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On the Travel Channel, yesterday, they had an hour-long program entitled, "Tricked Out Trains". It was essentially about restored old, vintage railroad cars. Among the highlights:
Restored cars by the AAPRCO people. The Patron Tequila Express was shown.
The McKeen railroad car. This was a internal-combustion engine powered car designed for short routes and few passengers. The first was built in 1910 and McKeen 22 is now located in the Nevada State Railroad Museum.
The "Central Coast Flyer" built for the Overland from Oakland to Chcago.
The "Virginia City" car which was a private passenger car for L. Beebe and C. Clegg
The Olympian Hiawatha..loco and car operated by the "Friends of the 261". Here is a photo of the Skytop Observation Car":
The design of the Olympian Hiawatha car was by Brooks Stevens, who also designed a Harley-Davidson motorcycle, a Studebaker model, the Miller Brewing Co. logo, and the Oscar Mayer Weinermobile. It looks like the Olympian Hiawatha does make excursion runs (?).
The Georgia 300, which was used as a whistle-stop tour car by several presidents.
The McKeen #22 car:
I checked the Travel Channel future schedule and I didn't see a rerun of "Tricked Out Trains" in the next few weeks. I have to think it will, at some point, be repeated. It's worth a watch.
Richard
Posts: 1909 | From: Santa Rosa | Registered: Jan 2004
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Thanks for all the links and the picture of the McKeen motorcar.
One of the links took me to the Oscar Meyer Wienermobile. They are currently built and serviced here in beautiful SBA. I've seen them around town on test drives. If I were a bit younger I'd apply to be a "Hotdogger". What a great gig for just graduating college seniors.
Frank in sunny and warming SBA
Posts: 2160 | From: Santa Barbara, CA, USA | Registered: Oct 2003
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I wonder if Brooks Stevens tried to make the Weinermobile somewhat in the image of the Olympian Hiawatha? The paint schemes look related, at least to me:
Richard
Posts: 1909 | From: Santa Rosa | Registered: Jan 2004
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I think it's funny how the Virginia City is often portrayed in these Travel Channel TV shows. It was also in a Travel Channel show called, "Amazing Vacation Homes". It looks so nice on TV (and sounds so nice)......however....I've been on that car twice, and in my opinion, it's nothing special. I call it "opulent junk". To me, the interior is just plain junky. Things are not maintained well, there's cobwebs everywhere, the rear awning over the "back porch" is falling apart", he has retention tank problems so it smells like poop on the back porch because "stuff" is always flying out, the kitchen is a total nightmare---I don't know how they manage to cook anything in there....In my opinion, it's one of the worst PV's out there. It might be worth a lot of money because of the antique art or whatever on the inside, but it's still just junk in my eyes. I will never pay to ride that car again, that's for sure.
I've been in other cars on AAPRCO specials, and there are some VERY nice cars out there right now. Cincinnati Railcar Company has super nice PV's available for charter. "The Observatory" is an especially nice car, as is the Evelyn Henry and Warren Henry. When you step foot in those cars, you instantly realize how ratty the Virginia City is.
Posts: 2355 | From: Pleasanton, CA | Registered: Apr 2007
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The Fall 2012 edition of The Mainstreeter (published by the Northern Pacific Railway Historical Association) has an article about the NP McKeen car and its operation in the Pacific Northwest and the Great Lakes region. NP's car was destroyed in an explosion, but that V&T survivor looks beautiful--it might be worth a trip just to see it. Also, are the Weinermobiles available for public viewing? I haven't one since I was a kid.
Posts: 831 | From: Seattle | Registered: Jan 2011
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Fairly recently on the Southwest Chief, the Oscar Meyer Wiener car was on I-25 pacing us all the way from Trinidad to ABQ (it really stands out in a crowd).
Posts: 1572 | From: St. Paul, MN | Registered: Dec 2002
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Thanks for the great SBA picture of the Wienermobile. I'm guessing here but I think it was taken from either Eilings Park or TV Hill looking across town to the Riviera.
Vincent--
I believe the schedule of appearances is posted online. The "Hotdogers" (AKA drivers) also Tweet.
Frank in sunny and warm SBA
Posts: 2160 | From: Santa Barbara, CA, USA | Registered: Oct 2003
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Not sure about being a 'Hotdogger' but I would relish the opportunity to spend a summer driving a red 'jammer' at Glacier National Park.
Speaking of the 'Observatory', I've had the opportunity to ride that car twice now..... most recently this past November on a Roanoke-Luray, VA excursion sponsored by the Roanoke NRHS Chapter.
-------------------- David Pressley
Advocating for passenger trains since 1973!
Climbing toward 5,000 posts like the Southwest Chief ascending Raton Pass. Cautiously, not nearly as fast as in the old days, and hoping to avoid premature reroutes. Posts: 4203 | From: Western North Carolina | Registered: Feb 2004
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Ah, the Wienermobile. When I was a kid, my Sunday school class had an outing to the Philadelphia Phillies ball game, my first ever. On the way there on old US 1 we passed the late 1950's version of this. Everyone was very impressed. Of course we had to have hot dogs at the game.
I caught the last half of the show. Should I get instantly rich, I think a cross country trip on the Georgia 300 would be the ultimate.
Posts: 2397 | From: Camden, SC | Registered: Mar 2006
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Speaking of the 'Observatory', I've had the opportunity to ride that car twice now..... most recently this past November on a Roanoke-Luray, VA excursion sponsored by the Roanoke NRHS Chapter.
Lucky dog! That is a beautiful car. They really did it right, didn't they?
Posts: 2355 | From: Pleasanton, CA | Registered: Apr 2007
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Speaking of the 'Observatory', I've had the opportunity to ride that car twice now..... most recently this past November on a Roanoke-Luray, VA excursion sponsored by the Roanoke NRHS Chapter.
Lucky dog! That is a beautiful car. They really did it right, didn't they?
Absolutely.
If this facebook link will open for you, this is a photo from the Observatory that I took in October 2010 on an Asheville-Salisbury trip.
Climbing toward 5,000 posts like the Southwest Chief ascending Raton Pass. Cautiously, not nearly as fast as in the old days, and hoping to avoid premature reroutes. Posts: 4203 | From: Western North Carolina | Registered: Feb 2004
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