Prior to the Great Dismal Swamp wreck, you may recall that there was at least two so-called open-air cars used on the SOU/NS steam excursions. One car was the observation car Lookout Mountain, the other a converted SOU coach. I don't remember much about the details of these cars other than they had park bench style seats in them and no windows -- just a single bar across the center of the window opening. Does anyone remember any of the details of these cars? What was the name/number of the coach? How was the interior constructed such that rain water entering the car would not be detrimental to the car's interior?

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=221438

I believe the other SR coach to which you refer is Missionary Ridge, SR 1069, while Lookout Mountain was SR 1056, I think. LM may still be on the Mount Hood RR in Oregon; I think MR is at Tennessee Valley Ry. Museum.

ATK,

There were three open-air excursion cars, they were:

1056 Lookout Mountain, the open-air observation car that as far as I know is still at the Mount Hood Railroad.

1069 Missionary Ridge, an open-air coach

1070 W. Graham Claytor Jr. another open-air cocah virtually identical to the Missionary Ridge.

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=229457

When N&W 611 was restored to service, I believe the Missionary Ridge was leased to the N&W and repainted Tuscan Red and lettered "NORFOLK AND WESTERN" to be used on a trainset that the 611 would haul across the former Norfolk and Western system in the fall of 1982 after her restoration to service.

Unfortunately, the Missionary Ridge was scrapped following the 1986 NS Employee Special accident in Dismal Swamp which lead to the retirement of the green and gold heavyweight coaches.

However as mentioned before the 1056 Lookout Mountain as well as several adjustable window heavyweight cars from the Southern excursion program were sold to the Mount Hood Railroad in Oregon.

I can't address your questions about the cars interiors, but hope that this information could be of some use to you.

Thanks for the info, now that you mention it, I do seem to recall the name Missionary Ridge. Hopefully someone will remember details of the interior as I am quite curious as to whether or not the Southern gave any consideration to rain water getting inside the cars when they were modified (rebuilt?) for excursion service.

Missionary Ridge was scrapped after Dismal Swamp; Lookut Mountain is at Mt. Hood; William Graham Claytor I believe was converted back to a closed-window coach, and I think TVRM was trying to aquire it--someone correct me if I'm wrong.

It has been over twenty years since I rode one of these cars in Chicago on the CNW West line to Clinton; but I seem to recall the floors were mastic covered,sloping toward to outer walls,with a drain trough where the steam radiators used to be. One thing I definitely do remember about the cars was that there were several "wind screens" or semi-partitions installed the length of the car, perhaps between every six rows of seats,made of plexiglas that reduced the cinder problem and kept the cars from becoming virtual wind tunnels.

Steve Zuiderveen

Yep, and it's still in it's SRR paint, just got overpainted on the road name!

Lookout Mountain = in service at Mount Hood Railroad - partial photo here: http://www.mthoodrr.com/siteassist_images/hirez/MHRail_Blossoms.jpg
and most likely a more recent shot: http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/pictures/12988/MH%201056_resize.jpg

W. Graham Claytor, Jr. = stored at The Virginia Museum of Transportation, Inc.

Steve,

Thanks for that information on the W. Graham Claytor Jr. Glad to hear that it's still around in addition to the Lookout Mountain.

A little more info on the W. Graham Claytor. It was damaged in the Dismal Swamp derailment, one side of the vestibule end was crushed in. It came to VMT in 1987 along with the "Lake Pearl". Since then it has suffered the usual deterioration from outside storage. Eagle Canyon Rail (Potomac Eagle Scenic Railroad) looked at the car about 4 years ago for a possible lease, but was unable to receive any response from the museum management. More recently, there have been discussions with TVRM on a lease of the car for a possible restoration to service. George Walker was in town a couple of weeks ago to look the car over. At that time, some previously undiscovered truck damage from the derailment was found. Whether or not this will affect it's moving to Tennessee is not yet known.

I wonder if the speedometer still works on the Lookout Mountain....LOVED watching that when I was a kid! It was also rather challenging to find a "wind break" inside the car on autumn mornings rolling along at 50mph.

Steve, And I thought I was the only kid hiding behind the wind baffles! ;-)
Jim

Jim -
I suppose I had the Tennessee trips covered while you took the North Carolina versions! I could only stay in the open cars until it was my time to "butch" commissary items throughout the train. Long days, but FUN. (Can you hear the song playing? Memories.....) It breaks my heart that my son won't get to experience mainline steam as I did. I sure am glad someone wrote a book about that. Who was it now? James G. who? Unsolicited plug: http://www.tlcrailroadbooks.com/cgi-bin/tlcstore.pl?user_action=detail&catalogno=161T
Steve

What happened to the Lake Pearl? Is it still at the VA Museum of Transportation? If so, what condition is it in?