The Arizona Railway Museum in Chandler, Arizona is taking delivery today (all going well with the UP Chandler Local) of another former Santa Fe Hi-Level car built for the El Capitan train in 1956, this one originally bar-lounge-observation 576, later Amtrak 9971 and later still Amtrak 39971, reportedly last used for Amtrak's Pacific Parlor Car service. The design is noted for being the spiritual predecessor of Amtrak's Superliner observation lounges.

This car joins previous ATSF Hi-Level acquisitions, ATSF coach 708 and "transition car" 543. The car may be prepped for display at this Saturday's annual Open House at the Museum.

UPDATE: Switched into the yard ca. 10:00 AM Arizona time.

Please do not be like the general public and call this an "Observation car". It is not an observation car.

How about "Bar-Lounge-With-Lotsa-Windows", then?

I've been in both cars (not this one) and am surprised at what good shape they are in. I will be there Saturday!
Nice little museum- just wish the PCC could be better kept up.

It's my understanding that a number of these cars, including the lounge car that's the newest acquisition, got a lot of refurbishment by Amtrak when they were in Pacific Parlor service. They may have gotten extra care in that service as well.

I don't think they wound up in the shops in Chicago, where there were a variety of issues some years back.

and please don't be like that annoying tour guide who said "that's not a steam engine.. it's a locomotive!"

it's an observation lounge car. cause.. ummm it is.

LOL, well said. Reminds me of certain fan boards, "Don't call it a GP38, it's a GP38-2. Idiot."

A few clarifications.

This was the sixth former AT&SF Hi-Level lounge that was not needed for the five-consist-rotation Coast Starlight, and was therefore deemed surplus many years before the other five were eventually retired.

Specifically, this car, #39971, was retired in 1999 and subsequently sold to Dave Hoffman, d.b.a., Northern Sky Charters.

The other five remained in service as the "Pacific Parlour Cars" (for sleeping-class passengers only; with Valley-series names added) on the Starlight for almost another 2 whole decades.

Because the #39971 was retired that much earlier, I do not know how the inside compares to those of the other five that remained in "PPC" service...example, the other five all received a full-car-width movie theater space on the lower-level; I do not know if the #39971 ever had that or other modifications made before retirement.

Edited to add the following...

So, it is interesting to note that the #39971 does indeed have the "PPC" stencil, which can be seen in the initial post's attached photo. I am admittedly not entirely familiar with how these cars were "cycled" on the Starlight during the 90's before the #39971 was retired. It could very well have been that all six were indeed used in "PPC" service, but having six cars at that time allowed for one to always be rotated out for regular shopping. Or, one was kept as a "stand-by" in-case-of; that could be the role that the #39971 fulfilled, i.e., as the "spare" car, and was eventually retired as a budget-saving measure (or for other "logistical" reasons).

Here's how #39971 appeared when I saw it in 2002 at Beech Grove, IN.

That’s how the car appeared as a Hi-Level cafe lounge or cafe / diner when it was on Amtrak. I remember riding the Texas Eagle as a kid when these cars were in use.

The parlor cars looked like this…
https://www.trainchasers.com/home/coast ... ht-parlour

Thanks for posting the pics, that definitively answers the question...the #39971 indeed did *not* have the same interior modifications for "PPC" service as the other five did.

The only PPC change done to this car is the external stencil. Everything interior is standard Amtrak orange lower level remains a lounge not a theater.

I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Hoffman yesterday at the AZRM's annual Open House, as well as Ken, the chap who will be leading the restoration effort.

The car was specifically targeted for preservation by Hoffman because of its now-unique unaltered, unrebuilt interior, at least from "early Amtrak"--walking through the car induced an earworm of the theme music from "That '70s Show," even if the current interior is more early 1980s. The other converted Pacific Parlor Cars retain perhaps some sound value for resale as luxury travel (perhaps someplace like the Grand Canyon Railway or Verde Canyon, both on ex-ATSF track?).

ATSF 576/ATK 9971/39971 will still require a degree of backdating to restore to ATSF look, but not nearly as much as the other five survivors. And, as Ken said, "We know what we have to do and we have a lot of what we need." The first problem to be addressed are failing window gaskets and frame seals, which threaten to allow too much (more?) water into the car's interior, and twenty-one years after the earlier photo above, the lower windows are fogged/hazed to opaqueness, much like the "Lexan Ladies" of PRR commuter fame. The original commercial-use Amana Radarange microwave (at least Amtrak-era) still lurks in the bar/lounge back kitchen. There are other issues such as failing fluorescent lighting ballasts--one light was open to reveal sooty wiring and a failed ballast and capacitors. We rightfully conjectured that there will be a day when the fluorescent tubes themselves will be "unobtanium," and they are already studying how to best retrofit with LED substitutes for display--something all of us will have to study at some point. And there are a LOT of dings and dents from service in the car's exterior fluting.

The "PPC" reporting marks are registered to AAPRRCO and are routinely "borrowed" (used on a temporary basis) by car owners/brokers for transit of "works in progress" cars being shipped on freight. They are also used for AAPRRCO registered cars using Amtrak 800000-series private-car registrations in charter service. 39971 arrived with an idler bulkhead flat car semi-permanently coupled to one end (chains, padlocks, etc.), and an EOT bracket (stenciled as such!) welded to the back end--a great answer for the crews that try to insist "we can't hang an EOT on this thing, so we can't take it on our train!"

Of the other five, #39970 Columbia Valley and #39975 Willamette Valley were both acquired at the 2019 equipment auction by the Steam Railroading Institute, to be used on their various PM #1225 and GLC trips.

Same for the #39972 Napa Valley, which was acquired by the Wisconsin Great Northern for regular use.

As for #39973 Santa Lucia Highlands and #39974 Sonoma Valley, both went to John Radovich, d.b.a., John's Trains Inc. and Dallas Terminal RY...Mr. Radovich already has a small fleet of various Hi-Levels, some of which had been leased to Iowa Pacific and saw active use on the Rio Grande Scenic, but all may be "idle" now after the IPH bankruptcy (unless they are now being leased to other operators)

Related ATSF Hi-Level news in this thread:

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