Harvest Inn History

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Bob G. asked:
> Can you tell me the history of the Harvest Inn diner.
Was it really a Diner at one time and where?
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We have an answer from Erich Russ and the Railway and Preservation News website:

Your page was linked at: Passenger Car being disassembled

According to the 1976 and 1978/79 Passenger Car Annuals, here is the car's history:

C&O Family Coach 1701, built by Budd in 1948
C&EI 606
L&N 2802
Amtrak 8382
Amtrak 3365

The 1984 edition of the Passenger Car Annual says the car was sold to Cuppery & DeYoung in 1983.
Here is some additional information from Wayner's Amtrak Car Spotters Guides published in 1972 and 1973...

C&O 1701 was a counter-lounge car built by Budd in 1948 as a family-coach for the Chessie train that was never placed in service;
rebuilt by C&EI to tavern-lounge car Magnolia Gardens in 1951 and rebuilt again by C&EI to counter-lounge car Harvest Inn in 1965.

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. . . Thank you for that history, I didn't realize it was that old
. . . .and yet the construction with stainless steel still looks so modern.

At that age of over 50 years, would it also have been condemned by that FRA rule that the car would need updating or be limited to on-line service? Like old freight cars?

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And just after I posted this page, I received this information:
The history on the Harvest Inn: Car was originally built for the C&O...the Chessie in 1948 and had no name.
It was orginally numberd 1701, but never ran on the C&O. It was sold to the C&EI in 1951 and renumbered 606 and named Magnolia Gardens.
It was rebuilt in 1965 into a lunch counter lounge car.
L&N acquired the car when it acquired the C&EI. C&EI gave it the name Harvest Inn when the rebuilt it in 1965.

The original configuration was a 'family coach' with 32 coach seats in one end and a children's play area and small theatre in the other end. There were three of them built, but those cars were truly one of a kind.

Chris Williams, East Tennessee Railcar Services
865-216-6528

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. . . . . . Previous pages about this area:

Harvest Inn Piece by Piece , posted March 24, 2006

Harvest Inn Amtrak car Move , posted Nov. 22, 2005

Harvest Inn NOT Moved , posted Nov. 23, 2005

Spur Stories , posted Jan 27, 2005

Spur removal , posted Jan, 2005

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Link to my main page, Bruce's RailRoad Pictures

My E-mail address is on the bottom of my main page.

Wrote March 30, 2005