I recently had the opportunity to be on NS car #3 the "Claytor Lake" which is apparently the only ex-Wabash passenger car in the NS fleet. This got me to wondering - what other Wabash passenger cars still exist? A quick internet search did not seem to turn up anything even though I thought there was a Wabash dome out there somewhere.

Ontario Northland #400. Ex-N&W, nee Wabash.

The Wabash dome you are probably looking for was last reported on some version of the Cape Cod Railroad operation, but is no longer there. Meanwhile, I found Budd-built (1950) ex-Wabash dome-obs 1601 posing as RPCX 1601 (Amtrak 9310) down at the Southeastern Ry. Museum in Duluth, Ga. at:

http://www.trainweb.org/chris/seru.html

I don't know if this is the same one that was reported at Cape Cod.

I don't know if this would fall under passenger equipment, but the Ohio Central owns a former Wabash RPO (now tool car #5012/Conneaut).

AFAIK the only dome on the Cape Cod RR was the ex-Great Northern (or was it NP?) car that is now the Conway Scenic RR's "Dorthea Mae." I recall riding in the lower section of the car on the Cape back in the mid-90s and I can still remember the Native American- and Pacific Northwest-themed artwork on the walls so it was definitely from one of the Hill roads.

I can confirm that the Dorothea Mae is ex-GN Empire Builder 1329, Amtrak 9469, later Alaska RR and Cape Cod RR. But one generation of the Cape Cod tourist operation did indeed have the Wabash dome in service before the 1329, according to several print sources lying on my table; I just can't find out which one it was or where it went.

Roanoke Chapter NRHS coach 1827 is ex-Wabash, one of several cars they purchased from the B&M in the 1950's. All of them were Pullman-Standard built stainless steel sheathed cars originally, and were smooth-sided by the Wabash. We bought the 1827 from the N&W in 1973 and put it into excursion service shortly afterwards, it has been in service pretty much constantly since. We later aquired sister car 1829, and put it into excursion service in the early 1980's. It was destroyed in the collision between the parked NS Steam train and a freight train in Lynchburg in September of 1994. Another sister car was converted to a safety instruction car by the N&W, that car is now at Virginia Museum of Transportation. A group in Suffolk Va. owns an ex-Wabash heavyweight diner that was in M of W service on the N&W, and there is a Wabash HW parlor car at the Eastern Shore RR Museum. The photo shows 1827 right behind N&W GP-9 620 at Spencer.

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=202038

I saw one of these B&M/Wabash coaches as an office on the Georgia Northeastern RR in suburban Atlanta about ten years ago. Also, another one of these, Chickadee on the B&M, belongs to Southwind Rail Travel Ltd., and has been booming around the Northeast US as a chater/rental coach since the early '80's.

Steve

Since my curiosity was piqued by ADM's reply to my previous message, I made a quick inquiry on the Bay Colony list on Yahoo. Learned the following from Dave Santos and Ryan Coholan.

The dome in question, formerly PPCX/Amtrak 9562, was bought by the Cape Cod RR in July 1993. It was sold in May or June 1997, and departed the property on 6/9/97, having never been used on Cape Cod. Sold to an operation in Georgia called "Night Train," whereabouts unknown after that.

That would be domes-obs-parlor Wabash 202, Budd 1950, used on the Wabash Blue Bird. And with that, I found a website page that purports to show ALL the ex-Wabash domes, supposedly all intact, most in storage at the former New Georgia RR in Atlanta, with links showing photos of all the cars at various stages throughout their ownerships:

http://www.trainweb.org/web_lurker/WAB/

See also

http://www.wabash-railroad.com/williams.htm

which will give you a surviving Wabash business car..........

IRM renovated one of its ex Wabash Bluebird coaches (Later L&N commuter cars) for use on the Kalamazoo Lake Shore and Chicago shortline/tourist railroad. What happened to this car after it left IRM's property, I do not know. The remainder of the "fleet" of these cars at IRM deteriorated from bad to unrestorable, and have since been scrapped.
O. Anderson

We are now storing two other ex-Wabash domes at the SRM, in addition to the one mentioned above. They are the cars formerly stored at the Pullman shop (New GA RR/ Evans Railcar) in Atlanta. We are also storing the owner's other equipment, which include ex-Wabash business car "Indiana" and an N&W combine that may or may not have been acquired from the Wabash. I will find out.

Andrew Durden
SRM

New Orleans Public Belt has three former Wabash heavyweight parlor cars which they are in the process of restoring. One is allegedly reported to be rebuilt into a sleeper. Several other heavyweight Wabash parlors are also in existence. Office car "Windy City" is in indoor storage in Chicago and is reportedly up for sale. It is a steel sheathed wooden car.

Don C.

As previously mentioned. SRM is storing 3 ex-Wabash domes(RPCX 201,202,1601), business car "Indiana"(RPCX 5), and I believe that the N&W combine is ex-Wabash. The owner of these cars also has a Wabash painted ex-AMTK, exx-UP sleeper stored in FL after a brief lease to the Inland Lakes/Florida Central railway.

Here are some pics:
RPCX 201- http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1396024

RPCX 202- http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1396026

RPCX 1601- http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1403539

RPCX 5 "Indiana"- http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=574527

N&W combine- http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1396033

Nick Henderson
SRM

If I remember right The New Orleans Public Belt has 3 Wabash cars. Two have been restored and are operational and the 3rd is in the shop right now. The two that are restored had a lot of work done to them and are probably as good as new if not better. I do know they are to Amtrak standards. I believe they have a web site that has pictures of the cars.