A photo was posted in a Facebook group a few days ago showing a remarkably well preserved ACF (or maybe Pullman) passenger car, and it is most likely in Nebraska or Kansas. It would be nice to know where it is located so when the time comes it can be saved/moved if necessary (not sure of current ownership but it looks like it is in the middle of a small town).

I tried to PM the original author of the photo and instead received a rather hostile and vulgar response (gotta love Facebook).

Photos by G. Gerard from October 2020.

I believe this is at the Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad, Abilene, KS.

- Alan Maples

Thank you! Just checked Google Maps and you are correct. They appear to be parked at the west end of their trackage, where they had an interchange with ATSF/BNSF.

https://www.google.com/maps/search/38.9 ... AHoECAIQAQ

Photos here following Alan's hint.

Wesley

Thank you both for your help! I was definitely overthinking this one.

Just checked Wil Hata's Railroad Preservation Index and it does not seem that the heritage is known for these two cars. Any ideas?

I found darn little, in this (mostly not at all useful) post the waycar-looking car is referred to as KSGID 1000, I can't find any information on those reporting marks. http://www.trainweb.org/chris/abil.html

I asked about the 2 cars. A&SV doesn't have a lot of information on either car.

The passenger car came from a salvage yard in Fairbury, NE. They traded a boxcar to get it. They picked it up in 1996-1997 time frame.

The other car is a Kansas Wheat Commission car and was located in Scandia, KS when the railroad obtained it. They do not have a lot more information on it and they don't remember how long ago it was obtained. I wonder if the KSGID stands for Kansas Grain Inspection ?Division?.

It's a mystery to me, but I figured I'd do some digging just to see if anything may match up. Found a photo of a Rock Island coach, 2822, that shares many similar features with this car. Now it is almost certainly not this exact car, but it may be from the same series or a similar series. This photo shows what would be, I assume, the other side of the car.


(Otto Perry photo, Denver Public Library Special Collections)

At a glance, that thing appears to be in pretty good shape body-wise. No underbody equipment to speak of, and plain bearings, but otherwise halfway decent. Note it appears to have tightlock couplers, which would be quite unusual if that is a RR upgrade, and they didn't convert to rollers.

I think you are right, it is likely a former Rock Island coach, from the series referred to as "gothic" coaches. Many of these ended up as camp cars for the Rock Island, which would explain why the A&SV hasn't done anything with it. I don't think this is the one (the arched windows were plated over on this one), but notice the similarities between the coach in Abilene and this one that ran on the Midland Railway operation in Baldwin KS (Flickr won't let you copy and paste):
https://www.flickr.com/photos/23711298@ ... otostream/

I could see the two cars being from the same series, even with the modifications done to the one on the Midland Railway. Wonder if there's any markings hiding anywhere on the carbody of the one on the A&SV that could nail down a number.