Rock Island Buys Observation Car

Alexander D. Mitchell IV · **Posted:** Fri Jul 30, 2021 12:46 pm

No, not a story from the 1950s.

Quote:

GULFPORT, Miss. — In an eventful summer for the “new” Rock Island, the company has acquired a former Louisville & Nashville observation car and made the final push to reopen a portion of the dormant Gulf & Ship Island Railroad.

The obs car is Royal Street, a five-bedroom buffet lounge with a rounded end and fluted stainless steel sides built by Pullman in 1950 for service on the Crescent between New Orleans and New York City. It later served on the Gulf Wind from New Orleans to Jacksonville, Fla., and Seaboard Air Line and Atlantic Coast Line trains between New York and Miami. It has been privately owned since the creation of Amtrak in 1971.

Photo and more: https://railfan.com/mississippi-rock-is ... -gulfport/

EJ Berry · **Posted:** Fri Jul 30, 2021 9:21 pm

Royal Street is a nice car. If you look at the photo, you'll see the windows in the lounge/obs part are extra-high.

There were eight cars, four for NY-N. Orl. service on the Crescent Limited and four for Detroit-Miami service on the Royal Palm. Royal Street is an L&N car for the Crescent Limited which, unlike Amtrak's all-NS Crescent ran PRR-Was-Sou-Atl-A&WP-West Point-WofA-Montgomery-L&N. The Royal Palm ran NYC-Cin-Sou-Jax-FEC.

By 1962, four of the Royal cars still had jobs: 2 L&N cars on the Gulf Wind Jax-SAL-Chattahoochee-L&N-Nol and 2 Southern cars on the Royal Palm between Cincy and Jax including a day ride on Sou's CNO&TP "Rat Hole" Line with a diner-lounge and a 10-6 Pullman. 10-6 ran Cin-Jax arr Jax in AM connecting with FEC or SAL limiteds from NY for Florids points.

Phil Mulligan