https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews ... nsylvania/



Photo at the link.

Interesting that TRAINS states two heavyweight car are going to the Everett Railroad and then gives details on only one of the cars. Kind of a half-axx report, which seems to be what TRAINS is doing a lot of these days.

Les

It's been a long wait for UP to furnish flat cars but hopefully these will be heading east soon.

"Powhatan" is Pullman, 1928, RF&P Cafe-Parlor, later Royal American Shows no. 56 "Tampa".

"Rancho Sespe" is Pullman, 1922, Colorado & Southern coach 553, later Trinity Valley Railfans "Armstrong Creek".

Alan Maples
Everett Railroad

Alan -

Thanks for the information on the second car.


Les

Glad they are being saved! I'll bet that moving costs are pretty high.

So, two new passenger cars, plus that baggage car, and the #11's conversion to oil. Big things afoot at the Everett.

Alan,

What kind of interiors do these cars currently have?

Especially since they have the 2-8-0 under restoration as well, it sounds like they definitely need more coaches... :D

Coach 553 and the Powhatan:

They gave some details on both cars. Look again.

As someone who has done such reporting for numerous rail and non-rail magazines, I ask you:

Do you know how long it takes to confirm, ACCURATELY, such details for such preserved equipment? Or, for that matter, when a small business such as a short line or brewery or magazine or park opened, closed, moved, built their building, etc.? Such stuff is not Twitter tweets or Facebook commentary. You're trying to GET IT RIGHT, dagnabbit, and for hours of work you MAY get one "that's nice..." or more likely someone complaining why you didn't mention that other number or owner it had......

Not an hour ago I had to look up the history of three diesel locomotives that ended up at a short line. I found conflicting online rosters reporting on the two older ones, and nothing whatsoever on the newer one that showed up, as it had been renumbered from its past Genesee & Wyoming ownership, and I had to scour through spotting details to confirm (I hope) it was a GP38--and I still don't have its original owner(s) or how it got to the G&W. And matters weren't helped by two ownership changes and one name change for the short line in question. And I have scads of excellent reference materials on my shelves as well. And if worst comes to worst, I know where two sets of master reference binders compiled and updated by two late major contributors to Extra 2200 South are located--but both died before changes I needed to confirm. As it was, I wasted approximately 45 minutes trying to get it right on the older two and gave up on the third.

Now, if you want to appeal directly to Brother Maples for lengthier "press releases" detailing every last aspect of the cars' ownership, their configuration changes over time, their plans for the cars, etc., then be my guest, but don't be surprised if you are rebuffed. Honestly, my cynicism and pessimism is such that I wouldn't have even announced the cars were on the way until they arrived in Altoona, unless I wanted railfans' eyes and ears watching the cars for me as they sat in some yard for a week or bounced back and forth across Chicago, St. Louis, or wherever for another week (I have had both happen to me as I was "guarding" such shipments).

Hey, SOMEONE has to give PRR 1361 something to do, if and when its restoration ever gets finished..............

(NOTE: speculative contemplation ONLY, NOT to be taken seriously as a plan or proposal......)

It makes sense. I can think of no place east of Chicago that's better located to take advantage of rail focused tourism.

You can almost hear the flange squeal from horseshoe curve from Hollidaysburg and there are TWO railfan focused B&B's less than 20 minutes away.

They local baseball team is even named after the railroad for goodness sakes.

I'm glad to see am operation cashing in!

Ever heard of a little town called Strasburg?

All joking aside, Pennsylvania in general is really becoming a hot bed of rail tourism:

- Everett over the past 5 years has grown their tourism exponentially
- EBT on the rise again
- PRR 1361 project making (true) progress again
- Reading and Northern not only bringing back 2102 within weeks, but also has been continually adding new pass. cars and offering different types of trips
- Colebrookdale RR bringing steam on-line in the near future (this RR has become a strong local draw)
- New Hope going Strong, has even been invited to run excursions on SEPTA within last 5 years
- Strasburg never ceases to draw a crowd, 611 has a massive hit in both 2019 and 2021
- I believe WK&S is restoring their 0-4-0T (?)
- Allentown and Auburn are solid runners, more of a niche operation
- Mr. Levin still is active (hopefully his E8's will make a return someday, even if not mainline)
- Steamtown.... still exist.... (we'll leave it at that.) - but the Big Boy cos. rest. looks great!
- And of course the "landmarks" like Horseshoe Curve, Rockville Bridge, Nicholson Viaduct etc.

Additionally, Western Maryland Scenic and Wilmington and Western both very close to PA border.

I sure hope somebody stowed those dining room chairs on the Powhatan somewhere other than on top the tables!

Nice to see cars with good interiors.

Nick

Glad to see a very rare RF&P coach coming back east. NIce catch, Alan!