Railroaders' Nostalgia > So that's how it happened.....

“Car 93”
 
Sometimes, while riding on my private railroad car “TIOGA PASS”, I muse about how I came to own and operate my very own private railroad car.  Now I could have plowed my money into hot automobiles, fast women,  or perhaps even yachts…..but what was it that sent me down this track?
 
I suppose it all started when I hung around the railroad station in my hometown of Mesa, Arizona, after school.  What a fascinating business!  Some, but not all of the folks working in the very busy station were friendly, and took the time to teach and show me some of the inner workings of this railroad business.  I was hooked!
 
Before long, the local trainmaster, a gruff old fellow, asked me if I wanted a job on the railroad.  Did I!  May 13, 1960 was my first day as a real authentic railroad brakeman.  After a few years, I found myself working in Los Angeles, and occasionally I even wore my 16 ounce blue serge passenger uniform and worked on passenger trains.  Wow!  I thought my life was complete, but then, February 22, 1967,   on the rear of the Sunset Limited, was a private car “Cyrus K. Holliday”, and I was the rear brakeman, or flagman.
Now I had heard of private cars, and even seen a few, but this was close up, and the car owner was kind enough to show me thru and tell me about it.  Hook, line and sinker, I was gone!
 
Also decorating the rear end of the train, just ahead of the PV, were three Rock Island coaches, which had obvious seen better days.  They were being deadheaded back to the Rock Island after the discontinuance of the SP-RI Golden State a week or so earlier.  The owner of the private car was eyeballing some of the brass fittings in these three RI coaches such as towel racks in the rest rooms.  I did enjoy a lovely evening luncheon in the coach, with his complements,  despite the metal rending noises coming from the rest rooms.  Someday, I must look at that private car and see if I recognize anything….
 
After a 30 year career with SP and Santa Fe,  I left the rail industry and opened a Mail Boxes Etc. store in Barstow, California.  You can take the boy away from the railroad,  but you can’t take the railroad out of the boy so my interest in the rail industry and especially private cars continued.  And then, lo and behold, one day a fellow entered my store and asked if I could help him ship a railroad car from Canada to the USA.  It seems that this man, named Rutherford P. Hayes, (Rudy),   was born the son of a coal miner in West Virginia, but he didn’t want to work so hard and die so young as coal miners often do.  He ended up working for the railroad in Barstow as a machinist on the night shift.  Before long, he had a second job working in a filling station.  In just a few months, he owned the gas station. Soon he had built up a chain of gas stations, and was also acquiring real estate and other business, but all his life he had wanted a private railroad car.  At long last, he found one, in Edmonton, Alberta. 
 
This car, unnamed, but numbered 93, was being sold by Canadian National as one of  12 of their 1959 built streamlined business cars.  There were apparently 12 of these cars, scattered across Canada, and CN was selling most of them.   Rudy seized the opportunity, buying the car sight unseen, based on the photographs sent to him by CN.
That’s when I met Rudy, because he had to get his dream railroad car from frozen Northern Canada to sunny Southern California.  He hired me to do just that.
 
I quickly learned that the car was not Amtrak compatible, so it would have to make its way to Barstow in freight service.  CN agreed to move it to Vancouver, B.C. and deliver it to BN.  who would move it to Klamath Falls, Oregon ,  and they would allow the car to be escorted.  SP moved the car from K Falls to Stockton and delivered it to Santa Fe for the rest of its trip to Barstow.   The car was delivered to a spur track on the East side of Barstow’s famed “Harvey House” on January 13, 1993.
 
On March 1, 1993, Rudy, as he did every evening, went out for coffee with his closest friend.  He sat in the same booth in the same restaurant every night, but on this evening, Rudy sipped his coffee and died of a heart attack.
 
For four years following Rudy’s passing, I tended to the car and watched it to prevent vandalism and damage, but the location was not the best.  The vandals and homeless slowly were taking their toll, and poor car 93 began to look a bit down in the tooth.  Finally, the family agreed to sell the car to me in 1997.
 
After several years of planning and acquiring the parts needed, we began the rebuilding process in 2001.  A complete truck rebuild was done including some new wheels and rebuilding and heat-treating two equalizers.  HEP (480 volt) , MU and Communication cabling was installed, a new generator replaced the far to small diesel generator, and the entire car interior was converted to an AC electrical system.   Nearing the completion of the rebuild, the sign painter was applying the required lettering.  He asked what name we preferred.  I thought of Tioga Pass, the 9900 foot elevation pass thru Yosemite, the most beautiful place in California, and that’s where the name came from.
 
Amtrak finally approved the changes to the car and we operated our first trip from Barstow to St. Louis, to the RPCA meeting in January 2005.  Since then, the car has moved over 315,000 miles in 37 states and 6 Canadian provinces, in both passenger (Amtrak) and freight service.
 
Later improvements to the car include a hot water heat system, complete paneling of the car in oak and maple, new carpeting, a waste retention system, new furnishings, a complete frame up rebuilding of the platform and deck with stainless steel, and a seven-coat paint job in urethane enamel, and complete freeze protection inside and out, to minus 50 F.
 
 
TIOGA PASS resides in Los Angeles and averages about two to four trips a month.
Some folks ask why I always capitalize my car’s name.  Since I have so much of my assets in this car, it seems the least I can do!
 
Growing up in Arizona in very modest circumstances, I really never expected to own a railroad car.  As I travel on and enjoy that very railcar, I realize how fortunate I have been.  I welcome others to enjoy it with me.
 
Norm Orfall
10-20-15
 
 

Norman Orfall
Helendale, CA
TIOGA PASS, a private railcar

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Just do it!

Bob Wilcox
Charlottesville, VA
My Flickr Shots

That is a GREAT story Norm.
TAH

Nice story and I love the color scheme.

Norm -- My downfall was Fast Women and Slow Horses...

Bob Drenk



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 10/20/15 14:21 by RD10747.

And a gem it has become just in the short time I've been around it. Good job.

Mike "LIKE".

RailNet802, out

Thanks for filling us in. Its always a pleasure to see you post on TO.

Nudge

 It IS a very nice riding car also, Norm. Kathy tells all of her friends about the Tioga Pass, as she ridden twice on her now.

Virlon

SLOCONDR

Nice story Norm and I know it was sad that Rudy passed away like that! BTW I've waved at you guys when the car's on the rear of no. 3 in Flagstaff, might ask someday how much a trip costs so I can ride in it someday!

Posted from Android

Great to read the story behind your TIOGA PASS. I've enjoyed all my trips on the car and look forward to many more.

Thanks again to you and your lovely wife for the personal tour when were stopped on the way to Santa Barbara this year.  It was a real treat to see your car and all the hard work (and money)  that went into the restoration.  Not many people have the inclination and patience to complete something like this.  Have fun.

Norm:

As one of those fortunate foamers who have had the pleasure of riding TIOGA PASS with you and some of your memorable regular customers (regards to Ernie!), I greatly appreciate having your story in print.  Now at my leisure I can pour a glass of Kentucky cough medicine, pull up one of many colorful TIOGA PASS screen-saver photos, and read that story, the next best thing to hearing you tell it from your easy chair in the parlor of your fine PV.

Mike Warfel
Renton, WA

Norm,

Great story!  The GOLDEN STATE came off in 1968 but who cares?  Was this the same CYRUS HOLLIDAY that lives in San Diego?

IIRC, Norm first told this story to me when we were driving down to Fullerton together so I could photograph the Airslie inside and out for the "for sale" post that ultimately sold the car. Even though it was tragic for Rudy, it's a great story and I always enjoy hearing/reading it. Norm has certainly made the most of the opportunity. TIOGA PASS is an outstanding car to ride and Norm is the consummate host.

Are we there yet?

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Yes, we are almost there...Can't you see we are slowing down?  It read 113 a few miles back.

Norm

Norman Orfall
Helendale, CA
TIOGA PASS, a private railcar

we look forward to our next rental of your car Norm!


john

Really enjoyed your story Norm. Also enjoyed your visit to Ritzville, WA and doing some railfanning with you. That's a beautuful car!


Larry

Just wondering if that speedometer shot was taken in '12, on the NEC, of course, on the fall colors trip....LA-Boston-LA?  I did see 113 MPH on that trip.  Very smooth ride too.  Norm runs the best kind of PV trips, always seems to be a railroaders' bus holiday, as opposed to the 5-star orientation of many other PV trips.  Domes are great, but there is something special about railroading from the back porch....weather permitting.  AA

Stanford White
Carmel Valley, CA

Stan I believe the 113 MPH mark was hit twice - once returning from the Great Grand Central trip of 2013 and once returning from the fall colors trip of 2012.
The NE corridor does ride like glass tho, even at high speed.  Hardly even sloshes the bourbon!

TIOGA PASS

Norman Orfall
Helendale, CA
TIOGA PASS, a private railcar