Nostalgia & History > Showtime on wheels!

Here’s a shot of future BNSF car #32, the William Barstow Strong. In 1978 it was merely AT&SF car #89, known more familiarly as that ‘track inspection car’ or simply the theater car, because of the tiered seating at the rear of the car. Several people can sit back there in comfort at passenger train speeds and see where they’ve been. Sort of a strange kind of movie running backwards! I suppose a trackside railfan photographer (like me) receding into the background would provide the occasional cartoon relief to the ‘feature presentation’ of endless, well-groomed main line right-of-way.

One year & one month month after I shot this slide I would catch a suit & tie job off the Santa Fe brakeman’s extra board. I was called for duty as a passenger brakeman (flagman) on what I would later learn was a Banker’s Special that Santa Fe ran. It was the one and only time I ever set foot inside the inspection car. And Uncle John paid me for the occasion! (Check this out: http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?18,2873960,2873960#msg-2873960 )

1. AT&SF 89 brings up the rear end of a short & very sweet train 194 N-1. This Chicago ~ Denver hotshot has just passed the vertical signboard indicating conversion from Eastern Division 2nd District into Middle Division 1st District mainline trackage. This 194 will run… check that: this 194 will RACE over to Newton with an assortment of Santa Fe officials watching the show.
Photo date & location: August 14, 1978 @ Merrick (Emporia), KS.

Popcorn, anyone?
Lance Garrels
santafe199



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 10/13/22 20:55 by santafe199.

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Nice catch.
JB

Looks like attendance for this "showing" is pretty slim.....

Earlk Wrote: > ... attendance for this "showing" is pretty slim ...
Yup. But we've seen shots of this car with standing room only back there. The 194 always ran through Emporia mid-morning or later. I imagine whomever is on this train is off having a spot o' lunch...

Lance/199

I'd love to have that baby for a few hours on a push-pull train.  Imagine riding in push mode up the Hudson, or down the Coast Line, with that car leading.  Best ride ever!

Probably not so great at grade crossings, though.

march_hare Wrote: > ... a few hours on a push-pull train ...
That  raises some interesting speculation. I can't recall ever seeing or hearing about this car being used in "forward motion" like that. Has anyone heard of such an event?

Lance/199

I've ridden on that car and also had dinner on there at Galesburg one time.  Rode it from Topeka to KC when we were coming back from Topeka RR days.
Neat car.

santafe199 Wrote:
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> I suppose a trackside railfan
> photographer (like me) receding into the
> background would provide the occasional cartoon
> relief to the ‘feature presentation’ of
> endless, well-groomed main line right-of-way.

The real entertainment would start when the "well-groomed" on the right-of-way suddenly was "not well-groomed"!:-)

I also rode in it at one of the Topeka RR days. As for leading with the big window you will notice a housing at top for a rollup door. I have ridden in Glacier View and the two UP theater cars with the window leading and they always roll down the door to protect the VERY expensive piece of glass.
Steve

Frisco1522 Wrote:
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> I've ridden on that car and also had dinner on
> there at Galesburg one time.  Rode it from Topeka
> to KC when we were coming back from Topeka RR
> days.
> Neat car.

One thing nobody mentions about these theater cars is that they are down right dangerous.   Every bit of protection from telescoping is removed to make the big window possible.    The collision posts and all of the safety structure is gone.  Some have attempted to beef up the corners and top, but in a collision, it won't acount for much when something decides its going to join you for dinner.   It is a tube with a lense on the end.   In the event of a rear end collision, the first bit of structure to stop something from running completely through it is at the other end of the car.  Granted, the glass is FRA1 glazing, but it won't stop an SD40-2.   Don't say it can't happen - we were rear ended with the Idaho on one trip.   Fortunatety, it was under 10mph and other than throwing everything around, there was no damage.   Why are they allowed to exist ?   Because they are railroad owned and not for public use.   It's a really thin line when these are used on excursions.   Unless something has changed, as a PV, Amtrak won't touch one of these with a 10 foot pole.    The railroads get by because they are host roads to Amtrak and can pretty much do as they please.   Cute as they are, they are a disaster waiting to happen.

EmpireBuilder Wrote:
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> One thing nobody mentions about these theater cars
> is that they are down right dangerous.   Every
> bit of protection from telescoping is removed to
> make the big window possible.    The collision
> posts and all of the safety structure is
> gone.  Some have attempted to beef up the
> corners and top, but in a collision, it won't
> acount for much when something decides its going
> to join you for dinner.   It is a tube with a
> lense on the end.   In the event of a rear end
> collision, the first bit of structure to stop
> something from running completely through it is
> at the other end of the car.  Granted, the glass
> is FRA1 glazing, but it won't stop an SD40-2. 
>  Don't say it can't happen - we were rear ended
> with the Idaho on one trip.   Fortunatety, it
> was under 10mph and other than throwing everything
> around, there was no damage.   Why are they
> allowed to exist ?   Because they are railroad
> owned and not for public use.   It's a really
> thin line when these are used on
> excursions.   Unless something has changed, as
> a PV, Amtrak won't touch one of these with a 10
> foot pole.    The railroads get by because they
> are host roads to Amtrak and can pretty much do as
> they please.   Cute as they are, they are a
> disaster waiting to happen.

True enough.  However, since they almost always operate as the last car 
on a train, the telescoping would be a problem only if the train were rear ended, and
if the car was occupied, those in the car would have some warning of the 
impending disaster.  

Nick Tharalson,
Marion, IA