| 48 seat diner, 1 of 6 (CB&Q #458 and NP #459-#463) built in 1957-58 by Budd in Lot #9624-210 for the NORTH COAST LIMITED; #458 and #459 were outshopped in 1957, and the remainder in 1958. Seating was reduced at an unknown date to 40. These 6 cars were intended to be renumbered as BN #1292-#1297, but only #462 was renumbered as #1296. The #459 was damaged in a wreck at an unknown date after this photo was taken, and was therefore not sold to Amtrak in 1971; the other 5 cars were sold to Amtrak in 1971 as #8045-#8049, and were converted to HEP in 1980 as #8505-#8509 (not in order); 2 of those cars were modified in 1986 to griddle diners as #8550 and #8552. All 5 cars are still in service. The #459, meanwhile, was repaired by BN and entered service as #A26 LAKE SUPERIOR, and later had #800139 applied. After the BNSF merger it became #10; on 5-26-2015, while in the consist of a benefit special for the foster childcare system enroute to Southern California at Flagstaff, AZ, there was a small fire in the kitchen and the car was pulled from the consist and returned to the ex-AT&SF Topeka Shops for evaluation and repair. While the car was being repaired, BNSF leased Iowa Pacific's former NYC diner #448 (#800448); the #459 was returned to service a couple months later. Scanned with an Epson V550 from a black & white photographic print. |