Trains.com

Subscriber & Member Login

Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more!

Need information on two cars: ATSF Observation 3197 and UP lounge LA-703 "Hollywood"

3451 views
7 replies
1 rating 2 rating 3 rating 4 rating 5 rating
  • Member since
    June 2003
  • From: US
  • 150 posts
Need information on two cars: ATSF Observation 3197 and UP lounge LA-703 "Hollywood"
Posted by gunkhead on Friday, January 20, 2017 11:41 PM

I'm the kind of modeller who enjoys running many roadnames (as well as freelancing and a healthy dose of fantasy/what-if). Two of these are the Atchison Topeka & Santa Fe (an interest started with a trainset Bachmann F9A), and the Union Pacific (which runs through my birthplace of Pocatello as well as my current hometown Pomona). I also have a fondness for passenger trains, whether they're short suburban or sweeping long-distance.

My Santa Fe passenger fleet thus far includes a semi-scale model of ATSF coach-observation 3197 that I wish to build an interior for. However, the only reference for the interior I could find is a photo of the coach section. No floorplan, no images of the newsstand it apparently housed at one time. Can anyone help me?

In my searches for passenger car information, I discovered the existence of an unusual club car that was often part of the Union Pacific's City of Los Angeles train: LA-703 "Hollywood". The lounge section of the car had porthole windows running its length, which grabbed my curiosity. Unfortunately, beyond a site offering the car in car-sides kit form and another site showing a single photo of someone's build of that kit, that's about all I've been able to find out about the car. No proper photos, no interior shots, no diagram. Either there's just not a lot published about it online, or the name floods search engines with so many tangentially-related-at-best results that the info is buried. Does anyone have knowledge they could share?

Interiors and people figures make such a difference. Especially the people.

  • Member since
    November 2008
  • 499 posts
Posted by De Luxe on Saturday, January 21, 2017 12:48 AM

I can´t provide you with any infos on the Santa Fe car nor with a floor plan of the Union Pacific Hollywood Lounge car, but the following informations might be helpful in further research in order to find out more details about this car.

  • Member since
    June 2003
  • From: US
  • 150 posts
Posted by gunkhead on Saturday, January 21, 2017 7:47 AM

Thank you very much, that's very helpful indeed! Smile

Interiors and people figures make such a difference. Especially the people.

  • Member since
    May 2004
  • 7,500 posts
Posted by 7j43k on Saturday, January 21, 2017 1:28 PM

Also see Ranks and Kratville's "The Union Pacific Streamliners".

There's a good bit of information on HOLLYWOOD and its train.  In particular, pages 220-225 have a car diagram including a floor plan, 7 interior photos plus one exterior.  There is discussion of the interior treatment.

If you are interested in UP streamliners, this is an absolutely excellent book.

Copies are available on Amazon.  I believe it is out of print.

 

 

Ed

  • Member since
    June 2003
  • From: US
  • 150 posts
Posted by gunkhead on Saturday, January 21, 2017 5:19 PM

7j43k

Also see Ranks and Kratville's "The Union Pacific Streamliners".

There's a good bit of information on HOLLYWOOD and its train.  In particular, pages 220-225 have a car diagram including a floor plan, 7 interior photos plus one exterior.  There is discussion of the interior treatment.

If you are interested in UP streamliners, this is an absolutely excellent book.

Copies are available on Amazon.  I believe it is out of print.

 

 

Ed

 

Thank you for the tip. I just went through the Newberry's extensive digital collection of Pullman diagrams, and didn't find the plans for either of these cars.

Interiors and people figures make such a difference. Especially the people.

  • Member since
    August 2003
  • From: Collinwood, Ohio, USA
  • 16,367 posts
Posted by gmpullman on Saturday, January 21, 2017 5:42 PM

I have not found a floor plan but there are a few exterior photos here:

http://abpr.railfan.net/abprphoto.cgi?august10/08-31-10/ATSF697_El_Capitan_LAUPT_Los_Angeles_CA_Observation.jpg

http://abpr.railfan.net/abprphoto.cgi?december09/12-23-09/AT+SF3197atClovisNM7-63RichAndersonScanColl.jpg

Here is a current interior shot:

http://www.museumoftheamericanrailroad.org/Portals/0/PropertyAgent/385/Images/39.jpg

You can read more here:

http://www.museumoftheamericanrailroad.org/Collection/CollectionOverview/tabid/62/agentType/View/PropertyID/33/Default.aspx

 

One car, P-S, Lot #6601, Plan #7428, 1940, 50 seat chair-2 seat smoker observation:

Ordered in July 1939 for El Capitan and delivered in March 1940.

#3197 reassigned in 1947 to Clovis-Carlsbad and seating was reduced to 36 leg rest chairs. Used with M190 and M160. Sold in 1968 to Southwest RHS, later Age of Steam, now Museum of the American RR (Frisco, TX). One of only two AT&SF round end observations not rebuilt to flat or blunt ends; the other being sleeper lounge observation Navajo from the 1937 Super Chief.

 

Good Luck, Ed

  • Member since
    June 2003
  • From: US
  • 150 posts
Posted by gunkhead on Sunday, January 22, 2017 11:10 AM

I'd already seen those pictures - the exterior shots are how I knew my model was based off of 3197 - but I hadn't seen the Pullman plan number before. So thanks for that much.

Interiors and people figures make such a difference. Especially the people.

DrW
  • Member since
    January 2008
  • From: Lubbock, TX
  • 371 posts
Posted by DrW on Sunday, January 22, 2017 9:42 PM

Jonathan Boyle's book "Santa Fe Streamlined Observation Cars" has floor plans of ATSF 3198/3199.  Peeking through the windows of the brass model of 3197 by The Coach Yard, I do not see any differences between 3197 and 3198/9 (although the former was built by Pullman-Standard, and the latters by Budd).  Usually, TCY gets it right.

JW

Subscriber & Member Login

Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more!

Users Online

There are no community member online

Search the Community

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Model Railroader Newsletter See all
Sign up for our FREE e-newsletter and get model railroad news in your inbox!