ANY CAR THAT WAS BUILD BY THE GREAT LATE BUDD CO. OF PHILADELPHIA.
- SILVER PENHOUSE
- a 10-6 SLEEPER
- C.B.&Q’S BUSSINESS CAR
- THE METORLINER CARS of the late 60 & 70’s
The GN - CB&Q Super Domes of EMPIRE BUILDER
1390 GLACIER VIEW - 1391 OCEAN VIEW - 1392 MOUNTAIN VIEW
1293 LAKE VIEW - 1394 PRAIRIE VIEW and CB&Q 1395 RIVER VIEW
I love Via LRC coaches. They are very nice and comfortable. They also have large windows which makes it great for taking pictures. I may change my mind however when I go on the Canadian. I may like the Budd domes more.
1.SP 3/4 Dome
2.UP Dome Lounge
3.UP Dome Diner
4.Slumbercoach
5.ATSF Hi Level Coach
6.ATSF Hi Level Lounge
7.ATSF Hi Level Diner
8.MILW Skytop Sleeper Obs.
9.ATSF Full Length Dome Lounge
10.MILW Full Length Dome Lounge
11.GN Full Length Dome Lounge
12.CZ Dome Lounge Obs.
The Espee 3/4 Dome car
Those full domes are some of my favorites. I actually had a chance to ride on one during the early days of Amtrak in the 70’s. One slight problem, it was a warm day, and the air conditioner wasn’t working. It did make it easy to get a seat in the “sauna” though. Is that the true test of a railfan or what?[swg]
In addition to the full domes, I have always loved the look of Milwaukee’s Sky Top observations. 20 years ago when I lived in Denver I caught one when it was parked at the depot. Back at the beginning of July this year there was one being used on the excursions of 261. I thought I had managed to catch photos of two different cars. But, on closer inspection, I discovered that I had seen the Cedar Rapids then and now.
I guess I have a taste for the unusual. On a different Amtrak adventure, there was an ex SP articulated diner on the train. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize what it was until after I got off. As I was having dinner, I just thought to myself, dang this is a long dining car.[:I][:P][;)]
The British Railways Mk. One open saloon with four sharing a table set each side of the gangway. No a/c but you could slide the top window open! Of course the preferred method of traction was steam, they are still in use on preserved lines but have to leave the mainlines as they use a method to close the doors called ‘slam doors’! These rely on the passenger to slam the doors shut, can be deadly when the train is in motion and someone tries to board and slips off the platform under the wheels! If I can ever get enough ca***o try your trains maybe I will change my affection.
My favorite would be a bi-level gallery coach of the C&NW 700-709 series. These were the 96-seat long-haul bi-levels that re-equipped the Peninsula 400 and Flambeau 400 in 1958.
Any car in which I am riding (LOL).
I always liked PRR twin-unit diners, counter-lounge cars (ex MEC), New Haven 6 double bedroom/lounge “State” cars, all bedroom UP "Placid"series cars and SP “Sunset” diners. Also NYNH&H parlor cars.
work safe
A couple of more unusual ones:
PRR P-70: ‘standard’ for good-riding cars even today.
ACF paired-window coaches (the “American Flyer” cars)
Original Pendulum car
PRR 120, in the Pins years, with Raymond Loewy on the rear platform and 4935 up front
First, the espee domes, with the 12 foot ceiling in the lounge. The Lark Club, elegant and, was there a longer room in railroading? Any heavyweight Pullman, the muffled sounds, the six wheel clickety-clack. Any observation car, especially open platform types. For the coach class, the Santa Fe highlevels, there were no more comfortable seats. Any coach with sleepy hollow leg rest seats, these were the best coach seats on rails.
Good 'ol heavyweights
“Silver Solarium”, round-end dome observation lounge from the California Zephyr which I rode in June 1973 on the end of the Amtrak Texas Chief from Houston to Fort Worth. When I saw the car on the end of the train, I asked for a ticket to ride the dome. No go. The dome was reserved for sleeping car passenger. So I got a roomette, even though it was a daylight trip.
Sunken lounge under the dome with mural painting of Rocky Mountains. Painting of western destination San Francisco on the wall over the writing desk in the observation lounge.
Watching semaphores fall toward the dome window as we approached them at 80+ mph was a trip. Lots of pictures. Passed a wrecked freight train.
I saw the “Silver Solarium” again at Branson, Missouri in 1994, where there is (was?) a tourist train operation.
Any MA & PA passenger car!They never had any closed vestibule cars.Open platforms all the way!
The gallery parlor car was a riot. It later became just another commuter car but had the unmistakable interior treatments and 2 johns. That was car 225.
Gallery car 903 was a favorite of mine from the intercity CNW bi-level era. It had a unique window arrangement and an inteesting lounge. Ended up as a Sip and Snack car.
Mitch
The former Silver Palace.
I rode it on AC’s “Canyon Train” a few years a ago.
Except for AC’s name on the side, she still has the California Zephur written all inside of her.
Gordon
The B&O’s 5 Bedroom-Lounge Blunt End Observations Napanee and Wawasee that ran on the Capitol Limted, while originally built for the C&O the blue, gray and black with gold trim really set off the stainless that the cars had below the window belt line. The sisters to these cars were the Dana and the Metcalf, they were identical to the Napanee and Wawasee, except they were outfitted with diaphrams on the observation end to permit mid-train operation on the Ambassador (Washington to Detroit) which was combined with the Capitol between Wasington and Willard.
PULLMAN (operated on the Pennsy) plan 4019 parlor-restaurant-broiler lounge. Heavyweight ride, a good seat, and a lounge and diner all in one car.
Mitch
The Dome Observations on the Canadian
The 1949 B&O smoothside domes, High Dome and Sky Dome. Very sleek and elegant!
Roger