Eastern Railroad Discussion > RBBB Cars Being Scrapped Near Site of Former Headquarters

. . . and one of them caught fire in the process.

http://www.bradenton.com/news/local/article157678814.html



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/22/17 18:45 by CA_Sou_MA_Agent.

I thought all the pass cars were sold.

bobgfla Wrote:
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> I thought all the pass cars were sold.

Apparently not ALL. Sad. Hopefully trucks, brakes, and draft gear will be salvaged.

I was also told all the cars were bought by people and not any to be scrapped. Wow, I guess things change.

The car appears to have no under body equipment and no trucks nearby, but there were some beams/racks at the end. Perhaps a storage car or a car not made roadworthy??


Michael

CPR_4000 Wrote:
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> bobgfla Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I thought all the pass cars were sold.
>
> Apparently not ALL. Sad. Hopefully trucks, brakes,
> and draft gear will be salvaged.

Why, for what reason? I can understand the whole car but this stuff...

Good passenger car running gear is often hard to find. Probably a lot of otherwise good cars that have bad running gear that could use these. I'm assuming it wouldn't take much to make these Amtrak certified?

I would think with all the cars they had available that some wouldn't sell. It is my understanding they also had an inventory of other cars used for parts, not roadworthy for various reasons and on reserve for eventual restoration if necessary in the future.

No need for them now, and no need to store them, so to scrap they go. Its a business decision nothing more.

EL-SD45-3632 Wrote:
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>
> Why, for what reason? I can understand the whole
> car but this stuff...

These cars are basically 85-foot Winnebagos. They've been gutted and refitted with self contained residential "cabins" or apartments, if you will. Nothing like cruise train accommodations. As another poster said, their running gear could be used to re-fit more conventional PV's.

As pointed out previously, RBBB had unrestored cars stored at the shops for parts and possible eventual overhaul. Those cadavers are probably the first to go.

Don't think for a minute the RBBB folks don't know what the trucks and other appliances are worth, as they have had to buy plenty of them over the years. If they're worth anything they'll be saved and sold, not scrapped. Might be through a broker so it may not be evident RBBB is the seller.

Also almost all the equipment flats and animal cars are obsolete and near the 50-year interchange limit, so there is ZERO market for those cars intact.

NZ

It IS sad to see this happen, but that gives me an idea that perhaps some of us can work together on starting here on TO:

Now that we have the ability to crowdfund, would anyone like to join me in starting a permanent rail preservation fund? This would be a non-profit 501(c)(3) that would raise money from donors, invest it to earn passive returns, and use the money to buy rail equipment, buildings, track, and other materials for preservation. Now, the fund would not be a preservation organization, but it would purchase these items and then find homes for it: a local preservation group in the case of a station building, an interested museum in the case of a locomotive or railcar, or a library in the instance of old company files or stock certificates.

We could replenish the fund from the monies received from the non-profits that eventually "acquire" it from our fund and those proceeds would be completely reinvested in more preservation. We could further provide grants to organizations which already have equipment to fund restorations, excursions, and other improvements to their collections. And yes, in cases where good homes can't be immediately found, we could follow the example of the C&O HS and lease some of this equipment for commercial uses--which would again provide income for future preservation.

The overall benefit is that if done correctly, we won't see unique and historic equipment lost to the torch and we also can help preservation organizations manage their collections in a way that makes rail equipment something future generations can enjoy and not old rusted hulks that we all look at and wonder why it isn't running/restored/kept indoors.

It won't be easy, but I'm happy to help convene and organize this if there is any interest out there in the rail enthusiast and employee world.

Phil Bell
PhilBell4022

This was NOT one of the road-tour coaches; this was one of the STORAGE cars from way back -- I believe one of the old U.P. baggage cars they have stored there since the 1990s. Yes, all the ROAD-TOUR cars were sold and are NOT being scrapped. ("Whew!")