All of the PRS private cars were steam heated. With the advent of Amfleet and Superliners, all Amtrak passenger trains were equipped with a 480-volt three-phase electrical feed system which provides all power needed for lights, air conditioning, and heating from an auxiliary generating plant in the locomotive (HEP). Steam was no longer available, and because Amtrak's new cars needed to be supplied with power and wired for communications, private cars without HEP could not be run at any point between the locomotive and the other HEP-equipped cars. Although the 32 volt D.C. electrical and air conditioning systems were self-contained in each PRS car, our cars were not supplied with steam and so were unheated. This made operation in the winter impossible, and during other periods of the year operation would be at the whim of the weather.
Amfleet cars had a smaller-size diaphragm that did not match the top striker plate of conventional diaphragms. PRS crews altered the existing diaphragms on the National Forum and lounge 6101 to make them usable with Amfleet cars. But Superliner cars were built with the passageways at a completely different level, meaning that PRS passengers could not pass through between the PRS cars and the Superliners. This restricted PRS car usage on Superliner-equipped trains to trips where the PRS car was next to a bi-level "step down" car, or to trips where the entire excursion could be adequately served in the PRS cars. On top of the heavy burden of owning and operating passenger cars, PRS became obliged to find inventive ways to utilize the cars within the narrow parameters of Amtrak requirements and technical restrictions.
The modern Amtrak equipment did heighten interest in the PRS cars by underscoring their historical significance and their comfort. In spite of the curtailment of private car use, car volunteers kept working on them. The Timothy B. Blackstone, Starlight Cafe, National Forum, Bloomington, Cajon Pass, and Chippewa Creek were taken to Los Angeles Union Passenger Terminal in October, 1980, to film a Hollywood feature, Under the Rainbow.
Faced with eventually having to move out of the Kirsch facility, and not having any indoor storage space at Dart, in 1980 Chief Mechanical Officer Karl Strauss proposed the acquisition of a boxcar to use as a tool car. Since no railroad was interested in donating one, PRS purchased PAR 55198, a 50-foot insulated box car, from the Santa Fe and had it shipped to us from Nebo siding. It was instantly pressed into service. A crew headed by Larry Jennings equipped it with heavy-duty shelving. In March of 1981, chairman Strauss picked up our new Fairmont flat car on a custom-built highway trailer. PRS began voluntarily covering private car workers under workers' compensation insurance coverage in 1981, simultaneously providing workers with personal protective equipment including gloves, eyewear and hard hats. In November, 1982, an open house at Dart was held for the enjoyment and education of PRS members and friends. Hope that diner Shadrach Bond could be brought on line motivated a concerted effort to clean and refurbish the interior. Charlie Wilbur lead a major cleaning of the stainless steel kitchen.
One of our treasures from early private car days was a Pyle National rear end marker light with a small green light and a huge red oscillating light, originally used on UP's own passenger trains. In the early 1980's, it was stolen, along with many other valuable and irreplaceable objects. In 1984, we replaced our marker with a brand new one which was still being used as of this writing.
On a happier note, we were approached with a prospective adventure for our as yet unused chair car, Shasta Springs. The car sat idle until 1984, when it was leased for a nominal sum for use on the Louisiana World's Fair Daylight which ran from Portland, Oregon, to New Orleans, Louisiana, and return. We concentrated efforts on mechanical refurbishing of the car, including truck work done by crews headed by Al Novak, and patching around the roof hatch. Mike Malone led a team of PRS workers who replaced the glazing of all the tall windows in the car. The car was then sent out on Southern Pacific freight trains. It arrived in Portland, Oregon, sporting a new Dupont Imron Daylight paint scheme. PRS members were thrilled to see their car whiz by with its sisters as part of the World's Fair Daylight re-creation, car 8 behind steam engine 4449. PRS individual members rode or followed the train as it made its was from Portland to the World's Fair in New Orleans, and staffed official excursions that were planned for the Los Angeles to Phoenix and Phoenix to Los Angeles segments. The names Shasta Springs, Cajon Pass, and Starlight Cafe, have never been painted onto the cars with those names. This reflects the intent to keep them as historically accurate as possible in outside appearance. The lack of a name led to a small controversy when PAR 2397 appeared in the Louisiana World's Fair Daylight train with only its number, a concession to historical appearance. It took the editor of Wheel Clicks off guard and prompted him to wonder in print why PAR 2397 was the only car in the train without a name.
On August 1, 1984, the Board of Directors adopted the following policy, which had been proposed by the Mechanical Department:
"It shall be the policy of Pacific Railroad Society to maintain its private mainline railroad cars in operable condition to the extent feasible within te constraints of budget, maintenance facility and personnel. As repainting of exteriors becomes necessary or desirable, the cars shall be returned to former railroad owners' color schemes. The former railroad owners' or Pullman markings (lettering and/or numbering) all be duplicated, unless deemed by PRS not to be prudent or prohibited by the former railroad owner. Present PRS car names shall be retained but not painted on car exteriors, unless the name is identical to that designated, and displayed on the car, bu the former railroad owner. An exception to the foregoing shall be that the exterior of one of the ex-Union Pacific cars shall be retained in the yellow and green livery of PRS with appropriate PRS lettering, including car name."
Also on August 1, 1984, PRS was given a deadline to move all of its spare parts and equipment which had been left at the Malt Shop. The decision by Kirsch Company to sell their property in 1984, leaving PRS with the job of locating a suitable storage site and to move over 50 tons of unwieldy equipment on 30 days' notice, was another big setback for the Mechanical Department. In our hour of need, Dave Riggle found a tiny, rocky lot was available for lease from the Army Corps of Engineers in Irwindale. The private car workers cleared the site, spread gravel, and planted oleanders surrounding the property. The move was completed by August 30, 1984.
The tough challenges faced by the workers in this department have seldom been realized by the passengers who
enjoyed riding on a taste of history. Only the joy of actually riding one of the cars could in any way begin to
compensate for the incredibly long hours, heavy labor, and often filthy jobs needed to keep the private cars running.
On November 3, 1984, the Desert Scout trip to Barstow used lounge Cajon Pass followed by the
Starlight Cafe, newly repainted in an authentic UP paint scheme. Larry Jennings headed the paint
crew, which worked day and night to apply the primer and bright yellow coats.
In 1985 the San Angelo Tank Car Line retired SANX 8200, a tank car which was used for wine service. Jim Green,
President of the company, offered it to PRS as a donation, which we could scrap if desired. After viewing the car
on the Giumarra Vinyard spur at Edison, however, the unique character of the car, and the likelihood of its having
future historical significance, were apparent. PRS accepted the donation February 11, 1985. Some minor repairs
were authorized, and the car was shipped, with transportation donated by Santa Fe and Union Pacific, to PRS. It
remained as part of the collection at Dart until 1996, when it was sold to the Santa Clara Valley Historical Society
as a water car for use with their Mogul, 1765.
Russell Homan, as Excursion Director from 1985 to 1990, spurred the renewed use of PRS cars on trips, including
one-day jaunts to San Diego and a lease move of the National Forum to Vancouver, British Columbia; a one-day
trip to Indio using the National Forum, PAR 2397, PAR 6101, and the Starlight Cafe; and a special
excursion train to Mojave using PAR 2397, the Starlight Cafe, Lounge 6101, the National Forum, and
the leased private dome observation car, Native Son. Food service was provided by our own volunteers, spearheaded
by Russell and Patty Homan.
The dormitory Lounge, Cajon Pass, went to San Diego as part of our 50th anniversary trip on
April 11 &12, 1986. It ran at the end of the San Diegan with a bright yellow and green drumhead sporting
the Railroad Boosters symbol and the number "50." Charter member Roy Fleming and his wife Wealthy occupied
the steward's bedroom for the trip.
The National Forum, after nine years of inactivity, emerged from the PRS paint shop with Armour yellow paint
and red Scotchlite striping and lettering. Leased to Dave Rohr, the Forum went to Vancouver, Canada, for
Expo '86. Instead of a professional porter, however, PRS volunteer Marti Ann Draper attended the Pullman passengers.
Still newly glossy, the Forum went to San Diego on May 31, 1986, with John Anderson in full uniform as attendant.
Paint crew chief Larry Jennings completed the Scotchlite lettering by hand painting borders around each letter.
The private car workers were referred to in the 1980's as the Mechanical Department, and fittingly, during Al Novak's tenure as head of the Private Car Committee, his job was officially designated Chief Mechanical Officer by the Board of Directors. The Mechanical Department held an Open house on September 30, 1986, allowing all members and guests to walk through the cars at Dart.
On October 13, 1986, the Starlight Cafe followed the National Forum to Oakland on the "Rails North to Roaring Camp" excursion. The Italian-style luncheon and hot turkey dinner was cooked enroute not by contractors, but by PRS volunteers Tom and Carol Peterson, who did a professional job.
On February 21, 1987, PRS presented the Indio Date Festival Limited. This was a special train run under
contract with Amtrak which included 2397 in its first run on a PRS special. Also in the consist were the Starlight,
the Cajon Pass, National Forum and Dave Rohr's Native Son. From September 18 to 21, 1987, the
National Forum ran to Albuquerque on Amtrak's Southwest Chief. Mike Gormican and Marti Ann
Draper served as porters. This delightful trip was followed by a September 27 trip to San Diego and return.
In November of 1987, a team of vandals and thieves broke into eight of our cars standing at the Dart Facility.
They smashed in the window in the end door of the National Forum and used its fire tools to break into the
Starlight, Bloomington, Council Bluffs, and Chippewa Creek. Glass and fixtures were shattered, carpets
had burned spots, and dozens of blankets were stolen. We sent the Forum to the Trammell Crow siding on Peachtree
Street in the City of Commerce for safe keeping and weighed our options. We decided upon repairing and rebuilding
the chain link fence around the perimeter, topping the fences with razor wire, and installing motion detectors
which would set off an audible alarm and alert a private security company. PRS volunteers installed the conduit
for the alarm.
On March 16, 1988, PRS received PAR 7199, a 45-ton General Electric switch engine. PAR 7199, powered by two Cummings 150-hp diesel prime movers, was delivered on a low-boy truck trailer on the far side of Dart. UP crews, who dubbed it "the Mule," switched it around the building and onto our leased tracks at Dart. The locomotive was donated to PRS through the United States Government's surplus property program, but substantial contributions by Ted Creveling and Rolland Graham effected its delivery from El Toro Marine Air Station to us. The 7199 would be used to move the cars around inside the Dart plant and to supply air for brake tests and sandblasting.
The Mojave Circle special train of April 17, 1988, used a remarkable array of private cars; Shasta Springs, Regina Wendt, Starlight Cafe, National Forum, Amber Trail, Native Son, Belle McKee, Silver Patio and three ex-Santa Fe high level coaches.
The Forum made another trip to Albuquerque with Mike Gormican and Barbara Sibert changing the linens.
The National Forum was displayed from October 4-8, 1989, at the San Diego AAPRCO convention. This was the first time any PRS car had actually attended an AAPRCO convention. We were surprised and delighted by the reception our "museum on wheels" received from the public, which was given the chance to tour all the AAPRCO cars at the Wright Street Yard.
In December of 1989, our lease ran out on the lot in Irwindale. Most of the equipment was loaded onto commercial trucks and transferred to Dart. Things which we could not use were sold as surplus and cleaned off the property. On February 14, 1990, through the efforts of new Chairman Ted Creveling, PRS acquired a flatcar as a donation from the Trailer Train corporation. As much of the large equipment as we could fit was placed upon it.
The National Forum took another trip to San Diego on October 27, 1990, and the week after left on a two-week odyssey. This trip included being shown off at the AAPRCO convention in Galveston, Texas, followed by a quick trip to New Orleans and back. The trip took place from November 4 through November 14, 1990, and included Randy Schlothauer's dome diner, the Columbia River , to provide food service to the National Forum's passengers. Attendants were combination porter/mechanics Larry Jennings, Marti Ann Draper, and Steve Ablonzki. Also aiding the passengers was PRS's new Excursion Director, Barbara Sibert.
On November 23, 1990, the National Forum went to Oakland and returned on the Coast Starlight. Passengers, lacking any steam heat from the engine, noted that "it's cold."