Crossroads Railcar Services, which refurbishes passenger cars in the former Kentucky & Tennessee Railway steam shop in Stearns, Ky., has begun construction on the prototype for what is planned to be a full line of all-steel, open air passenger cars designed specifically for use on tourist and scenic railroads.
The cars, dubbed the Crossroads Thoroughbred Line, will feature many aspects of standard heavyweight or streamlined passenger equipment, blended with the design elements of the type of cars tourist lines have traditionally constructed out of old freight car frames. The Thoroughbred name for the line of cars is in honor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky’s long history with horse racing.
Steven Richards, president of Crossroads, has been working on the design for more than four years. “I started noticing that a lot of small scenic railroads were limited to small cars. They were using old freight car chassis and building bodies on them. This limits them on what type of event they can have, which limits their revenue, so I started designing an open air passenger car that is for scenic railroads.”
The cars will feature diaphragmed crossovers, making them compatible with standard passenger equipment; LED Emergency Lighting; and 480 or 240 Volt electrical, depending on the buyer’s power needs. The car roofs will also have options, with each individual road being able to choose between a stainless steel roof cover, or a standard steel roof painted to their liking.
The cars will also feature a brand new seat design. “We designed our own crossover seats that have a very special locking feature to keep the seat back locked,” Richards says.
While they are designed to look historic, the cars will meet all the latest FRA standards. They are designed to be lightweight enough to ship by tractor trailer, but will also fit all the interchange standards to allow them to be shipped by rail to the buyer. Both a 60-foot 72-seat standard gauge version and a 40-foot 3-foot narrow gauge design will be available. The car empty weighs 78,000 pounds and the base price is $330,000.
The prototype car is set to be completed in 2019, with an official debut and unveiling set for April at a location still to be determined. The prototype car will be named Aristides after the first horse to win the Kentucky Derby. The serial number of the car will also include the year of the first derby, 1875, once again honoring the history of Kentucky in horse racing.
Although the first car is not completed, Richards says the new car design is already drawing interest from tourist lines around the country, including one unnamed road that has expressed interest in purchasing several.
Svenska:
Tell Davoid that I said hello. Is he still in Sandy Eggo? Also, I want to hear no more reports that you have been driving through the parking lot, hanging out the window with a broadsword and waving it at passers by. Such behaviour tends to cause talk.
And Yngvi is still a louse.
One more thing. The following number, modulo 10 with the address of the old shop, concatenated as 123456123456. Discard the appropriate digit and call me. 844524228830.
Nordske.
The above remarks are general in nature and do not form the basis for an attorney/client relationship. They do not constitute legal advice. I am not your attorney. Find your own damn lawyer.
Penelope,
The first A/C equipped train was in 1930 and used mechanical refrigeration, and several trains had been equipped with A/C by the time the first steam ejector A/C showed up in 1934. Ice was also commonly used prior to WW2. Pullman equipped most of their cars with mechanical refrigeration with the compressors drive by the car axle.
Anna,
Good points, my guess is that they should do fine if they don’t overextend. On an unrelated note, had a short chat with Dave Skv yesterday, and mentioned running into you online.
Some railway museum tourists prefer enclosed passenger cars for the true experience of vintage passenger train travel as opposed to the “hay ride” environment of an open car. Tourists who were born and travelled by train in the mid-20th century enjoyed the quiet smooth ride of an air conditioned, steam heated train with sealed windows and the occasional muffled sound of the locomotive whistle or horn.
While steam heat supplied warmth and hot water, passenger trains were first equipped with air conditioners in 1934, using condensation from steam heat. This made open windows unnecessary.
Open cars cater to those tourists who prefer outdoor exposure. But, they should not be imposed on those seeking authentic passenger train experience from the Golden Age.
Although what this company is doing is laudable and I do wish them every success, I have one caution.
I considered it sad day when Colorado Railcar bit the big one. Their designs were innovative and forward thinking, and the represented a real asset to the North American passenger rail venue. But…they couldn’t make ends meet and so they are now no more.
I would urge Crossroads to study in detail precisely what drove Colorado Railcar under, in order to avoid making the same mistake. Perhaps making excursion cars is a niche market in which they can thrive, and if so I wish them all the best. But as they grow (and I hope they grow) they should be careful to understand their market and be sure that their production costs (and always plan pessimistically) do not exceed their revenue.
Which is to say, be sure you can sell it at a profit before you build it, and be sure any new ventures will work.
Good luck and Godspeed.
The above remarks are general in nature and do not form the basis for an attorney/client relationship. They do not constitute legal advice. I am not your attorney. Find your own damn lawyer.
New York State should buy a couple to run on the ‘Adirondack’ and the ‘Maple Leave’ during the spring, summer, and fall. Perhaps only north and west of Albany, taking them on and off with the engine changes.
Call me skeptical… To me, the big name tourist lines most apt to take advantage are also the ones with the best equipped shop facilities. Are places like Strasburg or TVRM up to trading money for convience when they can do the work themselves (and have)? Meanwhile, smaller Tourist lines that might be interested, do they have the capital to purchase a new car like this? And on top of that, I can’t imagibe Scenic Railroads are popping up new every year, so at best this is a market with the same number of customers year over, but how maby cars can they sell before that market is “saturated”? I can’t imagibe Insurance letting these see mainline use, what after the Swamp derailment behind 1218 ib the 80s.
Hopefully its enough, and hopefully its enough that they can roll something else out with a wider appeal. I wish them good luck, but I dont envy the marketing guys trying to pitch this.