Thought a few members of the forum might find of interest, a few current photographs of Florida East Coast diner "Fort Ribault". I believe the car was built in the FEC "Fort" series in 1950. Later I believe it was sold to the Seaboard Air Line and through the merger with the ACL became a SCL car, eventually going to Amtrak, as Amtrak 8089 before going to private car # 800338. I believe this car was built and delivered as a 36 seat diner....posting.php?mode=post&f=1&sid=978eb964a0e934b7fc2e70f90cd055b7#

Records show the FEC ordered two diners. "Fort Ribault" was delivered by Pullman Standard with the "Fort Drum" in the same year 11 additional cars were delivered to the ACL (10) and RF&P (1) .. ACL cars being the Atlanta, Birmingham, Cordele, Fitzgerald, Greenville, La Grange, Moultrie, Plant City, Talledega and Tarboro. The RF&P car was the Henrico. Later in 1957 the ACL ordered a shell of a diner and outfitted in 1959 as the Naples.

So, I know a handful of these cars survive today ( example the Moultrie is still operational ... Greenville is at TVRM, I think the Tarboro was scrapped last year in Madison IL, and the Talledega is in Lamy NM, and I know one of these cars is in Georgia ( forgot the location ) etc etc...

With that said, its likely ( or possible this is the only surviving FEC diner ) .. as I was never able to determine the disposition of the "Fort Drum" from this order... and the "Fort Lauderdale" and "Fort Pierce" ( Budd 1939 FEC diners ) along with the 1947 order of "Fort Matanzas, Fort San Marco and Fort Dallas" have eluded me too...

So... perhaps someone can assist and offer if any other FEC diners ( Budd or PS ) survive....

Meanwhile the "Fort Ribault" sits along the old FEC mainline in Fort Piece Florida


thought a few people might find it interesting...


Dean Levin

ACL diner "Fitzgerald" is in Warm Springs, GA along with SOU 905/CG 506 heavyweight divided coach as some sort of gift shop or museum.

I believe the FEC diner "Fort Matanzas" is at the NC&StL depot in Jackson, TN in its former Amtrak colors.

Note that this car has Budd fluting below the windows. This seems to have been common SCL practice on non Budd-built equipment. One wonders if they simply had a surplus of Budd fluting on the "fluting rack", or if for some reason they never ordered a run of PS/ACF style "double roll" replacement fluting for their PS and ACF fluted cars.

Appreciate the information on the FEC dining car in Jackson TN... I forgot that was there....

Meanwhile anyone know the name or history behind this heavyweight FEC tool car that is with the FEC diner in Fort Pierce Florida

Thanks


Dean Levin

Of the 13 36-seat diners built in P-S lot #6808 to plan #7592, 11 went to Amtrak in 1971. Both of the FEC diners, and 9 of the ACL diners. The "Cordele" had been wrecked sometime in the 50's (apparently on the L&N??), and the ACL replaced it by ordering the "Naples" (P-S lot #6894, plan #20056), which also went to Amtrak.

The ACL "Naples" is part of the collection at the Indiana Transportation Museum.

The ACL "Birmingham" is part of the lightweight collection at the Illinois Railway Museum. It currently has a Burlington-style letterboard (apparently for a movie shoot?).
Links:
IRM's picture gallery of the "Birmingham" (including some builder's photos): http://www.irm.org/gallery/Birmingham
Most recent IRM blog entry regarding the "Birmingham": http://www2.irm.org/blogs/archives/1529-July-Progress-in-the-ACL-Birmingham-Diner.html

The FEC 48 seat diner "Fort Lauderdale" (Budd, 1939, lot #96704) is part of the collection at the Railway Museum of Greater Cincinnati.

Here are a few close photographs showing how the Fort Ribault has PS fluting above the windows and Budd fluting below the windows... How many of the ACL cars received this treatment.. and did they all receive identical treatment ?

Note the PS upper fluting is beginning to fall off... among a long list of other problems.


Dean Levin

Dean--

Found an identification and a picture via Jerry LaBoda's photo links website: FEC #3607, rebuilt from a coach, and owned (along with the diner) by the FEC Railway Historical & Transportation Museum.

Picture of FEC #3607: http://www.flickr.com/photos/23711298@N07/5440794722/ (Earl Leatherberry photo)

Dean and the forum--

Found a photo on Flickr of the ACL Talledega in Lamy, NM, labeled for the Lamy Railroad & History Museum (dated 12/22/2010): https://www.flickr.com/photos/35528040@N04/5431060502/sizes/l (Pam Morris photo)

Since then, the Talledega has been restored to ACL lettering, as seen on the museum's page for the car: http://www.lamymuseum.org/talladega.html

Main page of the museum website: http://www.lamymuseum.org/