(rshsdepot) North Carolina passenger cars

["Mark A. Thomas" <markt_@_duke.edu>]

This doesn't relate to depots, but some of those who attended the RSHS 
convention in Raleigh several years ago rode in the Mt. Mitchell, a full-length 
dome car.  The state decided it's too expensive to update it to the latest 
updated FRA regulations, and is now selling it. Via Ebay! Minimum bid is 
$285,000. (The state apparently sold a ferry boat via Ebay.)

The below article is out of the Raleigh News & Observer.  It does sort of imply 
that all RR lines in North Carolina are owned by the state (only Charlotte to 
Greensboro to Raleigh to Morehead City), but I think is generally fairly 
accurate. Also quotes Steve Barry.
- --Mark Thomas

Published: Aug 4, 2004
Modified: Aug 4, 2004 12:10 PM

N.C. to auction six rail cars online

By BONNIE ROCHMAN, The Associated Press

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Ever dreamed of working on the railroad?
Now you can.

A minimum bid of $185,000 will put you in the running for a rail car that has 
been converted by the state into an office. It will be offered for sale on eBay 
in the next month or so. Five other cars also will go on the online auction 
block.

The car in question was built in 1924 with an open platform hugging the end, 
the kind of narrow metal platform you see in history books with presidential 
candidates waving elegantly as the train puffs away. Until recently, it had 
computers and makeshift cubicles in the main area; now club chairs take their 
place.

Railroad cars, like people, have life histories. They've traveled the country, 
traversing thousands of miles of track, crossing trestles, chugging through 
metropolises and mere shadows of communities.

These six cars came to North Carolina bundled together as a family. Buy one, 
buy them all, was the deal, and North Carolina did. The state paid $650,000 in 
1996 to buy the lot from Nebraska's Union Pacific Railroad.

The piece de resistance, renamed the Mount Mitchell, is a 1952 full-length dome 
car, one of the first of its kind. Soon after the state bought it, the car was 
overhauled and outfitted with new mechanical, electrical, HVAC, brake, coupler 
and draft gear systems at a cost of $858,000. It was used to ferry passengers 
to Carolina Panthers games in Charlotte and as a first-class car on the line 
from Raleigh to Charlotte. It even played host to Santa during the holiday 
season.

Julia Hegele, who does marketing for the state rail division, said she has 
fielded many a call from people wanting to know the next time they can ride the 
dome car. She has to break the bad news: never.

"I feel like a mean parent taking candy away from children, because people 
really love that car," she said.

Of course, it can be yours for at least $285,000.

Not long after the cars were bought, the federal government changed its 
guidelines for emergency window exits and rollover strength. The state complied 
with the emergency exits but decided it made no sense financially to modify the 
dome car to meet rollover requirements. That means it is no longer fit for 
public passenger service. The state last used it for passenger service in 2002.

The two sleeper cars, for sale for a minimum bid of $185,000 each, were leased 
by Norfolk Southern or CSX until 2003. The business car - price tag: $185,000 - 
and the dining car - $20,000 - were converted to offices and classrooms in 1996 
and used until 2001. The power car, which housed the generator, was stripped in 
1998, its parts sold at surplus in 2003. Its shell will be auctioned for a 
starting bid of $25,000.

North Carolina is fairly unusual in that it owns its own railroad tracks.

Amtrak operates the Carolinian, which sends trains from New York to Charlotte 
and back daily. The Piedmont began service in 1995, traveling from Raleigh to 
Charlotte each morning and back to Raleigh each evening. At the time, Amtrak 
didn't have cars it could put into service, so the state had to buy its own 
equipment. The dome car was the only car of the six being auctioned that was 
used in regular service.

That's because the state Board of Transportation decided after the purchase 
that it didn't have the money to rehabilitate the set, said Allan Paul, 
assistant director of operations for the rail division.

And that's why they're now for sale.

"We don't want them to just sit here and rust away to nothing," he said.

Yet that is just what's happening to some, as they spend day after day in the 
unrelenting heat of summer. The green and yellow dining car has brushed silver 
tiebacks to hold curtains, but its underbelly and roof are chipped and rusted.

Mary Alice Sechler, the state's surplus property officer, said her office is 
negotiating with eBay about the company's cut for brokering the sales. North 
Carolina has already sold other excess property, from baseball cards seized as 
part of drug busts to state ferries, on eBay. The market is only increasing, 
she said.

Patrick Simmons, director of the state's rail division, doesn't anticipate 
having much trouble selling the cars. A few years ago, a railroad fan magazine 
ran a photo of the dome car. The state was deluged with calls.

Freight railroads, museums or private businesses that lease cars for excursions 
may be interested, Simmons said.

"We've had interest from people locally and from other governments and from 
railroads and museums," he said.

Steve Barry, managing editor of Railfan & Railroad magazine, said this is one 
of the first times he has heard of rail cars being auctioned on eBay.

He speculated that a tourist railroad or tour company would covet the dome car, 
with its curved floor-to-ceiling windows. Anyone who would want to buy such a 
car would need deep pockets, he said.

"A rail car is like a big boat," he said. "You've got to be rich and famous."

Aside from the price, there is a potential caveat emptor. EBay items are 
usually shipped by their sellers. In this case, though, North Carolina wants 
nothing to do with that. Buyers are responsible for picking up their prizes.

And the Mount Mitchell, the domed gem of the bunch, weighs 185,000 pounds.
	
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The Railroad Station Historical Society maintains a database of existing
railroad structures at: http://www.rrshs.org

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