The cars are indeed historic. I would say to some extent, all 5 of them are. I would love to see NCTM pick up the Buffalo Bill car, and maybe even the CG Jim Crow car.

The Myer and its companion car both were at GCRM back in the 80s and into the 90s. GCRM actually paid to have them both sandblasted -back then they were in significantly better shape.

They are both historically significant to the Presidential train, as well. Having been through them now, I know they will both need new interiors and new floors. Also, trucks.

The biggest reason it seems that they don't want them, is that they have 4 "Project Cars" that they're already attempting (and failing) to find funding for.

They see the additional 5 cars as basically more used space - without adequate funding for them, then they'll just rot - even more so than now. Atleast in their present location, they are located off a main FEC line so they would be easy to be picked up.

The CG Jim Crow could do good things for the interpretive program in Savannah.

dave

Somebody please correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't NCTM already have a
Jim Crow car? One of the Southern Railway 1200-series cars?

I figured they would probably want the Buffalo Bill car, as the Buffalo Bill accident only happened a few miles from their museum, and I have read online about the memorial they have there.

I assume the Hollywood Railroad Station Museum, Inc would still own the cars. The Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations, lists “Hollywood Railroad Station Museum, Inc.” as a Non Profit Corporation who’s Status is “Inactive”. The last Annual Report filed with the Division of Corporations is dated 3/30/2009. The report lists 4 Officers/Directors. Bill Bliss, Kevin Patterson, Joe Ferrelli, and Don Levine. Bliss, Patterson, and Levine still live at the addresses listed in the report. Anthony Campos was deleted as an officer in the 2008 Annual Report. Since the Museum is no longer registered with the state of Florida as a corporation, then who does own the Cars? I would think that the State of Florida would have a claim based on the grant money given to the Museum. Any attorneys’ on here that can shed some light?

My interest is in the two cars labeled POTUS I and POTUS II. These are indeed the General Anthony J Myer and the WHASA/Staff Car Morn. I am a former member of the White House Communications Agency, (WHCA) (formerly the White House Army Signal Agency (WHASA)) The Myer and Morn were stored at the New Cumberland Army Depot in PA after the Ferdinand Magellan was retired in 1958. WHCA personnel from Camp David would travel up to the depot to perform preventive maintenance on the communications equipment in the Myer. In December 1961 the Myer and Morn were used for a train trip by President Kennedy to the Army Navy football game in Philadelphia. Photos of this can be found on the Kennedy Library website. I know of at least a couple of trips in the late 60’s from the depot to Washington D. C. and return just to make sure everything still worked. During the Oil crises of 1973, WHCA personnel went to the depot to look at the Myer and Morn for a possible train trip by President Nixon to his summer home on Key Biscayne FL. The White House didn’t think the public would approve of the President flying to Miami on AF-1 when there was a fuel shortage. President Nixon eventually flew to Miami by commercial airline. In 1978 The Myer was sold to NASA for use as an Office and Tool room on their rail system at the Kennedy Space Center. NASA disposed of the Myer in 1987, and it was acquired by the Gold Coast Railroad Museum. I’m not sure how GCRM got the Morn. After Hurricane Andrew in 1992 they were sent to Steamtown with a Hospital Car and a “Jim Crow” car for restoration. The Hospital car and Jim Crow car were restored and returned to CGRM in 2002. The Myer and Morn were not restored, and the CGRM decided they didn’t want them back. They were to be scrapped, but the Hollywood Railroad Station Museum stepped in and got them donated to them for the Dorothy Walker Bush Train project.
The rest of the story has been well documented on this thread.
It is a shame to see these two unique one of a kind railcars in the condition they are in. Two great pieces of railroad history destined to be lost to vandals and the South Florida Sun.

Ralph Estes