Yet Another Amtrak Retirement

Sad, indeed.  I remember the cars when they were new and rode them beginning in 1958.

However, on the positive side, they were in revenue service for over 60 years, and that's even longer than the  most ancient heavyweight baggage car owned by Santa Fe ever did.

I would say that these cars are really a piece of American History.

MELGAR

I rode them on the Amtrak SW LTD in the early 1970's.

It's not the best, I got there today as this southbound was passing, so I had to shoot through the windshield. I'll try to get out tomorrow to grab the northbound train. The engine was the wave, but I missed it.

wind

What’s the difference between those and Superliners? Superliners were built in the late 70’s/early 80’s? Progress is inevitable, everything ages and eventually has to be replaced. These cars were probably past the end of their service life. Maybe a tourist line like Grand Canyon can snap them up?

Robert K posted:

What’s the difference between those and Superliners? Superliners were built in the late 70’s/early 80’s? Progress is inevitable, everything ages and eventually has to be replaced. These cars were probably past the end of their service life. Maybe a tourist line like Grand Canyon can snap them up?

The Hi-Levels were the inspiration for Superliners. The main differences between Hi-Levels and Superliners are manufacturer and height. You'll notice that Hi-Levels are noticeably shorter than Superliners, standing at 15' 5". Superliner Is were built 1979-1981 by Pullman, and Superliner IIs were built somewhere around 1995 by Bombardier. 

While yes, it was going to happen eventually, a whole lot saw this coming. 2 weeks' notice still isn't much time if you ask me. 

62 years though really is a testament to Budd's build quality and Amtrak took really good care of them. I don't know about Tourist railroads taking these in because that would require the purchase of at least one of the remaining Step-down coaches. Maybe Grand Canyon will take one in, who knows. Hopefully we will know more in the coming days.

On another note, I have official confirmation that #11 departing Seattle on Feb. 4th will have 2 Parlour Cars. #14 had 2 departing Los Angeles today, I believe one of the cars was Napa Valley. The other could possibly be Santa Lucia Highlands, not sure. So if you want to catch a rare train, this is the one to catch. It won't happen ever again in revenue service.

Dominic Mazoch posted:

I rode them on the Amtrak SW LTD in the early 1970's.

That's awesome! One of the best eras for the Hi-Levels was when they served the Southwest Limited. 

GenesisFan99 posted:

Robert K posted:

What’s the difference between those and Superliners? Superliners were built in the late 70’s/early 80’s? Progress is inevitable, everything ages and eventually has to be replaced. These cars were probably past the end of their service life. Maybe a tourist line like Grand Canyon can snap them up?

The Hi-Levels were the inspiration for Superliners. The main differences between Hi-Levels and Superliners are manufacturer and height. You'll notice that Hi-Levels are noticeably shorter than Superliners, standing at 15' 5". Superliner Is were built 1979-1981 by Pullman, and Superliner IIs were built somewhere around 1995 by Bombardier. 

While yes, it was going to happen eventually, a whole lot saw this coming. 2 weeks' notice still isn't much time if you ask me. 

62 years though really is a testament to Budd's build quality and Amtrak took really good care of them. I don't know about Tourist railroads taking these in because that would require the purchase of at least one of the remaining Step-down coaches. Maybe Grand Canyon will take one in, who knows. Hopefully we will know more in the coming days.

 

On another note, I have official confirmation that #11 departing Seattle on Feb. 4th will have 2 Parlour Cars. #14 had 2 departing Los Angeles today, I believe one of the cars was Napa Valley. The other could possibly be Santa Lucia Highlands, not sure. So if you want to catch a rare train, this is the one to catch. It won't happen ever again in revenue service.

I'm going to try to get to see 14 as it approaches PDX tomorrow, providing it's not pouring rain. I'll shoot some better video than I did above for 11.

Number 90 posted:

Sad, indeed.  I remember the cars when they were new and rode them beginning in 1958.

However, on the positive side, they were in revenue service for over 60 years, and that's even longer than the  most ancient heavyweight baggage car owned by Santa Fe ever did.

Two or three years ago at the Chicago March Meet we decided to take the METRA from Napierville to Chicago.  At a station stop the opposing train had a bilevel coach that you could see the remnants of 'Burlington' on the letter board. My first thought was the sheer longevity of Budd-built commuter cars. 

Minutes ago. Train 11 to LA.

Double whammy. As I watched this freight train being built, looks like I caught train 14 coming in northbound to PDX.

Wow Thanks for sharing!!!

Thank you PDXTRAINS for sharing that. Great footage there. 

I received a reply from my local railroad museum and they said that the trolley wire standards they follow are 18' above the rails for smaller streetcars and 22' 6" for the larger streetcars and interurbans. What this means is if they consider taking in a Parlour Car, no height issues will be encountered. Of course there's still other things like budget and space, but at least the most glaring issue is in fact not an issue. I hope Amtrak doesn't choose to scrap them.

Guys:

I had forgotten how much fun it is to be a rail fan! When my son was a boy we used to walk down to the tracks all the time--the Ringling Bros Circus Train would park in the yard near us.

I live minutes from the Brooklyn Yard and there is an ideal spot to catch trains being built and Amtrak passengers going by. It was really a thrill doing this, and such a stress buster. You can bet I'm hooked and will be back for more.

Update on the Parlour Cars- four are currently stored in Amtrak's 7th St. Yard, Los Angeles as of 2/12/18. It is unknown where the fifth car is, but it may be in the Seattle coach yard unless sold or scrapped. Had it been sent to Beech Grove, (or moved anywhere for that matter) I think someone would have noticed and caught it in transit. 

It's now official. The Orange Empire Railway Museum is currently assessing the feasibility of acquiring one of the cars. I am hopeful that they are able to create their very own "Mini Cap", just like their UP "City of Perris" which consisted of their UP E8AM, UP Pullman Std 6/6/4 Sleeper "National Scene", and a ragtag collection of modernized heavyweights. Essentially they were going for a mini UP "City" train. 

I think I can safely say seeing an FP45 pulling any number of actual Hi-Levels for the first time since the early 1970s is a dream of many Santa Fe fans. 

There are no guarantees though, but no matter what I will remain thankful for the museum's quick response and for taking the time to look into such an opportunity. 

I will give another update as soon as the museum has completed their assessment.

GenesisFan99 posted:

Update on the Parlour Cars- four are currently stored in Amtrak's 7th St. Yard, Los Angeles as of 2/12/18. It is unknown where the fifth car is, but it may be in the Seattle coach yard unless sold or scrapped. Had it been sent to Beech Grove, (or moved anywhere for that matter) I think someone would have noticed and caught it in transit. 

It's now official. The Orange Empire Railway Museum is currently assessing the feasibility of acquiring one of the cars. I am hopeful that they are able to create their very own "Mini Cap", just like their UP "City of Perris" which consisted of their UP E8AM, UP Pullman Std 6/6/4 Sleeper "National Scene", and a ragtag collection of modernized heavyweights. Essentially they were going for a mini UP "City" train. 

I think I can safely say seeing an FP45 pulling any number of actual Hi-Levels for the first time since the early 1970s is a dream of many Santa Fe fans. 

There are no guarantees though, but no matter what I will remain thankful for the museum's quick response and for taking the time to look into such an opportunity. 

I will give another update as soon as the museum has completed their assessment.

Thank goodness for the Perris OERM.  At least some history will be preserved if all goes well.

I know, though, that I will really, really miss the Parlour Cars on the Coast Starlight.  Such a loss.  

Update on the Parlour Cars- The Orange Empire Railway Museum has requested a car from Amtrak and awaits a reply.

GenesisFan99 posted:

Update on the Parlour Cars- The Orange Empire Railway Museum has requested a car from Amtrak and awaits a reply.

THANKS for the information!   

Keeping fingers crossed ....  

Here is my purchase from my last ride in the Parlor Car this past summer. The bar tender said she had permission to sell them. Now I now why.

clem k posted:

Here is my purchase from my last ride in the Parlor Car this past summer. The bar tender said she had permission to sell them. Now I now why.

That's really cool you managed to get those mugs! A way to remember when the Coast Starlight still had its trademark Superior Service. Rumors indicate that Sightseer Lounge rebuilds may be put in place, but as of right now this doesn't seem to be 100% likely.

Good purchase. Great looking mugs.

645 posted:

Just got this notification thru a midwestern railroad based Facebook page:

February 15, 2018

 

The final Coast Starlight parlor cars are leaving Los Angeles today, deadheading on train #4 before heading to Beech Grove via Chicago. Good luck to anyone who goes out to catch these when they get in the area!

 

 

Thank you for the info. That's not a good sign. All we can do now is hope that Amtrak responds favorably to the idea of saving one, so that a Southern California car can stay in Southern California.

Location update!!!

Two of the cars are now in the yard here in Chicago. I took these pics from a Metra car on my commute today. 

bigtruckpete posted:

Location update!!!

Two of the cars are now in the yard here in Chicago. I took these pics from a Metra car on my commute today. 

 

Great catch! All 4 remaining cars are headed to Beech Grove.

Too bad SF did not have High Level sleepers.  But I guess there were enough low level sleepers for service.

Dominic Mazoch posted:

Too bad SF did not have High Level sleepers.  But I guess there were enough low level sleepers for service.

That and the cars were originally created for the El Capitan which was just a coach train.

GenesisFan99 posted:

Dominic Mazoch posted:

Too bad SF did not have High Level sleepers.  But I guess there were enough low level sleepers for service.

That and the cars were originally created for the El Capitan which was just a coach train.

Just?  I thought the El Cap was for a while was extra fare, even for coach!

Dominic Mazoch posted:

GenesisFan99 posted:

Dominic Mazoch posted:

Too bad SF did not have High Level sleepers.  But I guess there were enough low level sleepers for service.

That and the cars were originally created for the El Capitan which was just a coach train.

Just?  I thought the El Cap was for a while was extra fare, even for coach!

It was, it also ran on a fast schedule.

El Capitan

Schedule

Rusty

GenesisFan99 posted:

clem k posted:

Here is my purchase from my last ride in the Parlor Car this past summer. The bar tender said she had permission to sell them. Now I now why.

That's really cool you managed to get those mugs! A way to remember when the Coast Starlight still had its trademark Superior Service. Rumors indicate that Sightseer Lounge rebuilds may be put in place, but as of right now this doesn't seem to be 100% likely.

Looking for a Unicorn (Holy Grail) O-gauge 3 rail. Anyone ever seen this creature?  Bob

Killerbob9 posted:

Looking for a Unicorn (Holy Grail) O-gauge 3 rail. Anyone ever seen this creature?  Bob

I'm looking for one of these as well. You're better off asking on the Wanted to Buy section of the forum.

Yeah, I have 2 of them. Neither of which I’m going to let go at this point.

In all honesty, I don't blame you one bit :-)

I don't blame you either. Super hard to find these days, and even though Scott could probably do another successful run, he doesn't plan to. It's a real shame, I wish there was another way to create a 21" pre 2018 Coast Starlight. The Union Station Products kit is hard to work with for amateurs like me, no option to model the roof and no option to model a correct car end (including HEP cables and correct diaphragm).

Thanks for the suggestion genesis99. I posted in the section you recommended. Hopefully one day enough folks will want to remember these wonderful cars and someone will produce them. Guaranteed hot seller !

Funny thing about the engines on the day I rode. Front engine was Genesis #113, and the second was a dash 8 #505, coupled back to back, as opposed to elephant style.

Rusty Traque posted:

Dominic Mazoch posted:

GenesisFan99 posted:

Dominic Mazoch posted:

Too bad SF did not have High Level sleepers.  But I guess there were enough low level sleepers for service.

That and the cars were originally created for the El Capitan which was just a coach train.

Just?  I thought the El Cap was for a while was extra fare, even for coach!

It was, it also ran on a fast schedule.

El Capitan

Schedule

Rusty

The WB sked of Amtrak 3, SW LTD., was about an hour later than the one the SC/EL CAP had.

The last order of Budd coaches had, from what I have read in an article of THE WARBONNET, convertable step downs.  The could hold 72 as a regular Hi Level car, but down to 68 in step down configuration.  That way the SF had flexibility.  They could be in mixed service on the TX and SF CHIEFS, or the SC/EL CAP.  Plus it gave the SF some spare cars.

I rode round trip from LA to Chicago and back on the El Capitan in the summer of 1962 on a Boy Scout trip.  I rode in the parlor car for much of the trip.  Although the coaches had large reclining seats, I found it hard to sleep in the coaches.  I spent much of the night in the parlor cars.  I hope that one or two of them are saved.

NH Joe

Think I might have found my unicorn. I will know hopefully by Wednesday night. Small shop out in California that deals in NOS items offered it in an El Cap 8 car set, so I jumped on it.