Passenger Trains > Crowdfunding the last Skytop sleeper

Crowdfunding is a leading-edge method of financing interesting projects, and Iowa Pacific has turned to Indiegogo to finance the completion of the last remaining Skytop sleeping car, Coffee Creek. The idea behind crowdfunding is to give people a reason to get involved in helping complete important projects by providing them with special perks for contributing small or large amounts. For Coffee Creek, the perks range from a beautiful Craig Thorpe print of our Pullman cars on the City of New Orleans all the way up to a Pacific Circle charter of the car from Chicago. We have bought and upgraded other cars through specific private contributions from individuals or small groups, but this is the first time we have used public crowdfunding as a source.

You may be thinking, "why doesn't Iowa Pacific just do it?" and the answer is it's just too far down on the priority list of capital investments this year for us to get it done. We just completed two yard tracks on the TNMR and business growth requires us to build two more. We got two E-8's into mainline service, upgraded the "Belleville" (former Silver Quail), rebuilt a bridge on the Mount Hood (partially funded by Oregon), and completed numerous other track and rolling stock upgrades that just took precedence over returning the Coffee Creek to service, including rescuing several locomotives and cars from being turned into razor blades.

So, this is an opportunity for those who love passenger trains to participate in returning one of the most interesting sleepers ever built to revenue service on Pullman Rail Journeys, including our regular route to New Orleans and charters to other destinations. In spite of postings to the contrary, I know there are many people on this board who like trains, who like historic passenger cars, and who like the idea of restoring the glamour of rail travel, and I hope you'll take a look at this link: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/historic-railroad-sleeping-car-restoration/x/8586743#home Please pass the link along to your friends.

Ed Ellis


PS: Why not paint it in original Milwaukee Road colors? Well, we are doing our best to run the Pullman service as a matched consist. When CN bought the cars from Milwaukee, they were repainted in CN colors. So, when we paint the Coffee Creek, it will match our Pullman train.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/19/14 16:36 by eee.

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Does Amtrak or FRA have any problem with no (emergency) exit out the rear end ?

I'm in (with the hope that at least a few who talk will act for once}.

All I imagine the car would need are some pop-out windows.

I like your artist's paint scheme! Kind of half IC & half Milw Rd. Come on all you fellow TO members. Let's do this for Ed and especially for The_Chief_Way, because he is the one that ultimately saved the car from an uncertain future in Canada. This is the car that should be on the Varsity this Fall!

"Crowdfunding ???"

I read this and started laughing so hard that I woke the entire house up.

Bob

bnsfbob Wrote:
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> "Crowdfunding ???"
>
> I read this and started laughing so hard that I
> woke the entire house up.
>
> Bob


Yeah, I laughed too as I reached for my wallet. How about Train Tithing! LOL!

Caveat Emptor

As always there may be skeptics but I think it's an innovative idea. Ed Ellis should talk with Preston Claytor about using this for 611 restoration. I agree the name 'Crowdfunding' makes me want to run the other way.

I'm in. This is a great way for us to help preserve and restore. I would have loved to go in at one of the higher levels but not this time.

Ed, one question I have is whether there is a way to do this that allows for tax deductible contributions. I belong to the Erie Lackawanna Dining Car Preservation Society, http://eldcps.org/ which was established as a 503(c) to preserve and restore one of the 2 surviving Lackawanna dining cars built by Budd for the Phoebe Snow. (I know that there were only 2 built).

In addition to purchasing and working on the restoration of both Phoebe Snow diners, the Society has also purchased and restored Nickel Plate 10-6 City of Lima ( a car that ran over the Lackawanna as a through car in the DL&W-NYC&STL through Hoboken-Chicago service), a surviving Erie diner lounge that made it to the E-L and a pair of NJ Transit commuter coaches. Hopefully if and when Metro North ever retires either or both of the 2 Budd built Tavern Lounge Observations that were also built for the Phoebe Snow, they can join the diners in Scranton

Ed:

Where did you find this car?

And, congrats on finding it.

I believe this car was once owned by John Arbuckle and I saw it in Mark Buccol's shop in East St. Louis several years ago.

We bought it from Taylor Johnson, who got from John and Mark.



Realist Wrote:
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> Ed:
>
> Where did you find this car?
>
> And, congrats on finding it.

Was this one of the cars that sunk with a barge? I remember seeing a photo of two of these cars half sunk in some body of water. My google skills seem to be failing me currently.

As for crowd funding: who cares if it gets out on the road that much faster. The alternative is it sits longer.

No, this car never went for a swim. Two sister cars that did are now "saved" and are in Minnesota now.