Passenger Trains > Amtrak "Beech Grove" Observation Car

What is the story behind the Beech Grove? Was it a wrecked chair car that had the end cut and modified? Has it ever been behind a full amfleet train? It almost looks like an open platform observation brought up to 1970 standards. Probably the only observation since the 1950's. Any answers out there? Thank you, Charles

Amtrak 10001, the business car "Beech Grove" was rebuilt from a wrecked Amfleet coach. The company named it for the shops that did the work, even though that naming meant there would be TWO cars on the roster with the same name, at the same time.

Wasn't 10001 a coach that was wrecked in Portland-Seattle service?

The 10001 supposedly was the 21222 in its former life. It was a wreck repair that got sides from an Amfleet II spliced onto the rear. Whether it was from a wreck in the PW I do not know.

I believe Beech Grove was involved in the Chase Md Wreck back in 1987.

GP25 Wrote:
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> I believe Beech Grove was involved in the Chase Md
> Wreck back in 1987.

The 10001 was (re)built in 1984, well before the Gunpow wreck.

The car looks great today, you can see some of the pics in this story by Chris Guenzler:
http://www.trainweb.org/chris/empirebuilder.html

Here in Los Angeles, I have NEVER seen the car anywhere on the west coast. It seems as though since the high-up execs all work out of D.C., they tend to fly when they need to make the long trip out west so us western folks never get to see this one. :(

coaststarlight99 Wrote:
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> Here in Los Angeles, I have NEVER seen the car
> anywhere on the west coast.

Never say never....
<http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?4,1023825,1023829#msg-1023829&gt;

Ahh, of course! The detour...
Thanks for the reminder.

Gunn made some frequent visits with the car out to the West Coast - in addition to the special trip from Bakersfield to Los Angeles. I remember waiting for the Coast Starlight at Emeryville, and the stationmaster and some regional Amtrak executives were trackside waiting for David Gunn to come in on one of the Capitol Trains. I believe the Executive car - Beech Grove - was being used. They were to spend a day in Emeryville (or the area) and then be tacked on to the rear of the Coast Starlight the next day after my departure. It was also used for one of the inaugural runs for the Empire Builder. So its made some West Coast runs - aside from the more famous one before Gunn was canned!