Bygone era - a photo on Flickriver

Bygone era

            I stopped at the Douglas Railroad Interpretive Center on my return trip from North Dakota to shoot a few different things that I had missed on my first visit roughly a year prior.  There are some really nice pieces of rolling stock here, including this CB&Q dining car (the "Silver Salver" built by Budd in 1947 and retired in 1972 when it failed to be selected for the then-new Amtrak).  The 4-8-4 in the background, #5633, was retired in 1956 and donated to Douglas in the early 60s.  This was a time period when railroads began facing very real competition from airlines and automobiles and the dramatic decline in passenger trains was well underway.

I recall as a kid making two trips on the Southern Crescent from Atlanta to New Orleans, eating in a dining car very similar to this, for it was one of the last hold-outs before Amtrak.  China, glassware and cloth napkins were the norm and meals were prepared on board.  I've had some good meals on Amtrak's Empire Builder but they are a far cry from what one received in dining cars of years ago.

For those interested in this museum in Douglas, it's easy to find and there is signage along I-25, as well.  It's free to the public and several of the railcars are often open for viewing.  I discoverd the Great Northern sleeping car was closed on this visit and it is due to the extreme heat, for there is no operational ventilation within these cars and the cramped confines of the sleeper only aggravate the conditions.  

The museum needs help, as well, if there are any parties that might take an interest.  It is not a state-operated museum and the city does not seem to grasp the restoration and maintenance needs of these historical pieces.  The locomotive has some serious issues (even for static display), the sleeping car has water leakage issues that are destroying the carpeting and much more within, the wood-framed caboose needs attention (actual window glass to prevent water issues, for example).  These are all issues that have been brought up in the past but, sadly, the city simply hasn't addressed the vast majority.  It's disheartening to see such a collection allowed to slowly detiorate, especially when one sees the efforts made by a few (the upholstery restoration in the coach is beautiful as are the efforts to set up the dining car tables with simple representative settings).

Taken in: United States / Wyoming / Douglas (show map)

Taken on: July 5, 2022

Tags:

Douglas

Converse County

Chicago

Burlington & Quincy

CB&Q

railroad

railroads

railway

railways

historical

fallen flag

museum

interpretive center

Silver Salver

dining car

Budd

#196

stainless steel

Burlington Northern

#1160

Zephyr

retired 1972

Baldwin 4-8-4 #5633

tender

steam locomotive

retired 1956

class 0-5A

Douglas Railroad Interpretive Center

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Sets appears in: • Railroad Photography • Douglas & Converse County, Wyoming

Groups appears in: • Railroads • Transportation more » • Wyoming • Transport In The Frame • Olympus E-System Community • Olympus E-510 • Western Railroads • ~Wyoming Photography Pool--all your Wyoming photos~ • Geotagged: Wyoming • Railfan Atlas • Hobi-Fotografi (hobby photographers)Only high quality Photo • Anything - 18+. Your best! NO KIDS PIX • RAILROAD 1 • ALL AMERICAS « less

Camera: Olympus E-510, f/8.0, 1/50 sec, 11mm (=22mm), ISO 100 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Olympus E-510
Lens:	11.0-22.0 mm f/2.8-3.5
Aperture:	f/8.0
Exposure Time:	0.02 sec (1/50)
Focal Length:	11mm (35mm equivalent: 22mm)
ISO:	100
Exposure Bias:	+0.3 EV
Flash:	Auto, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Aperture-priority AE
Exposure Mode:	Manual
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Manual
Sharpness:	Hard
Color Space:	Uncalibrated
Software:	Adobe Photoshop 21.0 (Windows)
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