Tom,
The KCS observation was called the Good Cheer. It was their main tour
car. However as the years past major problems developed with metal
deterioration. I think I saw it about a year ago, loaded on a flat
car. I think they plan on restoring it, but the museum itself has lost
it's space so they are desperately trying to find a temporary location
with a few sidings and then eventually a permanent location. Like any
museum, they have large money problems, and older membership and
continual maintenance issues.
Bob Werre
On 6/5/12 12:57 PM, Thomas Baker wrote:
Bob,
I lived in Houston from 1970-1972 while attending Rice. Occasionally,
I went over to the Houston Union Station to observe the action of the
Santa Fe, only one train by that time, the "Texas Chief". A
preservation group also had a former ATSF 6-4-6 Pullman painted in
two-tone gray and an observation car from the KCS. I believe it was
the "What Cheer". Then it happened that the SP brought over a
heavyweight Pullman club lounge from Beaumont, and the preservation
group tackled that for a time, but it was eventually sold to a group
out East. The Pullman club lounge was painted in KCS colors but by
1932 had served on the CGW as the "Mount Mansfield" and most often had
run on the Twin City-Omaha/Omaha-Twin City night trains. When the CGW
abandoned Pullman service on the night train on May 10, 1949, the car
evidently went to the KCS. Where it served there I don't know. I
perused a number of KCS timetables but never saw any equipment listing
for such a car. My guess is that the KCS used it as a buffet lounge,
possibly between Shrevereport and Port Arthur. On the KCS, the two
CGW 10-section club lounges had no name, only the numbers 200 and
201. Perhaps you know something about the car. The Mount Mansfield
and its companion had once been 10-section open-platform lounges and
had operated on the Montrealer between DC and Montreal. Interesting
stuff, this Pullman info. It comes to mind that the companion car was
the Mount Doane, but might be wrong about that.
Tom
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