Here's a twist in this story from Flimsies. When the MTM folks wanted to run trains on this former NP branch some years ago, locals pressured politicians to try to regulate them out of business. MTM figured the legal bills to fight the spurious legislation restricting train operation would bankrupt them, so gave up and moved to Wisconsin. They then sold the line to this dinner train operator, who was able to make a go of it under the imposed regulations, with the higher prices charged to dinner train patrons. Now he wants to turn it into a trail and the locals want to keep the train, or so the article goes, just the opposite of the usual situation RR preservationists face..

http://www.startribune.com/462/story/866660.html

As I understand it, the legal challenge the locals mounted got some traction from the fact that BN had officially abandoned the branch, but not torn it up when it was given to MTM. This supposedly removed it from the usual federal regulation that superceded local laws.

Hello all,

Is anbody here familer with the Minnesota Zephyr Passenger Car fleet. I have never seen a roster, but some it includes a SP homebuilt dome, MP-IC pullman-standard dome, and what looks to be a C&O (later B&O) twin-unit dining car.

Can anyone here comment on the historic integrity of the interiors? From the few photos I have seen it looks like the upholstery and wall colors and some minor trim has been changed - have more drastic changes been made?

Although, one could also make an arguement for preserving one or more cars as-is because the Minnesota Zephyr is perhaps the longest lived dinner train operation in the US. I think only the Napa Valley Wine Train comes close.

Many thanks,
Tom Cornillie

I was up there a few weeks ago specifically to check out the passenger cars. They are surprisingly intact inside. Interior decor - wallpaper, upholstery, carpet, the requisite ceiling fans, etc, are far from original, but considering how horribly butchered many privately owned passenger cars are, those are all minor cosmetic changes that could easily be corrected. There is an ex-SP 7/8ths dome, an ex-MP/IC PS dome coach, an ex-NP smooth side baggage car turned power car, and 3 ex-C&O AMC coaches used as table cars (no twin unit diner). There were no numbers visible on any of the C&O cars or the NP baggage. The baggage is from BN MoW service so never went to Amtrak (it even still had it's factory Rolokrons!). The C&O cars all went to Amtrak and may have once been part of the Golden Arrow Tours fleet. Two still have their retrofit Budd fluting applied by SAL (cars were sold by C&O to SAL and later to Amtrak) and one has been smooth-sided. All three still have their center dividers and restroom (most used for staging or prep) areas intact. Both domes still have their original seats upstairs, but table seating downstairs. The C&O coaches all have table seating in place of the original coach seats. The MP dome also has a bar downstairs in place of the orginal lounge area, but the two small bathrooms are still intact.

I understand from speaking to the owner that he simply wants to retire from the business and he has a tentative buyer who may move the operation to Long Island. He will have to address all those extremely thin flanges first, though...

The equipment will all have to be trucked out since the branch is isolated.

If someone is really planning to run this thing on Long Island, thin flanges are by far the least of his "concerns". This is going to be VERY interesting.....

That is among the best info I have received about this trainset. However it raises a few more questions . . .

How are their cars powered and with what voltage? Are there step-down transformers in each car, or have the electrical cabinets been rewired? Do the cars that had Waukesha generators, which includes both domes (I think) still have them.

Many thanks,
Tom Cornillie

How far is it to the nearest active rail or more specificly, a siding that is connected to active rail where a car can be trucked and rerailed? The cars aren't too tough to move but the locomotive would be a problem.

How tough would it be to reconnect the branch to active rail?

FYI - This train is now listed on Ozark Mountain Railcar. By my analysis the asking price is about $950,000 above current market prices - especially when factoring in that this equipment is land-locked and the aforementioned flange issues.

http://www.ozarkmountainrailcar.com/mnzeypher.htm

Would be be possible for a Pacific Northwest/Upper Midwest, Midwest/Tidewater and Southwest operating musuems to make a collaborative bid for this equipment. As the photos on the site above indicate (and as others here have said) it wouldn't be hard to return these cars to their revenue railroad service configurations.

Tom Cornillie