Often in my travels I happen to stumble upon a passenger car that somehow found its way to an odd or unexpected place. Always wonder the story behind how the car arrived there, or if it someday will be a candidate for further restoration or preservation. Often seems like years ago this was a "great idea" by someone, however times change, people move, business models change, and the car is left to either be scrapped, reused or abandoned.

Thought I would share two candidates, and curious if those on this forum might know of countless others scattered all across the country

A B&O semi roundend at a Best Western hotel in Fort Washington Pennsylvania ( for those of you who are interested, PRR Car 90, the Delaware was once located on the property, and was scrapped about 10 years ago. ) . I do not know the history of the car adjacent to the B&O car ( which last time I was there, was a subway sandwich shop ) .. how ironic ?

What I believe to be an ex NP RPO along a river, turned into a home, outside Livingston Montana.

Always interesting to see cars that you did not know exist, and where they are

Thank you


Dean Levin

Could you resize those photos to make this a bit easier to read? However Clinton Station Diner in Clinton NJ has a passenger car built into their railroad themed diner.

Can't find that good of a picture but you can see it right off of the highway.


http://www.clintonstationdiner.com/

They say the car is named Biela from the blue comet

As I understand it, the RPO is reportedly ex C&O. A lot of head end equipment wound up in Montana when the Montana Centennial Train ran to the New York Worlds Fair in the late 60's. The actual exhibit cars were a collection of baggage cars that were covered with nailable steel flooring to lend a wood sheathed appearance. This meant the train actually had to make the final distance to the Fair on Hudson River carfloats.

When the train was disbursed some cars found new uses. Of course there are a lot of passenger carbodies scattered around Livingston--especially to the south towards Yellowstone Park.

Michael Seitz
Missoula MT

thanks Micheal... any pictures of stuff out there would be appreciated.. Is that Milwaukee heavyweight "Coast" still out there in the field ??

Dean

Here's a website with dining cars:
http://www.waymarking.com/cat/details.aspx?f=1&guid=752d3b06-2dae-449d-bec5-c625c20575f5
They also have cabooses & locos.

Yes, the Coast is still there. I've not had the nerve to drive down there and inquire about it. I suspect he wants an arm and a leg for it, simply because he probably had to pay that much to move it down from White Sulpher Springs (Montana) to his place. Things to do.

Michael Seitz
Missoula MT

Mike

I stopped in there and spoke to the owner on his ranch about the "Coast"... He was a nice fellow, and took the time to explain a bit about the car and how it found its way to the field where it sits today... The car is not too bad given its long exposure to the elements, and the bolted pedestal trucks also lay in the field adjacent to the car... The "Coast" I believe ended its service in business car or "official" capacity.. The car still has much of its wood interior, and overall is still restorable.

The owner told me he wanted about 20,000.00 for the car... or he would be willing to trade... say for a good pick up truck ( that's what he told me ).. He was a nice enough guy, and the car is basically used as a garage for tools and parts etc. Horses surround the car, walking all about, and the Montana Rail Link mainline ( I think ex NP ), can be seen from where the car sits...

I believe the story the owner told me, was that the car and one or two others, was at a depot that a gentleman owned, and had some business in.... I believe the depot and perhaps one of the cars were destroyed in a suspicious fire... If my memory serves me, I think the initial owner of the car, had some dream of using it to run trips to the National Parks etc etc.... Anyway... I guess the entire thing fell apart after the fire, and the "Coast" was bought and trucked with tires below it, to where it sits today... I think the rubber wheel device was still under the car last time I saw it..

I have a few interior photographs of the car, and some exterior views of the car, that shows the condition of the car pretty well..

Thanks for the information.


Dean Levin

A year or two ago it was reported on this board that a Soo Line wood 10-section sleeper carbody, that had knocked around the northern Lower Peninsula for a while, was to be stuffed and mounted at St. Johns, Michigan (just north of Lansing). When I went to look for it, all I found was a GTW auyo-box camp car at the former GTW depot. But sure enough, another 1225 worker found the Soo carbody stashed at a municipal yard a while later.

When I was in St. Johns last week, I looked for it, but had as usual neglected to record the location. So I went to the depot on the chance that it had been installed, and found - a different wood passenger car. This one is a 68- or 70-foot Detroit and Mackinac wood baggage/RPO, complete with long-wheelbase trucks and in pretty good shape, partially tarped. The RPO end does not seem to ever have had an end door, something I'd not seen before. And either I didn't look close enough the first time, or the GTW camp car had been replaced by - an Ann Arbor camp car.

This seems to be the work of a local historical group.

You never know what you're gonna find.

Aarne Frobom
Mystery Spot, Michigan

Stewart Holbrook's "Story of American Railroads" has a chapter about hobos "Riding the Rods & Blinds". He seemed to think that there were enough blind ends of baggage and other head end cars to write half a chapter about the occupants of the outsides of them. Some combine Railway Post Office cars had only a crawl door to the rest of the car, under pigeon holes and work counter. The insides of the ends were still valuable space when the Post Office was paying by the foot of length.