Here is how she once looked

I'm buying a lottery ticket on Friday.... Super long shot...

Gilly

Moon Glow interior 

 See picture 8 above

As it turns out, if you think about it, it did turn out to be the "train of tomorrow." 

Kent in SD

Well -- the future is never what you think it will be.

Been sitting to close to that useless salty lake.

I would be fun to get that car and restore it as a personal rail car.  The other '50s icon I would like to restore and own for personal use is a Greyhound Scenicruiser, which is the topic of another thread on these forums now.  Both the ToT and that bus are great symbols of that era and the concepts of luxury and convenience as seen then.

What a sad ending for a noteworthy passenger car.  It would be merciful to go ahead and scrap it.  We can't save everything, and this car has already been through enough well-intentioned and under-funded effort.  It's time to say good bye to Moonglow.  Can't save 'em all.

Thanks for the schematic, I forwarded it to the museum archivist to put on file.

Who owns Moonglow?  Maybe UP would like to restore it and put it into their business train.  This restoration should be simple in comparison to the Big Boy. 

There is probably a railroad museum somewhere that has the volunteers and the resources to restore it.  I wonder if anyone has attempted to find a group that can restore Moonglow?

Joe

Joe,

It is owned by the Utah State RR Museum. There have been a couple attempts to start restoration on it, but each have probably caused more damage than they restored. The board has said they would be more than willing to get it done of they could only find 1 million or so.

Hard to say if the board would sale it got the right price, you never know how they would react

Here was an article written in 2012 by a friend (and now on the board of the museum) that talks about it's plight

Historic Moon Glow seems destined to rust away

Funny to think I was standing right there yesterday

Thanks for posting the article, Chris.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It appears there's been a few changes.

Yes there has.

Guys,

Sad to say, but if this is what's left of the once glorious coach car, can you imagine what the undercarriage looks like? Sort of reminds me of what the end car of the Haiwatha (she was used as a floating restaurant until she sunk were she was moored in a storm)  looked like before she was scrap metal, her better days WERE her glory days.

Some things are better left to the memory, it will never be as nice as we remember it was precisely, because it will be a rebuild.

Mike Maurice

Just what was special about the "Train of Tomorrow"?  From the photos it doesn't look much different from any other streamlined equipment of the period?

From the Amazon synopsis of the T.O.T. book:

"The Train Of Tomorrow was a concept train built by General Motors to promote the sales of diesel locomotives by its Electro-Motive Division. It featured a newly crafted dome car, the brainchild of Cyrus R. Osborn, general manager of EMD at the time. Completed in 1947, the four-car train became a postwar symbol of American know-how and promised a bright future for the railroads."

In other words, it was to sell locomotives and dreams.

Rusty

Too bad it may not get fully restored.  Gilly said if he hits the lottery he will take care of it.

It would be on my post lottery bucket list as well.

Moonglow was built as the dome observation car.  UP squared off the lounge end for midtrain operation.  So it does not look as unique today as it did then by a long shot.

Moonglow intact under UP livery...

Train of Tomorrow Moongow...

Observation end of the Moonglow today...

There may be better ways to spend 1 million today to save something else.....bringing that up to current standard may run over 1 million budget. Cosmetic resto maybe....but what's the point now.

Thanks for the information.  My wife and I visited Ogden Union Station a couple of years ago.

We thought it was a wonderful attraction.  I especially liked the preserved motive power.  We had an excellent meal in the station's restaurant and I bought a book in the store.  I thought that the HO model railroad diorama was one of the best displays that I have seen.  We also enjoyed the Browning car and gun museums.  Union Station is a must see for rail fans.  

It is too bad that Moonglow hasn't been better protected.  It is shame to lose the steel siding, glass, etc., to neglect and vandals.  I hope that they will find the money to restore it or find someone who has the resources to do it.  

Joe

There are a few cars in Ogden that need preservation. The UP Salt Lake Olympic torch relay car is starting to fall apart.

Also the Golden Spike centennial car.

It's now the train of yesteryear. Very unfortunate, these museums only have so much money and the labor is usually volunteer.

A good point.  And old railcars and locos are labor intensive to restore and then to maintain when on display.  Much as I like the idea of having Moonglow on display in pristine condition, I realize if it were located a convenient five miles from where I live, I wouldn't volunteer to help out: I have too many other things I have to get done and other projects I would volunteer for that are more important. 

A pity though - I guess people like me are part of the problem, but . . . 

If i remember right the torch car is only "on loan" until needed again

A cheaper alternative to a full restoration, would be as a static display, under cover.

Not as expensive, but still a considerable chunk of monies.

Jim

Very unfortunate.  There is a point that artifacts aren't worth saving, and this may be one of them.  Unless some big money comes in soon, I don't think this car will survive the decade.