Passenger Trains > Highway Diner

Or More Highway Stainless of the Budd variety. Tomorrow 8-28-14 an ex SP Diner Lounge will start it's trip from Fremont Ne. to Alamosa Co. Route will be Hwy 77 south out of Fremont 109 then 77 to Wahoo then 92 to 30 to 281 to Grand Island then I80 west to Colorado. Special permit only allows movement in daylight and will end at noon Friday because of Holiday weekend. So if not to destination by noon Friday has to sit until Daylight Tuesday.
I can't follow tomorrow so counting on others for photos.
Steve

Photo 1, back and forth to get as far west as possible before attempting crossing.
Photo 2, yes tractor crossed at clean crushed rock in foreground and Dollies will cross on other side of car out of view. 119 ft. long car weighs 40,000lbs.
Photo 3, ready to leave in the AM.

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These Pride of Texas coffee shop lounges from the 1950 Sunset had great themed interiors. In the early 1970's they were pretty common on the NY-FL trains, as were the Sunset's Vieux Carre New Orleans style lounge cars, along with the Sunset's coaches and 10-6 sleepers. I look forward to seeing what their next life brings.

Ah, the Pride of Texas Coffee Shop. My one and only experience in one of these cars was on the SP City of San Francisco in April, 1969, where it served as the combined diner-lounge. I had dinner on a ride from Oakland to Sacramento.

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It belonged to Amtrak in the 1970's, as evidenced by the disgusting red/orange paint job they were doing to the vestibules and end doors back then. But it never hit the HEP program, which usually involved butchering the skirting near the ends somewhat.

In my view these were the perfect cars as diner/lounges for use on Amtrak's longer day time trains such as: 63-64, 68-69, 79-80, 89-90. These cars should have gone thru the HEP program and be in use today.

I used them on the Washington section of the Broadway Ltd. in 1980 when it ran as a separate train for about ten-twelve days during the Christmas rush. We had four coaches and a sleeper (maybe two) from Chicago - Harrisburg - Washington. We served alot people nice meals and used the small lounge section as intended.

The SP and Budd had a good design!

The SP had 6 smooth side Pullman-Standard 1949 versions of the POT cars as well. They were built for the City of SF, Overland, and Golden State. Those cars had virtually identical floor plans to the POT cars, but had the more conservative, yet elegant interior décor typical of the PS Color and Design Department.

Topfuel Wrote:
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> The SP had 6 smooth side Pullman-Standard 1949
> versions of the POT cars as well. They were built
> for the City of SF, Overland, and Golden State.
> Those cars had virtually identical floor plans to
> the POT cars, but had the more conservative, yet
> elegant interior décor typical of the PS Color
> and Design Department.


Some of these cars were converted to Hamburger Grill Lounge. they had a buffet counter installed where you slid your tray along and chose items that were displayed, or you could order some food that was cooked to order, such as the burger in a basket. All were reconverted to diner-lounge configuration by 1968.

If it's headed for Alamosa, it sounds like it's going to be refurbished by Iowa Pacific for their Pullman Rail Journeys endeavor.

CA_Sou_MA_Agent Wrote:
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> If it's headed for Alamosa, it sounds like it's
> going to be refurbished by Iowa Pacific for their
> Pullman Rail Journeys endeavor.

How many cars as a roster does Iowa Pacific have?

MEKoch Wrote:
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> In my view these were the perfect cars as
> diner/lounges for use on Amtrak's longer day time
> trains such as: 63-64, 68-69, 79-80, 89-90. These
> cars should have gone thru the HEP program and be
> in use today.
>
> I used them on the Washington section of the
> Broadway Ltd. in 1980 when it ran as a separate
> train for about ten-twelve days during the
> Christmas rush. We had four coaches and a sleeper
> (maybe two) from Chicago - Harrisburg -
> Washington. We served alot people nice meals and
> used the small lounge section as intended.
>
> The SP and Budd had a good design!

I believe that Amtrak would have much better food service sales if they created a more inviting diner/lounge, like this, where one could dine, snack, and enjoy the scenery with bigger windows - on the single level long level long distance "day trains." The Viewliner Diners need to be rolled out as diners and sightseeing cars where sales can be ongoing throughout the journey in some way. Amtrak has yet to figure out how to capitalize on offering food service on one of their most unique cars in the system - the Great Dome, Ocean View. When this car was on the Adirondack and Cardinal passengers were expecting food service in this car.

Seeing the Interior shot above I though I would show what's left.
Steve

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wpjones Wrote:
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> Seeing the Interior shot above I though I would
> show what's left.
> Steve

So did Mr. E.B. run a bulldozer through the kitchen, or is the kitchen still kinda there?

When I got it, the kitchen walls were too water damaged / rusted out to save due to sitting for 15 years with all of the end and loading doors wide open ( and a pretty good roof leak right over the kitchen aisle). People think the walls are stainless - they aren't. They are plymetl around the pantry and a carbon steel framework behind the stove area. It was a shame, it was a super nice kitchen. Anything reusable was saved and shipped separate from the car. This was also one of the Automat conversion cars and it lost it's gorgeous Budd cabinetry at the Stewards station. That was all replaced with the most awful carbon steel and particle board crap imaginable when it was converted back. With the loading door being open and water getting in, it was nothing but rust. Nice car, Amtrak storage wasn't kind to it.

Geep Wrote:
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> How many cars as a roster does Iowa Pacific have?

I don't have an exact number. Maybe eee can fill us in.

Any updates on where the truck/"diner" is now (i.e. Sunday night 8/31 or Monday 9/1) and its potential route through Colorado would be appreciated ... I-25 to Walsenburg and then over La Veta Pass? or up US 285 to Buena Vista and then down to Alamosa???

Thanks!

Odyssey
Evergreen, CO

My guess is he is home in Brighton. He should have unloaded in Alamosa last Friday.

Scheduled to head west next Friday. That is if it will dry up a little... 8 1/2" of rain in the last 10 days.

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You kept it in really good shape inside.

It would be quite costly to restore the car to
its original 1950 appearance but if possible it
would look nice sitting along side SP 10214 at
CSRM, Sacramento.