ATSF Car

Listed on this site: http://www.azrymuseum.org/roster/roster.html

Delivered by the Budd Company as AT&SF 52-seat coach 3079 the car was one of 30 (3072-3101) ordered by the Santa Fe Railway in February of 1937. Built in lot 977 the cars were delivered from July through October of the same year. All were placed in service on the Scout. Coach 3079 was among the 29 cars sold to NJDOT in 1969 and it was reconfigured to seat 84 commuters.

NJ Transit donated the coach to the United Railways Historical Societies of New Jersey. Mr. John McMath bought the car in 1991. Mr. McMath configured the car for personal use and renamed it Coco Grove. He stripped out the coach interior and installed 4 bedrooms, kitchen, small dining area and a solarium lounge at the vestibule end. In 1996 the car met the requirements for Amtrak service and has continued to be mechanically certified. The car is the oldest Amtrak certified and operable Budd built car in the country.

Mr. McMath donated the car to the Arizona Railway Museum April 28, 2005 at 10:20 AM on track 18 at Washington DC Union Station. Bart & Jane Barton accepted the keys and accompanied the car as far as Tucson. The car was delivered to the museum by the Union Pacific on Monday May 9, 2005.

This car has been in Kansas City for the last few days. I thought it looked like one of the earlier ATSF coaches. It is from the NJDOT? This could have been one of those coaches pulled in an Erie Lackawanna commuter train!