5 Budd streamliner cars - RIP?

Mgoldman · **Posted:** Wed May 21, 2014 1:23 pm

A great photographer, Rolf Stumpf from Germany, made a pilgrimage to the
states to catch the Big Boy movement and hung around for some additional
sights - leave it to a foreigner to discover such a find -

5 streamlined Budd shells in Fremont, NE:

https://www.google.com/maps/@41.4300432 ... !1e3?hl=en

A photo can be found on RP.net.
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.p ... 73&nseq=32

What's the story?

On an assumption that streamlined Budd passenger cars are getting harder and
harder to find, is there any hope for these 5 to see restoration? Are such
cars (including two domes) so rare that these shells merit acquisition and
restoration?

/Mitch

Heavenrich · **Joined:** Mon Aug 23, 2004 11:07 am **Posts:** 630

Did you notice they don't have trucks under then (look at the second photo).

Bob H

Lincoln Penn · **Joined:** Wed Feb 02, 2011 9:40 pm **Posts:** 841

Not to worry. Those are safe.

They are located outside the shop of a noted passenger car guru and Amtrak inspector.

TimReynolds · **Joined:** Sat Aug 31, 2013 4:11 pm **Posts:** 287

I hope there is not a torch near them. 2 of them are domes. There appears to be a tender hulk or sundry MOW car next to them as well.

On domes. With modern mainline trips "closed window only" more domes are needed.

Mgoldman · **Posted:** Wed May 21, 2014 2:42 pm

Heavenrich wrote:

Did you notice they don't have trucks under then (look at the second photo).

Bob H

Noticed, just was not sure how many Budd stainless steel passenger cars were left and how easy it might be to get a hold of others in better shape.

/Mitch

Hayneshopcat · **Joined:** Sun May 09, 2010 10:40 am **Posts:** 119

Interesting caption on Rail Pictures about Southern Railway. I wonder about that.

robertjohndavis · **Joined:** Mon Aug 23, 2004 8:10 am **Posts:** 2499

I wonder if these came from VIA. In the 1990's VIA acquired a slew of Budds in various configurations from US owners (including domes and cars from the SOU). Many were stripped in preparation for rebuild to augment VIA's ex CPR Budd fleet, but the program ended before all the cars were used. Apparently they were sold off. I toured a bunch of them stored adjacent to the CN Pointe St. Charles shops back in 1993.

Rob

Alexander D. Mitchell IV · **Posted:** Wed May 21, 2014 6:27 pm

They store them off the wheels to keep the local railroaders from taking them out for "joy rides." <;-D

Rainier Rails · **Posted:** Wed May 21, 2014 6:47 pm

Car Histories:

1. CB&Q North Coast Limited Lounge in the Sky 4DB-4RM-2SB dome sleeper #380 (originally #304) (Budd, Lot #9669-141, Plan #9535A, 1954/67) to BN #1455 to Amtrak #9225 to ANSCO (parts for California) to private owner in Fremont, NE--reported recently as being acquired by Iowa Pacific, hasn't left yet.

___1a. Picture taken September 2008: http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=2347730 (Allan Love Jr. photo)

2. GN Empire Builder dome coach #1324 (Budd, Lot #9646-155, 1955) to BN #4604 to Amtrak #9464 wrecked in 1976 to Building Leasing Corp to Rail Dome Corp to Bob Moen to private owner in Fremont, NE.

___2a. Picture taken September 2008: http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=2347729 (Allan Love Jr. photo)

___2b. Picture taken August 2009: http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1707670 (Rick Tufts photo)

3. SP Sunset Limited baggage dormitory #3104 (Budd, Lot #9614-040, 1950) to T&NO #302 to SP #3104 to test & research #250 to SP police mobile command #250 to UP to private owner in Fremont, NE.

___3a. Picture taken September 2008: http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=2347733 (Allan Love Jr. photo)

4. 10RM-6DB sleeper. My guess, either former UP Pacific-Series or SP Sunset Limited, converted to HEP by Amtrak.

___4a. Picture taken September 2008: http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=2347734 (Allan Love Jr. photo)

5. SP Sunset Limited club lounge diner (Budd, Lot #9609-040, 1950) to Amtrak #832x-series, not rebuilt to HEP, one sold in 1976 and remainder stored until listed as retired in 1992-94.

___5a. Picture taken September 2008: http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=2347731

___5b. Picture of SP #10407/Amtrak #8320 for comparison, taken December 1971: http://rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=2722696 (Gil Ford photo)

___5c. Picture of SP #10407/Amtrak #8320 for comparison, taken December 1971: http://rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=2722693 (Gil Ford photo)

Sources:

1. "Streamliner Cars Volume Two: The Budd Company" by W. David Randall (RPC Publications, 1981)

2. "Amtrak by the Numbers" by David C. Warner and Elbert Simon (White River Productions, 2011)

3. Phil Dohmen's dome car website: http://www.trainweb.org/web_lurker/WebLurkersDOMEmain/

davew833 · **Posted:** Thu May 22, 2014 2:14 am

If you navigate around with Google Street View you can get a good look at the property and the cars too. There's an ex-D&RGW caboose and an ex-BN caboose on the property as well, and the shop is called "Empire Builder Surface Cleaning & Preparation" and they do sand/media blasting.

Those look like custom- made fitted covers he's got on the two Budd domes. I wonder where they were made.

Topfuel · **Joined:** Sun Aug 29, 2004 4:49 pm **Posts:** 529

Lincoln Penn wrote: "They are located outside the shop of a(n)................Amtrak inspector".

You might want to check your source of that information. The individual who owns the cars in Fremont, NE is not an Amtrak Certified private car Inspector.

Rainier Rails · **Posted:** Fri Aug 22, 2014 6:57 am

Rainier Rails wrote:

3. SP Sunset Limited baggage dormitory #3104 (Budd, Lot #9614-040, 1950) to T&NO #302 to SP #3104 to test & research #250 to SP police mobile command #250 to UP to private owner in Fremont, NE.

4. 10RM-6DB sleeper. My guess, either former UP Pacific-Series or SP Sunset Limited, converted to HEP by Amtrak.

Besides the North Coast Limited 4-4-2 dome sleeper CB&Q #304/#380, Iowa Pacific acquired at least 3 additional cars from Dave Varilek:

SP #3104, built in 1950 by Budd in Lot #9614-040 as a baggage-dormitory for the Sunset Limited (1 of 5, #3102-#3106), transferred in 1951 to T&NO #302, transferred back to SP #3104 in 1961, retained by SP in 1971 and reconfigured to test & research car #250, leased to FRA, later used by SP Police for protection of auto racks, to UP in 1996, sold in 2003 to Dave Varilek.

UP #1435 Pacific Rest, built in 1950 by Budd in Lot #9660-039 as a 10RM-6DB sleeper (1 of 50), sold in 1971 to Amtrak #2628, converted in 1980 to HEP #2894, sold in 1995 to Dave Varilek.

Both SP #3104 and UP #1435 Pacific Rest departed Fremont, NE, on the morning of Thursday, August 21st, for Alamosa, as posted by "wpjones" on Trainorders:

Thread from 8/20: http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?4,3499937

Thread from 8/21: http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?4,3500802

At this point, I have not identified the third car, which is scheduled to be moved next week with CB&Q #304/#380.

Sources:

1. "Streamliner Cars Volume Two: The Budd Company" by W. David Randall (RPC Publications, 1981)

2. Tom Madden's Pullman Project CCR database: http://pullmanproject.com/Database.htm

3. Don Strack's UP passenger car roster pages:

___3a. Main page: http://utahrails.net/pass/pass-index.php

___3b. Pacific-series sleepers: http://utahrails.net/pass/named-lightweight-sleepers.php#sleeper-pacific-bay

___3c. Listing for SP #3104 (as UPP #2500): http://utahrails.net/pass/heritage-fleet-3.php#upp2500

4. Richard Percy's page on the SP #3104 while in use by SP Police as #250: http://espee.railfan.net/sp-police-passenger.html

5. Mike Palmieri's Amtrak rosters

6. "Amtrak by the Numbers" by David C. Warner and Elbert Simon (White River Productions, 2011)

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Additions and corrections are welcome. Thanks in advance.