1 Car, 2 Owners & 108 Years!
Built in 1912 as a steel business car by the Pullman Company for the president of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad (The Rock Island). Officially designated as car #98, it served the Rock Island faithfully until it was sold into private ownership in 1968. Normally when we list a car for sale, it comes with a long list of previous owners. This is not the case with this amazing car, the current owners are the same people who bought it from the Rock Island in 1968. Gritty Palace has had 50 years of tender loving care and has been in continuous use since its construction in 1912. To say this car is stunning is an under statement and it really should be seen to be fully appreciated. The interior of the car is paneled in rare Honduran & Cuban Mahogany with gold inlay and the condition of the wood is superb! As you walk into the car from the observation platform, you enter into a very large lounge/dining room (original configuration). Equipped with the original lounge chairs, sofa and dining room table (has 5th leg), these two rooms create a spacious area for entertaining or just sitting back and watching the miles recede behind you. From the lounge, you enter a wood paneled hallway that takes you past two master bedrooms, a master bath with shower and a compartment (secretaries room). All bedrooms rooms are equipped with an upper & lower berth, amazing cabinetwork & brass hardware. If you look towards the ceiling in these rooms you can still see the original clerestory stained glass vents that were used before the air conditioning was installed in the 1930's. The master bath connects master bedroom "A" & "B" and has a toilet, shower, sink and the original jade porcelain tile. As you near the end of the hall you come to the General Toilet with a sink and toilet for the use of guest. As you proceed past the general toilet you enter the service hall with access to the crew room (sleeps 2), pantry & kitchen. Gritty Palace is in full operational condition and is Amtrak certified and can travel on most routes on Amtrak's national system. Some of the mechanical details include: Excellent body & roof with new paint, 40 yr truck rebuild (PC-1 & ultrasonic testing will be completed in June), current COT&S, full Head End Power, 27 pin & MU, H couplers, FRA markers, electric hot water heat (floor & OH) utilizing a locomotive Kim Hot Start unit, modern A/C condensing unit, Stadco 60 KW generator (approx. 3,900 hrs), updated rubber gasket windows (excellent for keeping water out of car), rubber diaphragms, freeze protection, approx. 300 gal fuel tank, Microphor processing tank, APEE bearings, truck mounted bushed cylinders, comp shoes, straight bar equalizer trucks, excellent thick wheels, 26-C brake valves, track lights, updated 3 phase electrical system, sleeps 8 (including 2 crew). Gritty Palace has been used for personal and family trips for the last 50 years so the interior shows no sign of wear and tear common with cars used in charter service. By now I'm sure you are wondering where the name "Gritty Palace" came from? Shortly after the purchase of the car in 1968, the owners quickly realized that if you spend the day riding the open platform you are going to get gritty. So after riding the platform and getting gritty, you are going to come into the "Palace" to take a shower...so the name "Gritty Palace was born! A unique name for a very unique car!
Q-How much does it cost to ship a passenger car by truck?
The costs involved with shipping a passenger car will vary a bit depending on the type of car and the equipment the service provider has and of course the distance it must travel. Normally a passenger car will weigh between 60-85 ton, will be approx. 85' long, ten feet wide and approx. 13-15' high sitting on it's trucks (wheel assemblies). The safest method of shipping will be to lift the car off it's trucks and set one end of the car on the back of a semi truck and the other end of the car on a set of road dollies. So basically the car would be pulled down the highway like a trailer. The trucking company will need to make a second trip to pick up the trucks and deliver them to the site before the truck arrives with the car body. It is recommended that the car be set on a short piece of track since that is how the car structure was designed. You normally can find used railroad ties at landscaping companies and for rail we suggest contacting a local railroad museum, shortline railroad or scrap yard. On an average you can expect to spend a minimum of $10,000-$15,000+. The total price will depend on the trucking company and crane companies in the area. Shipping is the responsibility of the buyer and we are more than happy to discuss the project with any service provider so that fully understand the process.
How much does it cost to ship a passenger car by rail?
If a passenger car is capable of being shipped by rail, that does not mean that is the easiest or cheaper method of transport. If the final destination is off live rail then shipping by truck (see above paragraph) will be the best option. This way you know when it will show up and an in what condition it will be in. To ship a car by rail it will need to meet all mechanical and safety standards of the Federal Railroad Administration and the interchanging railroad. In most cases we can recommend a trusted independent inspector who can do an evaluation of the car for you and perform what work needs to be done. On average the car will need to have the air brakes recertified (approx. $5,000-$8,000). And it will need to have UMLER Tags and reporting marks installed on the side of the car (approx. $250.00 - $500.00). If the car is ready to be shipped in freight service (like a box car in a train) you will need to open an account with all railroads involved in the move and get a tariff for moving a passenger on it's own wheels (we can recommend several trusted contractors who can make all the shipping arrangements for you). The railroads charge between $5.00- $15.00 per mile, often the railroads don't go directly from point A to point B so you will need to pay the total amount of mileage the car will travel to get to the final destination. It is recommend that you have the car insured before shipment ( we can recommend several carriers who specialize insuring railroad equipment).
How much does it cost to ship a car by railroad flat car?
Occasionally a passenger car can't be shipped by rail due to it's physical attributes or shipping by truck is not the best option. You can ship a car loaded on a flat car, it will need to be secured to the flat car per American Association of Railroads tie down specifications. The tariff often can be cheaper than moving a car on it's own wheels, but you will still need to pay crane costs at origin and destination and you will need to have an active siding for the car to be delivered to. Shipping by flatcar will start at approximately $10,000 and will be based on origin and destination crane cost and the rail tariff and any car rental costs.
How much does it cost to ship a car on Amtrak?
To ship a car on Amtrak the car will need to be Amtrak certified and have a current yearly PC-1 inspection. You can view the current Amtrak Tariffs and Terminal Charges with the link below.
https://www.amtrak.com/privately-owned-rail-cars
