Western Railroad Discussion > BNSF Business Train on the Scenic Sub, Yesterday 7/24

Auburn_Ed had reported on this 7-car business train passing through Auburn yesterday afternoon just after 2 PM.  Like Ed, I didn't know it was coming, but I was already trackside along the Seattle Waterfront when it made its appearance at 2:56 PM.  The consist was:

1) 2:57 PM: business car #8 John S. Reed.  Built by Pullman-Standard in 1949 in Lot #6835 to Plan #7611 as the Laurel Ridge for the U.S. Steel Corporation, sold in 1962 to the Santa Fe as the #5004 Mountainair, later renumbered to #53 (2nd), to BNSF #8 John S. Reed (#800567).

2) 2:57 PM: lounge-sleeper #60 Stevens Pass.  You wouldn't guess so from the picture, but it was built by Pullman in 1929 as the heavyweight barber shop-buffet solarium lounge observation David C. Shepard for the then-new Empire Builder in Lot #6249 to Plan #3990.  It was sold to the GN in 1941 as #1073 (1st), and was streamlined/rebuilt in 1954 as buffet lounge parlor #1085 (2nd) for assignment to the Seattle-Portland pool trains.  It later became instruction car #X-7853, then to BN as #B2, was later renumbered to #B12, renumbered again to #A11 and named Deschutes River, then to BNSF as Deschutes River, now #60 Stevens Pass (#800266).

3) 2:58 PM: sleeper #64 Marias Pass.  Built by American Car & Foundry in 1950 in Lot #3358 to Pullman Plan #9011 as Santa Fe 4 double bedroom-4 compartment-2 drawing room (4DB-4C-2DR) sleeper #1820 Regal Hunt.  AT&SF ordered Regal-series 4-4-2 sleepers from both AC&F and P-S, and 6 of the AC&F-built cars were retained in 1971 instead of being sold to either Amtrak or the Auto-Train Corporation (all of the other Regal-series cars were sold to these 2 companies, excluding 5 of the P-S-built cars which had been retired in 1969 and sold to scrap dealers).  Anyways, all 6 of the retained cars are still in the BNSF fleet: 5 carry Pass-series names and the #1810/#63 Regal Crest is now geometry support car #81 (#800724).  Santa Fe had placed these 6 cars in the #63-#68 number range, and the 5 Pass-series cars still carry these numbers (the #64 Marias Pass is also #800661).

Continued...



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/25/16 04:32 by Rainier_Rails.

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Next 3:

4) 2:58 PM: sleeper #65 Raton Pass.  Another one of the AC&F-built former Regal-series 4-4-2 cars, in this case the #1823 Regal Lane (it is also #800662).

5) 2:58 PM: power-dormitory #50 Stampede Pass.  Despite the Pass-series name, this car is not a former Regal-series car, however, it was built as a sleeper.  Specifically, it was built by P-S in 1950 in Lot #6874 to Plan #4140C as NP 10 roomette-6 double bedroom (10RM-6DB) sleeper #364, 1 of only 2 10-6 sleepers on the NP roster, both of which were built in that Lot for assignment as pool sleepers for Southern Pacific's Pullman Cascade train (these 2 cars were ordered to fill out the sleeper connection for the Cascade over the GN/NP between Portland and Seattle).  The #364 was retained by BN in 1971 and became dormitory #A23 Stampede Pass and was later rebuilt to the current power-dormitory configuration (it is also #800264).

6) 2:58 PM: diner-lounge #28 Mountain View.  It was built by AC&F in 1950 in Lot #3444 as GN 60 seat "short distance" chair #1209.  There were 6 such chairs (#1209-#1214) built in that Lot, with #1210-#1214 assigned to the Mid-Century Empire Builder and the #1209 serving as a "protection car" for both the Mid-Century Builder and the 1951 Western Star.  It was intended to become BN #6012, but this number was not applied, and having not been selected for sale to Amtrak, it was stored in 1971.  In 1977, it was rebuilt as BN diner-lounge #A10 Como, with 16 dining seats and 36 lounge seats (it is also #800158).

Continued...



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/25/16 04:32 by Rainier_Rails.

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Last 3:

7) 2:58 PM: business car #62 Snoqualmie Pass.  It was built by P-S in August 1957 in Lot #W6990 to Plan #W52770 for the Soo Line as an incomplete shell (it had been ordered in January 1957).  The car was completed in the Soo's shops in June 1958 as the Minneapolis, and it was sold in 1966 to the GN as the #A2 (3rd) (no name).  It became BN #A2 Columbia River in 1972 and went to BNSF as #2 Columbia River.  It was later renumbered/renamed #62 Snoqualmie Pass (it is also #800291).

Two bonus photos:

8) 3:49 PM: on my way to the Waterfront, I had noticed in the UP's power staging area a lone CSX interloper, and decided on the way back to pull onto the side street to get a shot.  ES44AH #888 is amidst a sea of Armour Yellow, which included:

9) 3:50 PM: ES44AH-T4CU* #2530.

*Tier 4 Credit Unit.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/25/16 04:32 by Rainier_Rails.

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THANK YOU, for the photos and especially for the detailed histories of these cars!

YES! We see too many "wedge" shots of the power and the cars are ignored! Thanks again!

Bill Deaver
Tehachapi, CA

I find the choice of cars to rebuild by BNSF to be interesting.  Regal series ACF: are they corten steel?   NP P-S 106 car must have also been corten steel?   Therefore the rebuilding would have had to enormously extensive and expensive.   One would think they would pick Budd stainless steel cars.

MEKoch Wrote:
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> I find the choice of cars to rebuild by BNSF to be interesting.
> Regal series ACF: are they corten steel?
> NP P-S 106 car must have also been corten steel?
> Therefore the rebuilding would have had to enormously extensive and expensive.
> One would think they would pick Budd stainless steel cars.

I recall that the Santa Fe had a number of their cars that were originally built with stainless-fluting-over-corten-sides rebuilt to stainless-fluting-over-stainless-sides, which would explain why these cars remain in active use after so many years.  Whether or not said corten-replaced-by-stainless work was some/all done at Topeka, or if some/all of it was done by Pullman at Calumet (Chicago) prior to them folding, I'm not certain.

Regarding the nee-NP car, it's one of many in the BNSF fleet that originally did not have fluting; that is a much more recent addition.  But yes, it was more than likely originally built with corten sides.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/25/16 21:38 by Rainier_Rails.