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August 11th, I picked my wife up at the Amtrak station in St. Louis. She was arriving from Chicago on the Texas Eagle. As I observed the train I noticed that there was, what appeared to be, a passenger car in either the livery of the Frisco or the KATY. It was red and stainless steel. It was coupled on at the end of the train. Would anyone know why Amtrak was pulling this car? Could it have been a private car like the Iowa Pacific business? Or maybe just transporting it to a museum somewhere? Just curious.
RRCHINA Member # 1514
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There are several privately owned cars (PV's) that contract with Amtrak and this was likely one of them. Did you find a Name on the car as all of the PV's are given names by their owners.
Oh, PV means Private Varnish.
Gilbert B Norman Member # 1541
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Likely the car you observed, Mr. Iron Mountain, was Cimarron River:
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I travel by long distance train quite often. There have been surprisingly few trips that didn't include a private sleeper, diner, or dome car -- and sometimes more than one -- coupled to the tail end of the train.
Some carry passengers. Some are simply traveling empty from Point A to Point B. Perhaps due to my devilishly handsome visage, I've managed to talk myself aboard quite a few during station stops -- just for a quick tour.
The interiors vary. Some owners "upgrade" their cars to the point where all sense of history has been eliminated. My favorites are the cars that have been either faithfully restored or pristinely maintained -- so that boarding one is like stepping back into, say, 1955.
Especially if no 21st century passengers wearing flip-flops and cargo shorts are around to spoil the illusion.
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Iron Mountain Member # 12411
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Thanks folks. Yes GBN it looked like the pictures of the Cimarron River. Apparently it was not red and stainless steel but rather red and grey. I was a fair distance from the car and the angle is not good for viewing. And to dilly, due the manner in which the station is designed accessing a car on a waiting train would be impossible. So my devilishly good looks would not have helped my curiousity.
palmland Member # 4344
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This was on the rear of the Texas Eagle we took last year. It was on a weekend outing from its home in St. Louis to Chicago. Got a quick tour of the car and was quite nice inside with little obvious modification other than, I think, a shower. It was cut off the train at our St. Louis stop.
A similar car, but with stainless fluted sides (Budd ?) operated as a through car on B&O's National Limited from Washington to Dallas via Frisco's Texas Special. It seemed so 'modern' when walking through it as a child to the National's observation.
Gilbert B Norman Member # 1541
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Actually, the 14-4 cars as delivered to the MKT, SLSF, and NH all were stainless fluted sheathed. Wisely, the B&O 14-4's were delivered liveried Royal Blue and Grey.
Why do I note wisely with regards to the B&O? Well, long about ten years into service, a funny thing started to happen - the cars started to rot away. The sheathing first trapped moisture which all know carbon steel does 'not exactly' have on its 'Like' list. Also the cars still looked shiny, and while likely the Mechanical Dept knew this was a 'we have a problem' moment, those on Mahogany Row could 'see no evil' so therefore 'speak no evil'. This is why roads such as NYC, CRIP, and SP all desheathed their cars hopefully while they were still reparable - and no doubt why the private owners of Cimarron River desheathed theirs.
The New Haven, with many more sheathed cars than their 29 noted '--Point' 14-4 Sleepers, just played 'see no evil' out to the end. That is why Amtrak took very few cars from the NH, and Penn Central 'foisted' the others on to commuter agencies such as the MBTA.
Ocala Mike Member # 4657
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So, Gil, I take it these "State" series cars did not have the water problem? Or did they run on the LIRR after being rehabbed? I note that "Pine Tree State" is privately owned and in service for someone today.
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Found this great link to past LIRR fan trips. If you scroll way down nearly halfway through you will find a shot of Frisco car "Eugene Field" as it appeared in a fan trip consist.
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Now that I've had a chance to look at the photos, I realize that I've been inside the Cimarron River. It was one of the cars that took part in Grand Central Terminal's "Parade of Trains" this past May.
Apparently, after its initial career on the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway’s "Meteor," it was sold to the Canadian National Railroad, where it ran for years.
To give you an idea of the way it looked with its original fluting, here's a picture of one of its identical sister sleepers.
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Observed #5 (30) passing MP 18.7 Yesterday. On the head and placed ahead of the Baggage were 'Cimarron River '(SLSF 14-4), Prairie View (IP; IC livery), and "Caritas'.
stlboomer Member # 2028
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According to High Iron's website, GBN's sighting is a positioning move for this year's Rocky Mountain Explorer, scheduled to depart SLC on 9/2.
RRCHINA Member # 1514
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For those with interest: AAPRCO will hold their annual convention in Napa, CA (Oct 1 to 3) with many (maybe 30 PV's) and I am sure the Caritas will be among them as the owners of this car are avid about 'rare mileage' trips. This convention trip will have a great deal of that beginning in Seattle on 9-24 and ending in LA on 10-5 with many miles on what are now freight only tracks.
AAPRCO contracts with Amtrak and with each of the RR's involved which is certainly costly so each PV pays a significant amount to participate. If you have an opportunity to see this train along its journey you woll be treated to view many beautifully restored Cars.
smitty195 Member # 5102
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I wonder what type of income Amtrak is receiving from hauling all of these PVs around? There really do seem to be a lot of trains with PVs on almost a regular basis. They've got to be making out fairly well.
notelvis Member # 3071
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GBN - do you suppose that the PV's were on the head end of #5 because the one track at the temporary Denver station wasn't long enough to accomodate them on the rear?
Gilbert B Norman Member # 1541
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Possibly the case, Mr. Presley; also if they were unoccupied (staff maybe), only one cut was needed to set them out at Denver.
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