Milwaukee Railroad Observation Cars in Trouble

Trains Magazine General Discussion
1

This is from the Cleveland Yahoo Groups page. Milwaukee Observations cars are about to be lost . See below…

These cars are truly treasures. Does anyone have a contact at the
Smithsonian? They are Art Deco material. Maybe someone could at
least get them stabilized. How many people realize that they
exist??? Need some true publicity on their plight.

Anyone have the contacts?

What a shame!

— In clevelandrails@yahoogroups.com, “Rob Hunter” <sephiroth@a…>
wrote:

If you didn’t know, for the last few years, down at the pier in
Erie
is a barge that held 2 Milwaukee Observation cars.
http://pic14.picturetrail.com/VOL534/831195/1790253/70817425.jpg

A floating restaurant in Erie was planned utilizing the barge
known
as the Lansdowne. The company holding title to the project however
dragged their feet and for the past number of years, I’ve gone and
taken shots of the ship’s slow demise. Time and weather had taken
their toll but vandals did the worst damage to the cars.
http://pic14.picturetrail.com/VOL534/831195/1790253/70817188.jpg

Now, on Christmas day, the hull was breached below the water line
and
she sunk at her moorings. The cars are partially above the ice and
water but the situation is critical, time is of the essence and
those
who’ve been trying for years to save the cars are asking for help.
I
hope Rob doesn’t mind my asking the group if anyone can help.

Does anyone know somehow who might donate salvage/transportation
resources, track storage, etc in the Erie area? Could you pledge
to
the cause? Open your “railfan rolodex”, pass the message along and
help today! Someone you know may have just what the group needs to
save the cars. If you

2

They are not worth saving.
Randy

3

Has anyone contacted the Midwest Railway Historical Society? I didn’t even know the cars were there,and I’m in Cleveland quite a bit. Where are they?

4

I know some contacts that could do it, but who do we contact??

5

Whats the full email address?

6

I am sorry to say from the looks of the Photos these are totaled.

7

To save and restore those cars would require someone with very, very, very deep pockets. Much deeper than the typical Railway Preservation Society.

8

There are other examples of this car type already preserved. The REAL vandalism wasn’t done by vandals … it was done by the car owners !!
These cars are beyond economic salvage, do all of us a favor and focus your attention on the equipment that is in museums and other groups. these cars are history.

9

The Cedar Rapids is the best example.

10

I know that those photos were from a few years ago, and they are long gone, but It would be cool for the 261 group to save them and restore at least one of them.

Phil

11

The Cedar Rapids is alive and well.

The endangered cars are the Arrow Creek and the Gold Creek, which were 2 of 6 “Creek” series sleeper / lounges. The four “Rapids” series cars were lounge only.

http://www.trainweb.org/hiawatha/skytops.html

According to the above link, 3 of the 4 “Rapids” have been preserved. If these two “Creeks” are allowed to die, there will only be one surviving example, the Coffee Creek.