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NYC 3 maiden voyage under Varchandra ownership, Boston, May, 1992. |
Charter #100: Passing through Albany, NY on the way to Montreal, October, 2002 |
Dear Friends of New York Central 3,
In October, 2012, NYC 3 celebrated its 200th charter trip since it resumed operations in 1993. This was all made possible through the efforts of you, NYC 3's group of loyal supporters. This includes not only clients who have helped pay the bills, and the many volunteers who work on the car, but also the large number of skilled professionals who keep the car's mechanical systems running efficiently, many contributing both skills and work ethics which are very difficult to find in today's world. Thank you all very much for your support.
Recently, we developed a new brochure, which is featured in this web site and we made substantial improvements to the site itself. Perhaps the biggest changes were the addition of many interactive links to videos taken of the car on various excursions as well as links to fine reviews in international publications about the pleasures of traveling on the car. We also updated and created half a dozen different email distribution lists in order to facilitate announcing individual trip opportunities to people who have expressed interest in private car travel.
Some years ago, I negotiated a tariff with VIA Rail Canada which opened up all of Canada to travel by private railroad cars. Since then, the opportunities to travel on VIA have diminished greatly, partly as a result of their purchasing new equipment that is not compatible with conventional railcars and partly as a result of "attitudinal changes" within their management. Travel is still possible to many destinations, but normally not behind their dome observation cars. In addition, their rates are very high.
How are things with Amtrak? The verdict is mixed. During the Bush presidency, you presumably read about how he wanted to disband Amtrak. He favored privatization of the railroad and discontinuance of all long-distance trains. To me, it was unthinkable--especially after September 2001, that this vital national network should be threatened with either abandonment or privatization (something which has been an utter and continuing failure in Britain). However, the threat was so serious that we discontinued most NYC 3 improvement projects for two years. Then, with both President Obama and a majority of the current Congress favoring Amtrak and approving more reasonable funding, Amtrak's own future looked fairly bright. In addition, management changes at Amtrak led to a more favorable relationship concerning private car activities.
At the time of this writing, we are once again faced with serious issues, both political and within Amtrak. If Governor Romney is elected president, Amtrak's future and the future of private car travel in the United States will once again become problematic. And within Amtrak itself, huge numbers of retirements mean that a wealth of experience has been lost within their mechanical and operating departments. This has translated into significant "challenges" during our operating year in terms of running out of water several times, having to run "backwards" because of failure to wye the car, and getting flat wheels from leaving the hand brake on while the car is moved around yards. Everybody appears to be trying hard, but nothing makes up for experience.
What have we done to NYC 3 during the past few years in terms of general maintenance and improvements? Well, even though we keep the car in excellent shape at all times, we've still been very busy with projects. One big job was in replacing the rubberized diamond plate on the platform end with steel plate. Another involved re-plumbing the brake system on the kitchen end in order to add a "conductor's" emergency brake valve in the galley. We updated the car's electronics with WIFI and a new TV that operates wirelessly via the internet and--after a sterling run of almost 20 years--we replaced one of the Microphor septic tanks. And, of course, we've added new wheel sets and "turned" the wheels periodically in order to assure their proper configuration.
Cosmetic work has also been extensive: We replaced the old lightweight brass wall lights in the lounge with magnificent heavy-duty ones (with dimmer switches) that won't "bounce and jiggle" in transit. Once done, we realized that the fine new lights highlighted imperfections in the rest of the lounge--so we brought in automobile body painters to sand and repaint the entire lounge. We've always thought the lounge was beautiful--but you should see it now! But, of course, once the lounge was painted, the staterooms and dining room didn't seem quite as fresh--so they were painted. Then the upholstery didn't seem fresh enough, so much of it was replaced....and so it went..
Lastly, I should mention that quite a few people have inquired if we are actively trying to sell NYC 3. Most of these questions come from people who have seen a very nice ad, with pirated photographs, in either the Sterling Rail classified magazine or on their website. They are a rail equipment brokerage firm of questionable ethics that has listed NYC 3 for sale without permission and despite instructions to delete the ad. (Others tell me that this is their normal modus operandi.) At any rate, the car is currently--as it has been for the last 20 years--not for sale. However, like big yachts, railroad cars are illiquid and are always for sale at the right price. So we would be stupid to rebuff an interested buyer without first hearing if they want to make an offer we can't refuse. And, it's true that I and many of our volunteers are getting long in the tooth, so we do need to begin thinking about a succession plan. Optimally, this would involve the car ending up at the Oregon Rail Heritage Foundation so that it could be united with the SP 4449 steam locomotive and other steam engines in Portland, OR, but this is not as simple an endeavor as one might think.
Once again, we thank everybody who contributes to NYC 3's continued success in any way.
Best regards,
Lovett
Lovett Smith
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| Freshly painted, but still without lettering. Car was painted on-site inside a blow-up tent, the first such application for a railroad car. It was environmentally sound, trapped all vapor and dust, and saved an expensive move to a car shop. | Are we replacing wheel sets or is NYC 3 taking off? Location is Cleveland, after a hot box due to improper application of new wheel bearings. The wheel shop still has not made good and has ignored our lawyer's letters. |