Saint Paul Skyline / Empire Builder / Cedar Rapids / Mars Light

[CSXDixieLine]

Thanks for the additional pictures. I could look at those all day. In fact, I think I have a new Windows desktop background! Jamie

[ottergoose]

Thanks all for the kind words.

I have a couple of other shots from that area in the evening, if anyone's interested:

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=240269

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=240463

[passengerfan]

Ottergoose Fantastic photo can't wait till the next one.

Goober The Milwaukee Skytop Lounges you are referring to were the Creek Series built by Pullman Standard for the Olympian Hiawatha between November 1948 and January 1949 to Plan 4138 in Lot 1775.They were 8-Double Bedroom 16 seat Lounge Observations.

They were numbered and named

12 ALDER CREEK

14 ARROW CREEK

15 COFFEE CREEK

16 GOLD CREEK

17 MARBLE CREEK

18 SPANISH CREEK

When the Olympian Hiawatha was discontinued the cars were sold to the Canadian National Railway who assigned the cars to the Ocean and Scotian originally later they were sent west for service between Jasper and Prince Rupert. CN added a bar to the Skyviews and two at least operated on the Afternoon Rapidos between Montreal and Toronto for at least a year. The Canadian National called the cars Skyview Lounge cars. They numbered them in the 1900s and named them as follows.

1900 MAHONE originally CMSTP&P 12 ALDER CREEK

1901 MALPEQUE originally CMSTP&P 14 ARROW CREEK

1902 FUNDY originally CMSTP&P 15 COFFEE CREEK

1903 TRINITY originally CMSTP&P 16 GOLD CREEK

1904 BADDECK originally CMSTP&P 17 MARBLE CREEK

1905 GASPE originally CMSTP&P 18 SPANISH CREEK  

They were eventually sold with four going to a floating restaurant in Windsor and two were sold back to private owners in the US. The four sold for the restaurant were last sinking in the Buffalo area.

Al - in - Stockton 

[tree68]

Night shots are always a challenge - this one came out very nicely.  The first time I looked at it I didn't even notice the other railcars in the foreground...

[CopCarSS]

Very nice shot. Well done!

[CSXDixieLine]

Wow!

Side note... I just purchased some railroad coffee table style books that I was looking at last night. One of the pictures in it is in that exact same spot with a CNW coal train with the expressway under construction. Jamie

[MP173]

excellent

 

ed

[Los Angeles Rams Guy]

Arrrgggghhhhh......what a NICE shot!  Wish I could have been over on the St. Paul side of town to get that one meself!

[Modelcar]

....."FRED" is on the back of the ex Milwaukee car along with the "Mars" light, but yes...I know it has other "duties".

Beautiful photo.

Remember the photo that is out there somewhere showing one of these cars burning up to complete destruction....Sad.  Believe it was done on purpose by some scraper, or something like that....

[Dakguy201]

September 2007 at LaCrosse WI

[Boyd]

One of the best night photos I have ever seen.

[ottergoose]

I seem to remember it being yellow, almost like the UP.  My son met one of the carpenters who did the wood work on the inside of the those cars.  I recall that the one that was on our train had bedrooms with a corridor going down the side of the car??

Milwaukee started using Armour Yellow because they operated some of their trains in conjunction with Union Pacific (several of the City trains, Challenger, etc.).

[Soo 6604]

Very nice picture.....looks crisp. Good thing there wasnt a lot of car traffic

Paul

[Modelcar]

....Ot:    Very nice photo.

[Goober]

Yes, that is the one,  I should look through my old slides, as I should have one of the train we were on.  I seem to remember it being yellow, almost like the UP.  My son met one of the carpenters who did the wood work on the inside of the those cars.  I recall that the one that was on our train had bedrooms with a corridor going down the side of the car??

Thanks again for the photo.

 

Jared 

[ottergoose]

The car you rode in would have been the same class as Cedar Rapids.

Here's a clear shot of it (not my photo):

 http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=67435

[Goober]

Very nice photo.  I am not familiar with the Cedar Rapids car, do you have any other photos of it?  As a side note, I was able to ride the Olympian Hiawatha to Seatle, I believe it was 1960, and the following year passenger train service was over.  My father really enjoyed sitting in the rear car, not quite sure what the exact name of it was.  He liked it better than the Super Dome.

thanks again for the nice photo.

Jared 

[ottergoose]

Thanks!  I'm really, really happy with how it turned out.

[al-in-chgo]

If anyone's interested, I got a photo I'm pretty proud of the other day:

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=241957

I captured the Mars Light on Cedar Rapids (MILW observation car) going around a curve into downtown Saint Paul, which by itself was cool, but the icing on the cake was that Mars is visible in the sky.

Hope you enjoy it - it's a shame Amtrak doesn't have those lights in regular service now.

Mars meets Mars!  Good job!  - a.s.

 

[ottergoose]

If anyone's interested, I got a photo I'm pretty proud of the other day:

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=241957

I captured the Mars Light on Cedar Rapids (MILW observation car) going around a curve into downtown Saint Paul, which by itself was cool, but the icing on the cake was that Mars is visible in the sky.

Hope you enjoy it - it's a shame Amtrak doesn't have those lights in regular service now.