Lots of Old Equipment

[MrFSS]

Tom;Thanks for your hard work in putting this together. This reminds me of the gold rush days~ everybody is going to head to St. Louis for a look see. Might be a good place to have next years AU Forum?

If not next year, maybe another year in the future.

The old Union Station is a great place to visit: STLUS

And, a great HYATT hotel right inside the station.

Plenty of places to eat, too.

 

[Rafi]

Is the transportation museum worthwhile? Lots of train stuff?

I can vouch for the transportation museum. It's about 80% train-related, and well worth the visit. They have one of the few remaining Big Boys on display there among quite a good collection of both restored and "waiting-to-be-restored" equipment. Highly recommended museum.

Rafi

 

[OlympianHiawatha]

Years ago I was fortunate to ride a dome equipment CONO but the second we were out of CUS and I was heading to the dome, the conductor told me it he had put all the U of I and SIU college students in there to keep them away from the rest of the train, but once we left Carbondale, I was more than welcome to use the dome. I did and for the entire night and most of the next day was the only person in there except for the occasional curious pax who came up, looked around a few moments and left.

 

[creddick]

Is the transportation museum worthwhile? Lots of train stuff?

I can vouch for the transportation museum. It's about 80% train-related, and well worth the visit. They have one of the few remaining Big Boys on display there among quite a good collection of both restored and "waiting-to-be-restored" equipment. Highly recommended museum.

Rafi

Thanks. I'm really looking forward to seeing the museum. On the same trip, we're also going to Kansas City. Never been there. I certainly plan on visiting the train station which I understand is a showplace. My only regret; we're driving and not taking the train. Maybe someday.

 

[Green Maned Lion]

Second picture from the top-any idea what the white roofed car is at the 7 o' clock position? It looks like it has wrap around windows but on a single level?

I'm not sure, but I think its an old Seaboard Coast Line car, originally built for the Seaboard Air Line in 1955. Amtrak acquired 3 of them sometime between 1972 and 1976. They were SCL numbers 6500-6502, Amtrak numbers 3230-3232, and were named Sunbeam, Sun Ray, and Sun View. They are 5-db bar-lounge cars. I don't think they made it past the Heritage conversions- its unlikely, not many sleepers made it through that weren't 10-6s, 24-8s, or 16-10s. (Perhaps the ex B&O 16-4s made it, too) A few 11-DB were on the roster, but I think they were only used in captive Auto Train service.

 

[OlympianHiawatha]

Second picture from the top-any idea what the white roofed car is at the 7 o' clock position? It looks like it has wrap around windows but on a single level?

I'm not sure, but I think its an old Seaboard Coast Line car, originally built for the Seaboard Air Line in 1955. Amtrak acquired 3 of them sometime between 1972 and 1976. They were SCL numbers 6500-6502, Amtrak numbers 3230-3232, and were named Sunbeam, Sun Ray, and Sun View. They are 5-db bar-lounge cars. I don't think they made it past the Heritage conversions- its unlikely, not many sleepers made it through that weren't 10-6s, 24-8s, or 16-10s. (Perhaps the ex B&O 16-4s made it, too) A few 11-DB were on the roster, but I think they were only used in captive Auto Train service.

Thanks GML! That gave me a lead that panned out on a Wiki search and indeed that is a fascinating series of lounge cars. I hope the one in the pic ends up being restored and perhaps Amtrak could consider that wrap around "no dome-dome" design for future single level cars!

 

[Bill Haithcoat]

Second picture from the top-any idea what the white roofed car is at the 7 o' clock position? It looks like it has wrap around windows but on a single level?

I'm not sure, but I think its an old Seaboard Coast Line car, originally built for the Seaboard Air Line in 1955. Amtrak acquired 3 of them sometime between 1972 and 1976. They were SCL numbers 6500-6502, Amtrak numbers 3230-3232, and were named Sunbeam, Sun Ray, and Sun View. They are 5-db bar-lounge cars. I don't think they made it past the Heritage conversions- its unlikely, not many sleepers made it through that weren't 10-6s, 24-8s, or 16-10s. (Perhaps the ex B&O 16-4s made it, too) A few 11-DB were on the roster, but I think they were only used in captive Auto Train service.

If that is what it is, that represented some good railroading. Those cars, called Sun Rooms, were on the pre-Amtrak Silver Meteor from NYC to Miami. 1955 was rather a late year for railroads to still be bothering with ordering new equipment. So many lines were already starting to give up by then, but not Seaboard. Of course there were the usual restrictions on domes in NYP. But it was marketed as kind of a sun room, patio effect,something apparently becoming very popular in Florida at that time.

Similarly some new coaches were ordered at that time also, for both the pre-Amtrak Silver Meteor and the Silver Star. These cars had a mid-car smoking lounge. It did not mean full service lounge as in today's lingo,but just a sitting space, like a lobby. Of course the whole thing against not smoking had not even begun then. However,I think even then,in those coaches you were ony allowed to smoke in that lounge and not back at your seats--not sure. One of the advertised benefits of that arrangment is that it broke off the sometimes-cited "tunnel effect" of a coach.

 

[access bob]

Second picture from the top-any idea what the white roofed car is at the 7 o' clock position? It looks like it has wrap around windows but on a single level?

I'm not sure, but I think its an old Seaboard Coast Line car, originally built for the Seaboard Air Line in 1955. Amtrak acquired 3 of them sometime between 1972 and 1976. They were SCL numbers 6500-6502, Amtrak numbers 3230-3232, and were named Sunbeam, Sun Ray, and Sun View. They are 5-db bar-lounge cars. I don't think they made it past the Heritage conversions- its unlikely, not many sleepers made it through that weren't 10-6s, 24-8s, or 16-10s. (Perhaps the ex B&O 16-4s made it, too) A few 11-DB were on the roster, but I think they were only used in captive Auto Train service.

If that is what it is, that represented some good railroading. Those cars, called Sun Rooms, were on the pre-Amtrak Silver Meteor from NYC to Miami. 1955 was rather a late year for railroads to still be bothering with ordering new equipment. So many lines were already starting to give up by then, but not Seaboard. Of course there were the usual restrictions on domes in NYP. But it was marketed as kind of a sun room, patio effect,something apparently becoming very popular in Florida at that time.

Similarly some new coaches were ordered at that time also, for both the pre-Amtrak Silver Meteor and the Silver Star. These cars had a mid-car smoking lounge. It did not mean full service lounge as in today's lingo,but just a sitting space, like a lobby. Of course the whole thing against not smoking had not even begun then. However,I think even then,in those coaches you were ony allowed to smoke in that lounge and not back at your seats--not sure. One of the advertised benefits of that arrangment is that it broke off the sometimes-cited "tunnel effect" of a coach.

weren't those cars called "Solarium" cars.

Bob

 

[Bill Haithcoat]

Second picture from the top-any idea what the white roofed car is at the 7 o' clock position? It looks like it has wrap around windows but on a single level?

I'm not sure, but I think its an old Seaboard Coast Line car, originally built for the Seaboard Air Line in 1955. Amtrak acquired 3 of them sometime between 1972 and 1976. They were SCL numbers 6500-6502, Amtrak numbers 3230-3232, and were named Sunbeam, Sun Ray, and Sun View. They are 5-db bar-lounge cars. I don't think they made it past the Heritage conversions- its unlikely, not many sleepers made it through that weren't 10-6s, 24-8s, or 16-10s. (Perhaps the ex B&O 16-4s made it, too) A few 11-DB were on the roster, but I think they were only used in captive Auto Train service.

If that is what it is, that represented some good railroading. Those cars, called Sun Rooms, were on the pre-Amtrak Silver Meteor from NYC to Miami. 1955 was rather a late year for railroads to still be bothering with ordering new equipment. So many lines were already starting to give up by then, but not Seaboard. Of course there were the usual restrictions on domes in NYP. But it was marketed as kind of a sun room, patio effect,something apparently becoming very popular in Florida at that time.

Similarly some new coaches were ordered at that time also, for both the pre-Amtrak Silver Meteor and the Silver Star. These cars had a mid-car smoking lounge. It did not mean full service lounge as in today's lingo,but just a sitting space, like a lobby. Of course the whole thing against not smoking had not even begun then. However,I think even then,in those coaches you were ony allowed to smoke in that lounge and not back at your seats--not sure. One of the advertised benefits of that arrangment is that it broke off the sometimes-cited "tunnel effect" of a coach.

weren't those cars called "Solarium" cars.

Bob

They could have been but I do not think so...I do, absolutely, know that somebody used that term but don't think it was Seaboard. Maybe Missouri Pacific? On their various Eagles.For their dome cars, not the type of car on Seaboard.

Maybe later I can flip through an old Official Railroad Guide and find that out. Then,too, the public may have used their own names for such equipment.

 

[jphjaxfl]

The Mopac/T&P Dome Coaches were known as Planetarium Chair Cars. I think some of the older heavy weight observation cars called solariums the rear seating area by the large windows at the end of the car. Some of these older cars had open platforms too.

 

[Bill Haithcoat]

The Mopac/T&P Dome Coaches were known as Planetarium Chair Cars. I think some of the older heavy weight observation cars called solariums the rear seating area by the large windows at the end of the car. Some of these older cars had open platforms too.

You are absolutely right about MoPac. Also the word solarium , indeed, was used on various heavy weight equipment around the country.

 

[Joel N. Weber II]

Thanks GML! That gave me a lead that panned out on a Wiki search and indeed that is a fascinating series of lounge cars.

Are you thinking of this page, or something else?