I recently acquired some pix from a friend of mine who had digitized his old photographs. One of the photos is of a structure which I believe was at the Beech Grove Shops of Amtrak near Indianapolis, and was taken in July of 1983. It is made out of the very rear ends of two streamlined lightweight observation cars welded together, so that it was roughly oval shaped when viewed from the top. This particular photo shows the end of one car and then three windows and then the weld where the other car was welded to it. This structure was then placed up on a box type lower support so that the observation car ends became the second story. I remember seeing a photo of this rather strange structure in an old Railroad News Photos section of TRAINS Magazine, but don't recall any details about it. My questions are these:

1. What cars was the structure made from?

2. What was it used for?

3. Does it still exist today?

Thanks.

Les

I recall a visit to the Genessee & Wyoming RR in Retsof, NY back in the 1970s. There was a round-end obs up on stilts being used as some sort of yard office. I might have even taken a photo of this unusual structure.

Thanks!

Obviously this was the prototype for the popular "Eggliner" G-scale self-propelled-car model by Aristocraft:


Put three of them together, and you get a snowplow:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7zke2aHKPE

[quote="Jim Vaitkunas"]I recall a visit to the Genessee & Wyoming RR in Retsof, NY back in the 1970s. There was a round-end obs up on stilts being used as some sort of yard office. I might have even taken a photo of this unusual structure.


That car was one of the ex-PRR Altoona Shops built 1948 blunt-end obs lounge cars. It was not modified much on the inside when it was used as the yard office at Restof. Because of all the yellow spray-on insulation applied to the exterior of the carbody, it is sometimes referred to as the "Twinkie". The car is still there, but I don't believe it has been used in quite a few years.

The "structure" was featured in the "Would you Believe" section in a 1966 issue of Trains Magazine. It is the same issue, I believe that covers the debut of Reader RR 1702, and EMD export locomotives. I have the issue in my briefcase, as I took it with me on a business trip as reading material this past week.

The caption stated that the structure was used as the Bridge and Buildings department The structure was elevated, on a steel framework with stairs leading up to one of the former end doors.

According to Dave Randall's excellent "Streamliner Cars, Volume 1, Pullman Standard", the tower at Beech Grove was made from the obs end of the NYC 1938-built sleeper lounge observation cars Bedloes Island and Pelee Island.

The last few times I have been there, I didn't see the tower. If it's still around, it isn't above the front employee parking lot where it was for years. I think it's probably been gone maybe about 8-10 years or so?

Topfuel -

Thanks much for the information on the passenger cars that were used for the structure. I had a chance to talk today to the guy that took the photo I now have. He says that the structure was used as a watchman's (guards) shanty at the entrance to the complex. Maybe the guards got tired of climbing the stairs. Would have been kind of a neat thing to preserve though, at some museum.

Les

Les, would you be able to provide a photo of this structure?

Were those two cars scrapped or being squared off when the round ends were removed?

Didn't MK (now MPI) use an EMD SW cab as a guard shack?

Steve

Joe -

Unfortunately, I can't post photos to RyPN. I might be able to make a copy though and send it to you.

Les