Recently, while working on an update to my Passenger Car Photo Index site I ran across two photos of a Budd tavern - lounge blunt-end observation car that is supposedly in use on the Branson Scenic, by Jim Sands. In comparing these photos with photos I have access to of both ACL and FEC cars I am feeling pretty confident that this is an ex-ACL car (the letterboard is a bit short for an FEC car) and am wondering if anyone knows the ACL number for this car.

The links for the images are: http://community.webshots.com/photo/60150925/173276336RifxHx http://community.webshots.com/photo/60150925/173276363TUMDaY

Any help would be appreciated!!!

-- Jerry M. LaBoda (laboda@bellsouth.net), August 19, 2004

Answers

The ACL 254 is at the Gold Coast Railroad Museum in Miami. Visited it last week when forced to layover in Miami during hurricane Charlie.

-- William Billy (CRRGator@juno.com), August 21, 2004.

Jerry:

Looking at the car, the trucks tell me that it is one of the pre-war cars-there is a bracket on the truck frame for the brake cylinders. There also is a break in the stainless steel fluting at the rear of the car. Now this could be a wreck repair, or it could be the work performed in 1957 to make ACL car 251 a flat end car. If the latter is the case, then it is car 251. If the former, then it could be any one of cars 251-254.

-- Michael W. Savchak (Savchak@mnr.org), August 20, 2004.