It sounds like the galvanic action between an aluminum body and a steel frame is taking its toll. The sister car Hospitality is in south Kansas City area and is probably failing similarly. There was a 3rd car that was not rebuilt in the late 50s, Plantation Home; it supposedly had a cracked underframe. I was associated with the KCMO group until about 1991, when things changed severely.
DJE ----- Original Message ----- From: Bob Werre To: [email protected] Sent: Tuesday, June 05, 2012 1:32 PM Subject: Re: {S-Scale List} Re: [RITSlist] Re: Pullman heavyweight lease cars? 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 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
