Nostalgia & History > Former GN Observation Car Badly Damaged in Fire

The former Great Northern observation-parlor-lounge 1195, Port of Seattle, was badly damaged in a fire, Friday, November 11, that gutted an abandoned furniture factory complex in Aspers, Pa. Aspers is between Gettysburg and Carlisle in Adams County, Pa. The car had been stored adjacent to the factory buildings for some time.

I could not get close enough to the car to see the full extent of the damage, but it was evident from a distance that the windows were gone and there was extensive smoke damage above each window opening on the letterboard and roof of the car.

Here's a link to more information about the car. It is owned by the Minnesota Transportation Museum, awaiting funds to bring it to St. Paul.

http://www.mtmuseum.org/jsr/roster/gn1195.html

I'm trying to find out more about the damage.

MTMEngineer Wrote:
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> Here's a link to more information about the car.
> It is owned by the Minnesota Transportation
> Museum, awaiting funds to bring it to St. Paul.
>
> http://www.mtmuseum.org/jsr/roster/gn1195.html
>
> I'm trying to find out more about the damage.
>


I'm sorry that I could not get closer to the car. The entire area surrounding the fire site is taped off for security purposes, and encompasses several buildings, all of which were gutted. The fire was front page news in this morning's Gettysburg Times, in a story that reported that many companies and more than 100 firefighters responded. From a distance of about 100 yards, the damage to the car appeared extensive. The area above each window is blackened, so I assume that the interior of the car burned, and the blackened areas above the windows are smoke or flame damage.

This car was "assigned" to the Amtak trains # 302-303 in late '72 and most of '73 betwwen Chicago and St. Louis. Saw it many times-it looked great to my memory in fresh paint! Sad to hear of its damage. Keith Turley

What is truly sad and ironic about this is one of her sister observation cars sits not 30 miles away.

http://www.stnicholasmountain.com/

In the interest of the owner of the St. Nicholas Mountain, I will not divulge the location though some of you may know its whereabouts anyway. Hopefully the damage is not severe to the point of scrapping for the Port of Seattle. Awaiting the photos.

according to Eric Hopp, the windows are all melted out on the right side, the interior is 75% burned up, and the side panels are badly warpped and wavy. Not good news for a car that was ready to go.

MTMEngineer Wrote:
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> according to Eric Hopp, the windows are all melted
> out on the right side, the interior is 75% burned
> up, and the side panels are badly warpped and
> wavy. Not good news for a car that was ready to
> go.


Sounds like she might be scrap and parting out material now. That is really too bad.