, and converted (by a subsequent owner) as a private car which was acquired by Anschutz ca. 1984.

Colorado was built by Budd in 1949 as NYC 10562 "Fall Brook", to Casablanca Fan "City of Pasadena", acquired by D&RGW/Anschutz Nov. 1984

I'm not sure that's entirely correct. Colorado/Fall Brook is at Gateway Rail and is for sale?
https://ozarkmountainrailcar.com/railEq ... 0Equipment

There were only two private railcars at the garden tracks at LA Union Station last month.
Is that a sign of the future of private varnish?

On an unrelated note, can anyone identify those two cars?

I think Amtrak's policy on private cars is tied to the current administration's desire to replace long distance trains with DMUs, which wouldn't be able to pull private cars, and then eventually end long distance service all together when the DMUs are a failure. I think such plans will not survive the congressional elections in November, so we may see a return to the status quo ante.

Now today Amtrak is saying that they won't run trains on lines without PTC after December 31, which means that eight trains would not be able to operate:Southwest Chief (due to no PTC west of La Junta); Cardinal (Buckingham Branch Railroad); CZ(west of Grand Junction for around 150 miles); Texas Eagle (110 miles south of St. Louis); Downeaster (Pan Am Railways);, Vermonter (New England Central); Ethan Allen(Vermont Railway); City of New Orleans(18 miles around Memphis)

As with the PVs, I think this is just a pretext that won't stand (although it may be that the PVs won't come back anyway).