Don't ask how I found this:

http://www.upriverland.com/real-estate/ ... y/1094573/

This property was apparently a side business to the nearly adjacent ex-C&NW station and operated as two concerns, the "Station" and the "Depot," the latter being a bakery, cafe and bagel place while the former had a liquor license, apparently opening in 1997:

http://www.upriverland.com/real-estate/ ... -MI-49935/

The railroad cars are former LIRR 2836 and 2894, painted in something resembling PC green, with the "usual" amount of hack butchery applied, and completely gutted interiors, but appearing structurally sound and tight otherwise. (Update: I have now confirmed that they were trucked in specifically for this project.)

A modest amount of research indicates that the property has been closed since early 2012. I strongly suspect that these cars will fall to a scrapper eventually--unless SOME enterprising rail tourism or preservation outfit sees fit to rescue or salvage them or parts from them, or someone else re-starts the restaurant--the latter not likely in this present economy.

My burning question: How in heck did these two cars get all the way from NY to Upper Peninsula Michigan?

(Disclaimer: I have no known financial interest in this sale, offering, any transaction that may result, etc.)

I could see Jerry Jacobson being interested. Not to far away, and would fit his streamlined passenger car fleet, but with all the irons he has in the fire atm its doubtful.

Going to Ohio, quite likely they'd come over the carferry, making them the last railcars in history to do so. The Mackinac bridge would not appreciate the heavy-high-wide load, and the carferry lets them bypass Chicago and get permits in two fewer states (since they'd already be permitted in Michigan). Michigan state highways are well configured for this sort of high-wide load.

The carferry has been known to extend its season to support windmill projects, the windmill blades also come over the ferry.

I assume you mean they would be put on trailers and carried on the Badger.... given the time to load the ferry and the time to cross Lake Mi, there wouldn't be any time or cost savings.

Given the fact they're only a couple of hundred miles (or so) from Chi town, they might be able to get there before they get to the Mich side of the lake.

Bob H

Saves oversize / overweight permits, and their attendant fees, in two states, Illinois and Indiana. Saves the tolls going through Illinois, and the possibility of having the rigs tied up in traffic for hours going around the bottom of the lake. Of course, they could also avoid the tolls and traffic by taking I-39 by way of Bloomington, but it adds a lot of miles.

A whole lotta discussion over a routing to someone who hasn't even expressed a desire for these cars, let alone inspected them. . . . .

No wonder some people don't take us seriously.