Following up on a thread from a couple of years ago, I heard that the C&O Historical Society now has Big Ben. Any information would be appreciated.

Here is the thread:
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=30161&p=147870&hilit=Big+Ben#p147870

Butterworth Tours in a sense still owns the Big Ben, - Mid America Railcar Leasing, a successor company currently owns the car, and it is kept in doors in Iowa.

Field of Dreams, Iowa, (as referenced in my last post) was a little tongue in cheek, but lets just say that the Big Ben is currently in good company where it is stored.

Well, saying "still owns" is not quite correct - re-acquired in the family is more appropriate. I do understand from Ben that they did reletter the car for his dad's Butterworth Tours after he acquired it and it could be seen that way at Trainfest. Neat family story, though.

The car that was relettered for Train Fest was our Bryce Canyon, to Butterworth Tour's "The Reveler". Both cars had blue window bands, so it made sense (at least to us), and was an appropriate nod to our corporate heritage.

Thanks for the info!

Sorry for the mistake, but still a neat story. Ben is one fine fellow. My question is: did Bill name the car for Ben or was it the other way around? I often wondered and someone asked me yesterday after seeing this thread.

Best,
Mike

Mike:

No worries - just wanted to clear up that the Big Ben and The Reveler were/are two cars.

The Big Ben was named after Bill's father Benjamin, who Ben is also named for. The elder Ben was quite a figure in Quad Cities business circles, owning or managing several successful companies that supplied the agriculture trades.

We considered trying to arrange for the Big Ben to be one of the displays at Train Festival this past summer, but logistics didn't allow. So the rename of the Bryce Canyon was our impromptu nod to the past.

MRLX1020 -

For the record, the "Reveler" also still exists, in an unrestored condition I believe, at the museum in Altoona. This car was built by Pullman for the Pennsylvania Railroad and was originally named the "Jacks Narrows", later "Wake Island" and still later "Samuel Vaughn Merrick" before being purchased by Bill Butterworth and renamed the "Reveler". This info for clarification or, to add to the confusion.

Les

Since the subject came up and I called Ben to ask about another passenger car topic, I decided to ask him and got the real story, which you gave. One detail you left out that the youger Ben mentioned was that his grandfather the was apparently quite an imposing figure of a man that many of us would look up to, literally (and I'm 6'1), thus the name "Big Ben." I think that Bill naming the car in honor of his dad was/is an incredibly respectful thing for a son to do. Very neat!

I have always been told that I should be the man that my son can be proud of and respect, and clearly this is one family's example.

Best,
Mike

Last time I talked with Ben he was looking to relocate things to a lcoation in Indiana possibly on L&I or INRD. Did that ever happen? I sort of lost track.

Bill

He does have a secure location south of Indy. He is one fine fellow to know.

Best,
Mike

Yep! Good guy to know.

Last time I talked with him was on Brain Banta's final INRD excursion.

Thanks.

Bill