ff Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Can anyone tell us in what year these services
> were discontinued? Also what happened to these
> beautiful cars? Can anyone produce a menu from
> their diners? CERA June 1939 ran a fan spl
> and published on that occasion that there were
> three parlor cars?? What was the 3rd one? A
> picture of it?? Also why did they acquire
> the diner "Duneland"? When and for what was it
> used? Is it still on the roster? Thanks

Here is some general info on the South Shore Parlor Cars, Fred...

CSS&SB control trailer 353 at Gary, Indiana on February 16, 1964, photo by Chuck Zeiler. Built by Standard Steel Car Company in 1929, this was one of four parlor cars built for the South Shore. The first two, 351 and 352, were built by Pullman and were heavier (111,400 pounds) and required a pair of six-wheel trucks. The second two, 353 and 354 were lighter (92,350 pounds) and used the South Shore's then standard Baldwin 84-60AA trucks without traction motors. As built there were 24 individual seats availble for 50 cents over the regular fare, no controls and the end windows at both ends were considerably larger, going almost to the floor. The parlor cars were generally at the end of Limiteds which also included dining cars. By 1937 the demand for parlor car service had all but vanished and the two Standard Steel parlor cars were converted to control trailer coaches with 56 seats.

1927
February 20th - Dining and Parlor Car service started. Three Diners and two Parlor car trips each way per day. Total of 70 trains including 40 limited.

1932
1.5 million passengers, but 80 trains daily including 11 Dining/Parlor car trips.
Spring - Dining and Parlor Car service halted.

Re: Hiram and Duneland Cars
./viewtopic.php?p=575073&sid=8738bcf6f087601622c530bfb7393775 - p575073./viewtopic.php?p=575073&sid=8738bcf6f087601622c530bfb7393775 - p575073by Mitch » Thu Sep 04, 2008 7:01 pm
Hiram was a business car, ex NYC, that was owned by a guy that leased it to the South Shore in them crazy Venango days. The trade was car work and paint in exchange for usage. "Duneland" was a CN diner that was aquired in a dubious manner from its owner.

I gave the "Duneland" its name. In one of the more whack-a-doo schemes of the Venango era came the notion that a dinner train should be operated. Daily, right in the middle of the rush hour. But that's a whole 'nuther story.

In the scheme the line would have these diners and they were to have names, of course. Duneland was the first to be painted and lettered. Memos, directives, and meetings were held on what to name the diners. "Chief Calumet," "Sam Insull," and the ever popular "Spirit of The Shore," were bandied about. The car was ready for lettering but nobody, and I mean nobody could settle on a name. So I did. This was when I was the art and advertising director.

I had the Shops send me some strips of maroon decal fabric. This was the stuff a glibb salesman sold us for putting the stripes on the 2000 and 2001 when we put them in orange paint. I just happened to have a set of orange car letterboard decals (the full-sized ones) and I went to work. Not wanting to spend to much time on this I decided on the name "Duneland." That sounded OK to me. So I took tracing paper to the letterboard decals and traced letters until I had the name. I retraced them onto the decal fabric and outlined them with a juicy black magic marker. I cut the letters out with an exacto knife very carefully. I placed them in an envelope and sent them off to The Shops with a note that read, "Lettering for dining car "Duneland." Apply centered on the car body, same height as road numbers. Two days later we had the diner "Duneland."

Everyone else thought that someone else ordered the name. I said nothing.
Mitch

Pullman Car & Manufacturing Co. 16-seat parlor-observation-buffet trailer 1927 351-352 Originally 20 fixed chairs; rebuilt with 16 rotating chairs in 1929; rebuilt as coaches in 1942

Standard Steel 56-seat coach trailer 1938–39 353–354 Rebuilt from parlors built in 1929.


Cheers.

KRK