Your all time favorite passenger car (s)!

From the present 611 excursions, the Seaboard Sun Lounge:

Ken

Without a doubt

I know there are a LOT of better fancier passenger cars out there, but my current favorite is Mid America's Bryce Canyon.  An EXCELLENT super comfortable excursion car with nice bathrooms too!  I wish the FWRHS could procure it's services for ALL of their excursions.  I thought it was more comfortble and better for watching the world go by than the firrst class excursion cars I was in.

Anyone remember Peter Tilp's "Lotos Club" from Adams Industries in Union N.J....and later moved to Strasburg?   A really terrific heavyweight car with eight big sections, two commodious lounges for the men and women. A fantastic kitchen in true Pullman style, and the solarium lounge with tables for eating and big chairs for kicking back and watching the scenes roll by.  With this level of self containment, no wonder Mr. Tilp  went for this car...and did a top notch job restoring it.  In that vain,  I'd love to put a really full blown interior into my GGD Pullman 8-1-2 car....provided I could ever find the parts.  Probably have to scratch build about 95% of it!   I'm currently converting a Bachmann HO late model 10-1-2 Pullman into a diner / lounge for the Travel-lux portion of the Walther's GN Empire Builder.   Passenger cars in any scale are just too addicting !

As for that Milwaukee Tavern lounge up above....in 1960 my Dad and I went to Three Forks, Mt. in the last year of the Hiawatha Olympian. They had a seven double BR version of the above car on that train....and we got one of the BRs !    Oh joy !   The HI-OLY was one terrific piece of chooch....Lil Joe and all !

To me, the Daylight Southern Pacific  passenger cars were the most appealing.

The only train I got to ride was NP in 1962, it was so cold the cars systems froze and we were having to buy drinks at the stops, 2 days of cold make some memories frozen in my head.

I never knew there was a skytop until years later, that would be fun to ride if I could make the trip when it ran.

Mine is the three foot gauge Pagosa Junction combine caboose that once ran on

the Rio Grande between Alamosa and Durango in southern Colorado.

I still like this humble little dude:

Rusty

PRR Yellow Kid train or the last passenger car that I built.

The Sky Tops would later end up on the CN, where I renewed the acquaintance in 1969, up in Jasper. Our overnight run included one of these on the rear end. As for the Beach car, I like what they did with the rear bulkhead....sort of reminds me of the back end of a '38 Century diner!

Speaking towards general types:  when I visited Steamtown for the first time I fell in love with the mail car they had there.  I had never seen the inside of one before.  but to speak to a car that actually carried passengers, the business car they had there was also awesome.  It was cool to imagine travelling with everything self contained on your own private car: lounge, galley, dining room, sleeping berths.

So mail cars and business cars

My favorite and always will be is a ride in a short dome, the best train view ever.

Ed

Rusty:  Is that Burlington combine a 40-footer?  Better than some of the really short

SP RPO's....

As I recall, it was about 47' long.

Rusty

I'll have to say one of the California Zephyr dome observations that I had the pleasure to ride, albeit under Amtrak's ownership, on the then "San Francisco Zephyr" in 1976.

For those who like the business cars and that environment....I'd suggest the Royal Canadian Pacific.  A solid train of Business cars, plus a few other deluxe types.  Back in '03, Rohn and I got fixed up with Nancy Mosayani at R.C.P.   Took  their Hyper De-Luxe Limited from Calgary to St. Paul.  We stayed in a 7 Master Room Heavyweight, rebuilt from a Parlor car. Whadda ride - with open railing Obs car, and food to die for!  A person could do a lot worse !

I'm will Gilly on this one. Don

The Milwaukee Road built some beautiful and unique cars.

Art

My second fav is the California Zephyr Dome car. We had a chance to ride in three private original CZs a few years ago. Great food and wine with wonderful view. Here's a little video I shot. Don

My Walther's Oscar. Kudos to Walter for making one in O gauge.

Pete

  I just watched an old passenger car movie on youtube "Sleepers west" 1941 .  Has some neat cab shots of a steam loco running (along with a simulated grade crossing crash) and some interesting interior and operating shots of pullman cars......DaveB 

Pikers and Oscars are totally kool beyond all belief !  My first Piker was done in High School....a billion years ago.  Air conditioned, with full duct work, she was the most massive passenger car I owned - more than any real, full sized car .  I'll bet a real one would have a ride you'd never forget !

This is a Atlas Passenger Car.......

That I would like to paint it to look like this..........

   • Gary • Click photo to enlarge

Without a doubt "Southern Pacific Daylight" trains #98 and #99 passenger cars circa 1938. 

Without a doubt.....1950 Budd Sunset Limited....with killer 10-6 blunt end, non-observation car!  French quarter lounge - FTW !