Passenger Trains > Photos of diner 38034 destroyed in fire, Oakland, CA

As per Highspeed's earlier post, here are some pics of fire ravaged diner 38034 the morning after the blaze which allegedly started after the Sara Lee Coffeemaker shorted out.
As posted earlier, the diner is a total loss and workers said that it "looked like a bomb went off" inside the car. Thankfully, no one was injured or killed in the blaze.

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Scrap :-( Or will sit in Beech Grove for the next 30 years.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/04/10 13:59 by ats90mph.

Looks like three cars being worked on. The next one down the line looks like it had a window knocked out and has some smoke damage above the window, consistent with venting the car.

Think they'll fix it or do what ATS90 posted!

Thanks for the photos Mark, Mr. Radum said the FD cut holes in the roof too, the other cars behind it I assume are from the smoke and water damage also?

A little duct tape, and it's good to go.

I would think it would be rebuild-able, though it will take quite some time.

Fhat 'ill buff right out !

Beech Grove will fix it as they work magic on cars.

Chris

That's a true statement. If Amtrak wants this car fixed, BG can do it. They've rebuilt cars more heavily damaged than this.

Mudrock Wrote:
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> Beech Grove will fix it as they work magic on
> cars.
>
> Chris

Thanks for the photos. When I read the initial post, I thought it was a heritage diner from the Western Pacific days (didn't look carefully at the car number). I'm not that familiar with Beech Grove, but in the old days, Pacific Electric's Torrance Shops, and San Francisco Muni's (ex Market St.) Elkton shops could take cars that appeared to be "totaled" and have them back in service in a few months.

I guess for that dining car: The toast is toast.

My guess is that if it's possible to do so, it will be repaired and put back into service. Amtrak simply can't afford to let a diner go to scrap.

Personally, I was very saddened to hear of the loss of a valuable dining car. Initially, I thought it was a low level diner but it is even more sad to know that it was a hi-level car. I hope it can be restored but, from what I've read, it is a total loss.

I can't imagine that an overheated coffee pot could cause such a fire but what difference does it make? A loss is a loss.

There might not be enough structural strength remaining in the car for it to be safe in case of a crash.

Superliners do not have a conventional center sill that takes the buff loading. For their buff strength they are dependent upon steel truss members in the carbody sides. If the strength of that structural steel is compromised by a hot fire inside, the car is significantly weakened. The only way to fix this is to completely rebuild the sides of the car, and not even Beech Grove does that.

It all depends on how hot the fire got, and for how long.

It was nearly 80 years ago that Henry Huntington's private car "Alabama", having been sold to the Sacramento Northern, came to a fiery end due to an electrical fire attributed in some stories to a coffee maker in the galley. This happened near Dozier, a few miles north of today's Western Railway Museum.

We have seen warped stainless skin outside get fixed, but there is no telling what really went on under the surface with the sstructure.

chakk Wrote:
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> I guess for that dining car: The toast is toast.

Not a bad pun, but the reality is that Amtrak no longer offers toast on its menus -- just biscuits or croissants. The diners are stocked with sliced bread but only for use with lunch sandwich entrees.

You mean I'd have to order a sandwich just to get toast? Sounds like something out of a movie...

davew833 Wrote:
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> You mean I'd have to order a sandwich just to get
> toast? Sounds like something out of a movie...


Do they have a 'chicken salad sandwich' on the menu?
Yep, Jack Nicholson, Five Easy Pieces.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/05/10 13:45 by TCnR.