Passenger Trains > Railroad Passenger Cars Group

Is RRP still active in one manner or another?
I can't seem to locate anything about them on search engines.

Thanx

RPCA is the group

ApproachCircuit Wrote:
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> Is RRP still active in one manner or another?
> I can't seem to locate anything about them on
> search engines.
>
> Thanx
Railroad Passenger Cars, Inc. (RRP) closed down the operation in 1995 after 25 years being in business.  Why did they close down?  The big class one railroads were no longer operating the excursions as in the past, the State of Maryland (MARC Trains) had all their own equipment, and the biggest problem for RRP came in 1989 when the Chessie System sold the entire Camden Station complex to the Maryland Stadium Authority for the building of Oriole Park at Camden Yards.  The Stadium Authority changed the area completely, the State of Maryland would not give RRP any kind of track lease in the new small station area, and RRP had to move over to the Chessie System "Bay View Yards" which did not allow them to hold dinners and meetings there as they had been able at Camden Station.  After RRP had completed a full HEP to their diner/lounge #2066 "Leonard J. Buxton"  there were only a handful of rentals for them to operate on a MARC Commuter Train or on Amtrak.  The insurance continued to increase and even though RRP had only 3 operating cars and two storage baggage cars, their investments were slowing going down because of the expenses of maintaining those cars.  RRP held a meeting for the members and it was voted on and decided to close up RRP, and everything was then donated to the B&O Railroad Museum in Baltimore, including their passenger cars, storage cars, all their tools and spare parts along with their entire bank accounts and their stocks and bonds.  The only stipulation that was made on a gentleman's agreement was that the three passenger cars, Ex-B&O paired narrow window coach #3587, the diner/lounge car #2066 "Leonard J. Buxton" and the ex-B&O lounge/observation car #3302 "Edward G. Hooper," were to be maintained meaning that they were to be kept in run -able shape including keeping them painted for use at the museum by the museum., using the money and investments from RRP. The Executive Director in charge of the musuem at that time agreed 100 percent to do this; however in a few years this gentleman decided to retire and move out of state.  That is when things really changed as the new director did not live up to the agreement, therefore today, the cars are in deplorable condition, rusting away, and the diner lounge #2066 was converted into a kiddie birthday car, a waste in that this car was given to the museum with complete HEP and a diesel generator, and was operable with both Amtrak and MARC Trains and had done so.  Most of the former officers and directors of RRP have since passed away, and right now I have been informed that the B&O Museum has no immediate plans to do any restoration work on any of these cars as they continue to look disgraceful rusting away.  The few remaining former RRP members are now up in years and they are very upset because those two B&O cars, along with the other B&O remaining passenger cars should not be allowed to just sit and rust away.  All of this has been told to me by several RRP former members along with some members from the B&O R.R. Historical Society.  This is history that should be preserved as that car in the attached photo, #3302 "Edward G. Hooper" is now a one-of-a-kind paired narrow window lounge/observation car that has operated as a fill in on the old "Royal Blue" famous trains, it ran in many other famous B&O Trains, it operated many times with the B&O and Chessie System Office Car Trains, it was the rear observation car with the Chessie Steam Safety Express with C&O #614, it operated on some Amtrak Trains, and the history goes on.  All of the other paired-narrow window B&O Observation cars from that era have been scrapped, thus this is the last one.  It should not be allowed to sit in the yard there and rust away.
John in White Marsh, Maryland

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MEKoch Wrote:
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> RPCA is the group
Sorry, but that is not true, they are a complete separate organization.
John in White Marsh, Maryland

Are you talking about the late Ed Von Nordeck’s ( “mundo”) and his Internet Passenger consist list?!?
If so, I think it departed “w/ him”— haven’t seen anything from it for a while, sadly…