This evening I was watching a TV crime program covering a murder case in Russellville, AR, in the late 1980s. At one point the city's station was shown and across from it were two old passenger cars. I pulled up Google Earth and they're still seen there, possibly on panel track next to active track. Here's a picture:

http://thundertrain.org/092409RIcoachesRus-7R.jpg

This website

http://thundertrain.org/092409-operationlifesaver.html

states "These old Rock Island commuter coaches are still sitting across the UP tracks from the Russellville depot. If I recall, they were once used as part of a restaurant."

This blog from 2012 covers Stoby's Restaurant which has two passenger cars built into the building. A quick search online reveals the restaurant is still in business. Is anyone familiar with these cars?

I have them down as ex-Rock Island cars.

The car on the right is one of the commuter coaches, #2572 to be specific. The car on the left is a former parlor car (#3505), later converted to MOW use and renumbered 96047.

The third car (which if you look at the extreme right of the first image you can see a bit of the green painted roofline) which is part of the restaurant is apparently former Illinois Central coach #3661.

I used to eat in these cars quite a bit about 25 years ago. One was a regular Rock Island commuter cars from the 1920s from Chicago. Others had other histories and designs. I see someone came up with more details while I'm typing. The interiors were gone for the food service. I saw them a year or two ago when I passed through, but I haven't been in them for a decade.