Nostalgia & History > What happened to "Nautilus"?

Back when I worked for the Santa Fe at the LA Radio Shop in 1969, a modified baggage car named "Nautilus" showed up a LA Union Station. It belonged to the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago and had special tanks for bringing salt-water fish and other denizens of the deep back to Chi-Town. The Santa Fe trainmen who switched it around the station called it "The Sardine Can". I was under the impression that it had gone to the Illinois Ry. Museum, but it doesn't show up on their equipment list. Does it still exist?

It is at the Monticello Railway Museum since 1974.

That's hilarious!

Must be the Prototype for The Lionel Car for Hauling Live Fish........LOL

Though not a railcar, the Monterey Bay Aquarium has the "Tuna-bago", a truck with a 3000 gallon tank on it to haul large fish, most notably their catches of great white sharks several years ago. The sharks were caught in southern California waters and trucked up to the MBA.
C.

Carol Voss
Bakersfield, CA

There were several fish cars - and fish commission cars. There's a whole subset of official cars - mining commissions, universities, fish, game, chapel, etc.

The Wisconsin car had tanks and was used to stock lakes and rivers. Again, not uncommon. There was also a Nautilus II.

The 2nd Nautilus:
http://rr-fallenflags.org/steamtown/jgsa-naut-adc.jpg

As long as we are on the topic, the late John Shedd Reed, head of the Santa Fe, was heavily involved in the Shedd Aquarium, serving as its president for ten years. It's named for his grandfather who founded it.

Thanks for all the followup info. I knew I'd catch the fish [car] story here at TO.