Craigslist Passenger Car

MagnoliaTower · **Joined:** Mon Dec 05, 2011 2:30 pm **Posts:** 3

Found this on Craiglist from Lulling Texas... with an unrealistic price of $20,000 seller says "Manufactured date is 5/14/1963. The exterior is in good shape, has no leaks and provides that Nostalgic look that makes this a unique purchase." This thing looks too far gone.
More pics here: http://houston.craigslist.org/bfs/4663214051.html

Rainier Rails · **Posted:** Tue Sep 16, 2014 6:42 am

P-S lightweight diner. Anybody know the identity of this car?

Looked for photos of the car on Flickr, found two:

April 3rd, 2008: https://www.flickr.com/photos/bastoneking/2386954992 (BAStoneking photo)

December 9th, 2011: https://www.flickr.com/photos/n8myc/6776831854 (Bob McGilvray, Jr. photo)

The car was part of a now-closed restaurant at the intersection of I-10 (exit 632), US 90, and US 183 just to the southeast of Luling.

The restaurant, as commented by Bob McGilvray, was located across US 90 from a truck stop (Love's Travel Stop), specifically where county road 136 (Arrow Ln.) intersects US 90, just to the east of where 90 merges with 183 to become Pierce St. into Luling.

Also at the restaurant was SP caboose #1012:

April 3rd, 2008: https://www.flickr.com/photos/bastoneking/2386124223 (BAStoneking photo)

December 9th, 2011: https://www.flickr.com/photos/n8myc/6496160721 (Bob McGilvray, Jr. photo)

And a boxcar:

August 31st, 2012: https://www.flickr.com/photos/n8myc/7925350494 (Bob McGilvray, Jr. photo) (couldn't find a side view)*

*The restaurant can still be seen on the Google Earth satellite view, however, the street view for Allen Ln. doesn't help identify the boxcar, as a newer coat of paint has obscured any and all lettering.

p51 · **Posted:** Tue Sep 16, 2014 10:48 am

Wow, I've seen these cars in person, on a cross-country sightseeing trip with my wife in 2012. They weren't in that great a shape even then...

cnj1524 · **Joined:** Sun Mar 24, 2013 11:29 am **Posts:** 59

The car looks like its been to hell & back,Seen many other cars in ALOT better
shape for less money

Topfuel · **Joined:** Sun Aug 29, 2004 4:49 pm **Posts:** 529

I'm traveling so don't have my reference material handy, but this is the ex-AT&SF P-S built 1940 diner. It is a one-off car and was part of an order of around 6 or 7 cars that was typical of the Santa Fe's penchant for small orders of 1, 2, or 3 cars of a given type before and after the war.

This car never went to Amtrak. It's been around over the years and when I last saw it a few years ago at the most recent location, the trucks had already been stripped of parts and the couplers, etc looked like they had been missing for some time.

Dennis Storzek · **Posted:** Tue Sep 16, 2014 1:28 pm

Also take note that since this is a P-S built car, it's not stainless. It looks like a stainless car, but underneath that shiny fluted sheathing, it used to be a Cor-Ten frame... likely bushel fulls of rust flakes now.

Rainier Rails · **Posted:** Tue Sep 16, 2014 6:40 pm

Topfuel wrote:

I'm traveling so don't have my reference material handy, but this is the ex-AT&SF P-S built 1940 diner.

Thanks, Topfuel, for the identification!

AT&SF 36 seat diner #1488 (P-S, Lot #6598, Plan #7425, ordered in July 1939 and delivered in February 1940 for Super Chief), seating later increased to 46, retired and sold in 1968 to Look's Depot Restaurant in Market Square, Houston, later moved to Luling.

The #1488 was 1 of 13 cars ordered in July 1939, cars were delivered between December 1939 and March 1940. The order also included:

6 cars, 4DB-4C-2DR sleepers, Lot #6597, Plan #4069C, delivered in December 1939 for Super Chief.

14 seat lunch counter 24 seat diner #1507, Lot #6599, Plan #7426, delivered in February 1940 for El Capitan.

28 seat club lounge dormitory barber shop shower #1378 Concho, Lot #6600, Plan #7427, delivered in March 1940 for Super Chief.

50 seat coach 2 seat smoker observation #3197, Lot #6601, Plan #7428, delivered in March 1940 for El Capitan.

32 seat chair news stand baggage dormitory #3482, Lot #6602, Plan #7429, delivered in March 1940 for El Capitan.

2 cars, 38 seat chair baggage #3492-#3493, Lot #6603, Plan #7430, delivered in March 1940 for Kansas Cityan-Chicagoan.

Source:

1. "Streamliner Cars Volume One: Pullman Standard" by W. David Randall (RPC Publications, 1981)

Topfuel · **Joined:** Sun Aug 29, 2004 4:49 pm **Posts:** 529

"AT&SF 36 seat diner #1488 (P-S, Lot #6598, Plan #7425, ordered in July 1939 and delivered in February 1940 for Super Chief, seating later increased to 46, retired and sold in 1968 to Look's Depot Restaurant in Market Square, Houston, later moved to Luling".

Yes, that is the car. Of note, several of the cars from the 1940 deliveries still exist, which is somewhat of a high survival rate considering their "fluting over rust" construction and pre-war build dates: the 1378 lounge Concho; the 50 seat coach obs 3197, and one of the two 38 seat chair baggage cars.

Rainier Rails · **Posted:** Tue Sep 16, 2014 9:00 pm

Dennis Storzek wrote:

It looks like a stainless car, but underneath that shiny fluted sheathing, it used to be a Cor-Ten frame... likely bushel fulls of rust flakes now.

Topfuel wrote:

Of note, several of the cars from the 1940 deliveries still exist, which is somewhat of a high survival rate considering their "fluting over rust" construction and pre-war build dates

I think the reason these cars have survived is due to the fact that Santa Fe had a history of rebuilding their P-S fluted cars from stainless over cor-ten to stainless over stainless.

Brian Norden · **Posted:** Wed Sep 17, 2014 1:03 am

Whenever I look at the Santa Fe orders for passenger cars, I always think that this order of sleepers and one-off or two-off of other cars as appeasement to Pullman-Standard.

Pullman had made its point that the sleeping car operation would only use P-S built cars, so that is no surprise.

But the other cars are like fill-in cars to supplement the Budd cars that Santa Fe preferred.