Is there anyone that can direct me to the owner of the passenger cars on SE Water Avenue near OMSI? There are 3 Milwaukee cars and what looks like a sleeper of some kind. Any help would be appriciated.

Coordinates here: 45° 30' 23.43", -122° 39' 43.24"

Regards, Justin Nelson

I believe this might be the car in question.

http://money.cnn.com/video/pf/2012/02/0 ... .cnnmoney/

I am interested in the 3 cars due south of the car in the video. Painted BNish Green and white.

OHRF (Oregon Rail Heritage Foundation) i.e. the group led by Doyle McCormack to build a new roundhouse immediately east of the location of these cars.
http://www.orhf.org/blog/

At least the conclusion about those cars is what is said on this website, associated with the Oregon Pacific Railroad. The cars sit on their track at the north end of the East Portland Branch (former Portland Traction).
http://www.oregonpacificrr.com/eastportlandbranch.html

These cars are a residence of a private individual, unknown.

Found on another board...

There are three former Milwaukee cars in Portland, Oregon on a siding at East Portland Jct. where the Oregon Pacific Railroad interchanges with Union Pacific. They are painted BN-ish green and white and I don't know the numbers, but they are a Valley-series Parlor car, an Olympian Hiawatha baggage-dorm and a coach that I think is from the 480-series. I don't know what they are used for but they appear to be well maintained and connected to utilities. They've been there for years.

Pictures:
http://myweb.msoe.edu/~westr/Pictures/M ... or%201.JPG
http://myweb.msoe.edu/~westr/Pictures/M ... rm%201.JPG
http://myweb.msoe.edu/~westr/Pictures/M ... 0Coach.JPG


Craig Brinkman

An update:

MILW Cars:

The original poster of this thread, Justin Nelson, took a series of photos of the three ex-Milwaukee Road cars in Portland in November 2010:

Parlor #191 "Wisconsin Valley": http://www.flickr.com/photos/33672589@N08/sets/72157625451802909/

Baggage-Dormitory #1311: http://www.flickr.com/photos/33672589@N08/sets/72157626777729843/

Coach #543: http://www.flickr.com/photos/33672589@N08/sets/72157626902435350/

Unknown Sleeper:

I can identify the mystery sleeper as being of NP heritage, specifically an 8DXR-6RM-3DB-1C sleeper built in 1948 by P-S in Lot #6781 to Plan #4119 (one of eighteen total). 14 were owned by NP (#350-#363), one by SP&S (#366), and three by CB&Q (#480-#482). Two of the NP-owned cars (#353 and #354) were wrecked at Evaro in 1962, and all three of the Burlington-owned cars are in museum collections. Five of the NP-owned cars (#350-#352, #359 & #361) were redesignated as crew dormitories in 1965 as #440-#444. The only disposition information I have located for the other thirteen Plan #4119 sleepers is for NP #350 "Detroit Lakes" to #442 to MofW #976028. It is entirely possible additional Plan #4119 sleepers were reconfigured to bunk cars, but I have not found information concerning which ones were converted. The NP sleeper in question is still in faded BN MofW red paint.

For comparison, here's a picture of NP #357 "Brainerd" at the Como Shops in St. Paul in 1978: http://rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1761840 (John Hill photo)

For comparison, the NP sleeper in question is visible using Street View in Google Earth along SE Water Ave. between SE 2nd Pl. and SE Caruthers St. This section of Water Ave. no longer exists, as it was removed to make room for a new overpass for the OMSI-Rose Quarter extension of the Portland Streetcar, but it has not yet been removed from Street View. I have yet to find any pictures online of the NP sleeper, so currently using Street View is the only method available for viewing said car.

Sources:

1. Tom Madden's Pullman Project CCR database at: http://pullmanproject.com/Database.htm

2. Picture located via Jerry LaBoda's photo links website at: http://passcarphotos.info/

3. NP lightweight passenger car roster information: http://research.nprha.org/Lists/Streamlined%20Passenger%20Cars/Standard%20View.aspx

4. NP lightweight passenger car dispositions at: http://fobnr.org/bncarlist/passenger/pnp.htm

I was just there a couple of weeks ago and one of the cars (can't recall which one) had a grafitti 'mural' all the way down the side.
It looked intentional, though.

The one with graffiti appeared to be in use as an office when I was there in August.


http://www.flickr.com/photos/11269501@N07/11468500126/


http://www.flickr.com/photos/11269501@N07/11468511376/

Paul Krueger
Seattle, WA

I believe those cars are owned by Mr. Dick Samuels, owner of the Oregon Pacific Railroad there in Portland.

Brian

Now I've seen everything. Intentional graffiti on railroad equipment. What is the world coming to?

"Now I've seen everything. Intentional graffiti on railroad equipment. What is the world coming to?"

If its intentional (as in approved by the owner) then its art not graffiti.

Geez, what would be the internet be without people getting hung on semantics?
When I wrote, "Grafitti", I was describing the style of art. 'Intentional' is just my guess, but it was more of a mural than anything, done in that sort of style. Anyone who sees it will know what I mean.