Latest "30 Days To Save Or It's Scrap!" Crisis Offer: CoG 18

Alexander D. Mitchell IV · **Posted:** Sun Oct 01, 2017 6:14 pm

Whoever predicted we'd see4 a lot more of these "Save it NOW or it's scrap!" crises was right

The latest offer: Central of Georgia business car 18, built 1900:

http://www.ozarkmountainrailcar.com/detail.asp?id=2553

Quote:

SELLER IS WILLING TO GIVE/DONATE THIS CAR AS LONG AS IT CAN BE OFF THE PROPERTY IN 30 DAYS. A $350.00 TRANSACTION FEE APPLIES TO TRANSFER OWNERSHIP OF THE CAR. NEW OWNER NEEDS TO BE PREPARED TO SPEND A MINIMUM OF $8-10,000 TO MOVE CAR.

Built circa 1900 as a business car for the Central of Georgia Railway, eventually absorbed by the Southern Railway and sold into private ownership. This is a wood bodied car on a steel frame, overall the car is in fair condition and includes an observation lounge, several bedrooms, dining room, crew & kitchen. Please note, we had this car for sale several years ago. Click on the following link to view the file photos which may not represent the current condition of the car.

File photos:
https://onedrive.live.com/?authkey=%21A ... 0DCD68CAF8

The photos show what looks AT THE TIME to be a basically intact, basically habitable, albeit "handyman's special" acquisition. Anyone know what it looks like currently?

Place your bets, folks. Or start working to get it.

Pegasuspinto · **Joined:** Fri Mar 26, 2010 11:43 am **Posts:** 783

Looks like the 'history' of this car has been cleaned right out of it. Anyone know if anything remains?

Would it be heresy to just core it out and make it into a passenger car for some excursion?

Where is it located?

PMC · **Joined:** Sat Oct 17, 2015 5:55 pm **Posts:** 2865

Pegasuspinto wrote:

Where is it located?

LOL, here is some sleuthing I did, but I could be way off. Using the name "Ben Garrett" in the Ozark ad I came up with this article from an Austin TX area paper:

"The Grapevine City Council will consider buying three lounge cars for its vintage railroad Tuesday night. The three cars would be purchased from Ben Garrett Jr. in East Texas for $60,000, with another $30,000 for relocation. Garrett also plans to throw in a 1900s mail car as a bonus."

So, possibly East Texas? That would fit with the "Texas & St. Louis Ry." name the car is lettered for.

https://communityimpact.com/dallas-fort ... ing-stock/

Dennis Storzek · **Posted:** Mon Oct 02, 2017 8:49 am

Pegasuspinto wrote:

Looks like the 'history' of this car has been cleaned right out of it. Anyone know if anything remains?

Would it be heresy to just core it out and make it into a passenger car for some excursion?

Where is it located?

I'd say the "history" was cleaned out of the car back when a/c was installed along with the Adlake sealed window units.May have been as early as the late thirties.

The is also evidence showing that the car has been "taking on water" for a long time. With a wood frame car, that is never good.

JR May · **Posted:** Mon Oct 02, 2017 8:58 am

As the listing states its a steel frame car with a wood body.

Dave · **Posted:** Mon Oct 02, 2017 9:47 am

Our friends in Savannah could certainly justify it for their collection - whether or not they are in a position to do so under these circumstances is the question.

Dennis Storzek · **Posted:** Mon Oct 02, 2017 10:44 am

JR May wrote:

As the listing states its a steel frame car with a wood body.

I take that to mean it is a wood car (no all steel cars built in 1900) retrofitted with a steel UNDER frame. Very common modification during the twenties and thirties to get additional life out of otherwise obsolete cars. However, the carbody framing (posts, plates, sills) are still wood, covered with steel sheathing, held on with wood screws. In some of the photos you can see where some of these screws have simply fallen out; never a good sign. What is so exasperating about cars of this type is if they have problems with rot, an awful lot of the car needs to be disassembled to correct it. If the car can go under roof, this may never need to be addressed, but with continued outdoor storage, it will have drastic problems sooner or later, most likely sooner.

Rainier Rails · **Posted:** Mon Oct 02, 2017 8:17 pm

CofG #18 was owned by Brian B. Garrett and located at his Whistle Stop Ranch in Flint, TX. Garrett also owned several ex-SP cars acquired from Amtrak, and those have also been listed by Ozark Mountain over the last several years. I believe (although unconfirmed) that Garrett acquired #18 fron Judge Roy Hofheinz after the planned Astrodomain railroad car hotel was cancelled.

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Additions and corrections are welcome. Thanks in advance.