Part of the odd mix of equipment on the ex-D&RGW Creede Branch in Colorado. I think this observation is ex-Seaboard Air Line.http://naphotos.nerail.org/showpic/?pho ... date%3A126

Would someone PUH-LEEEEEZE make appropriate arrangements to trade this "Floridian" for one or more of the Burlington cars at the Gold Coast RR Museum in Miami??????I thought the rich selection of CB&Q passenger stock at Gold Coast was bad enough. Now this. SHEESH.

[quote="Alexander D. Mitchell IV"]I thought the rich selection of CB&Q passenger stock at Gold Coast was bad enough. . .[/quote]Gold Coast, unfortunately, seems quite protective of their collection, even though it makes sense to try to relocate equipment to historically appropos territory...

IIRC, this is an ACL obs, as the photo caption states. (Don't take this as gospel, however...I don't have my resources handy and it is very early in the a.m.!) It was used as a training room, hence the blanked over windows, in Jacksonville by SCL/SBD/CSX (not sure exactly how long) before going to private ownership. Seems it passed through ownership in the Birmingham area before going to Colorado. Window frames are supposed to be intact.Gold Coast RR Museum is not likely to swap anything for a car like this (i.e., needing alot of work and money for exhibit purposes). They acquired ACL 254, a blunt-end lounge obs, a couple of years ago. It had already been privately restored. In addition to the CB&Q car, they have SAL 6300, so I think they have enough "observation" cars on the property, and certainly have a good representation of SE RR equipment in addition to their CB&Q trainset. (All they lack is a FEC obs, and the BAY BISCAYNE isn't available!) Photos are available at their web site.Gold Coast has quite a nice collection and exhibit, even if it does not meet the current vogue of regionalism. It's not like they are not taking care of what they have, and some pieces are being/have been deacessioned. (And in the interest of full disclosure, yes, I am a (long distance) member.)

There are two ways of looking at this. Relocation to a more appropriate home does not necessarily mean the item will receive better care. The Seaboard car appears to be well sealed up and away from urban vandalism, though local yokels in rural areas sometimes cause damage also. Sometimes its best to just leave something where it is until a really appropriate venue is found for it, without temporary storage sites in between. And every time something moves, it is subject to possible damage - dents in stainless siding are very hard to repair.But what doesn't make sense is going to all the trouble and expense of relocating items away from their historically appropriate areas, like moving an FEC Pacific to the mountains of Colorado, for instance. To me, that falls under the category of playing with trains more than serious preservation.

[tongue-in-cheek]Okay, okay, I have the answer.We wait until Florida is blown off the map by hurricanes and the peninsula is permanently evacuated [eyes current weather map......]......Then we relocate all the Florida stuff to the most appropriate gathering place--Colorado, allowing the Burlington stuff to "go home" and the FEC stuff to be re-consolidated.........[/tongue-in-cheek]

If you are referring to "Silver Crescent" as the "Burlington obs then, you need to locate a museum even further west than Denver. "Silver Crescent" was one of two Western Pacific dome-sleeper-observations built for the California Zephyr. so it technically should be positioned somewhere between Salt Lake City and Oakland! The baggage car, "Silver Stag", is also a former WP car. They were initially purchased by Jolly Rancher Candies in Wheatridge, CO, but made their way to Florida at a later date. I can remember driving by the facility in Wheatridge in the late '70's or early '80's and being able to catch a glimpse of the two cars. Don C.

IIRC, this car was offered for sale by ITAC 5 or so years ago on their website. Their description mentioned the fact that it had been converted into a theater/training car by SCL, with a screen and a projector (perhaps a locomotive simulator?) which explains the covered windows. Not sure how it got from Illinois to Colorado.

Hi folks, while on the subject of RR equipment WAY out of their element, I've heard that the Port Huron & Detroit business car was sold to a private individual in PA somewhere and was to be restored in another road's livery for display purposes. Is any of this true and is the PH&D biz car still at Gold Coast? I once heard that the PH&D was the smallest railroad to have it's own business car! While I'm not sure if that is true or not, it'll be a shame if it was singled out of that museum to be repainted as something completely different.Dave JandronResiding 1 mile east of EOT CSX PH&D Industrial Track.