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RE: (erielack) EL Business car train and dispositions?

> I was sitting around the house during the last snow storm 
> wondering about various things and one was the EL business train 
> which consisted of the "Spirit of Youngstown" sandwiched by two 
> business cars.  An elegant consist, but what was it actually used 
> for.  I know that Gregory Maxwell toured the system with it.  I 
> assume that it might have carried officials back and forth between 
> Cleveland and Hoboken, but what else was done with it?  It had a 
> limited capacity for carrying passengers or businessmen.  Did EL 
> use it to attract traffic?  I don't think the sleeping car 
> accomodations were ever used for overnight travel and there was 
> probably limited food preparation aboard the business cars.  
> Anybody know just how the train was used?

The Spirit was a sleeper, and might have been used for the crews (much like how CSX uses the car today)

 
> I also remember an additional business car stationed at Marion in 
> the mid-70s.  Were there other official cars spread around the 
> system aside from this train?

At the end of the road, the EL had two business cars, to the best of my knowledge - #3 and #300 (Pres. White's ex-D&H car). The 3/Spirit/300 sandwich was a common sight on the many business trains that ran in the 1973-1976 timeframe to show off the property to potential suitors, as well as E8s 825 and 833 pulling this consist.

Of the EL's business car fleet, the 3 ex-DL&W cars (97, 98, 99) were the first to leave the roster, sometime in the early 1960s.

I know that the #1 was sold to a private individual in the early 1970s, and was stored at the L&HR enginehouse in Warwick, NY for quite some time. Anyone know where it went?

Not sure when the #2 was sold, but today it's restored and in private hands, based out of Bloomsburg, PA on the North Shore RR (ex-DL&W Bloomsburg Branch, how appropriate!)

The #3 today is restored to its Erie 2-tone glory at Steamtown.

	- Paul

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