Acoustiblok: A 1/8" closed-cell rubber accoustic insulation. Samples provided at 2012 RPCA convention.
ActiveIon: This Minnesota company manufactures hand-held "spray bottles", which turn plain tap water into a powerful cleaning solution. Because no chemicals are used, there is no residue and no environmental impact. The technology is licensed from Tennant, my employer.
Adams and Westlake, Ltd.: 940 N. Michigan St., Elkhart, IN 46514. 574-264-1141
Better known as Adlake, they supplied original-equipment end diaphragms, window frames, and interior finishing hardware for 1146. Almost alone among the original suppliers, they are still in business and the new owners are courting the museum and PV market. Their hardware casting capabilities are intact. Previous owners did away with the window sash line.
AirCraftMech.com: A private web site put together by an aircraft mechanic at Schiphol in Amsterdam. The Crimptools section has great illustrated guides on the proper use of AMP, Burndy, and Thomas & Betts crimp tools.
American Association of Private Rail Car Owners, Inc.: Better known as AAPRCO. I'm not a member, but a museum friend has been for years and has given me access to his back issues of their "Private Varnish" magazine for the technical articles. Good stuff.
ACF Industries LLC: Then known as "American Car & Foundry", they built 1146. Although they exited the passenger car market in 1959, they continue as a major supplier of freight cars, specializing in tank cars and their "CenterFlow" hopper car design.
Alcoa: The Aluminum Company of America. Of most interest to me, they make Huck brand fasteners and tooling. (Look under the Industrial menu for Huck Industrial Products.)
Alemite: Maker of lubrication fittings and delivery systems. Their "giant button-head" fitting is standard on closed-style roller bearing journal boxes. When I inquired about a new grease gun, their tech support replied "you may use a grease gun part number 500-E, unscrew from the end the regular grease coupler, attach the button head coupler (part number 304300-A)and you are ready to go. "
Allied Electronics, Inc.: An electronics supply house. I bought the components for the kitchen ceiling fan's 32vdc power supply from them.
Alpha Plastics Company: 9315 Evergreen Blvd, Coon Rapids, MN. 763-786-6940
This plastics Thermo Forming company in the Twin Cities created plastic light fixture lenses for the Minnesota Transportation Museum, based on a wooden mold provided to them.
American Public Transit Association - Standards Development Program: The American Public Transit Association has largely taken over the maintenance and upkeep of passenger car standards from the AAR. Look under Documents-->Published Standards-->PRESS for Standards and Recommended Practices for Passenger Rail Equipment. (Includes the old AAR Manual of Standards and Recommended Practices, Section A, Part III: Passenger Car Requirements, rev 1984 - which was the final revision before the AAR removed it.)
American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers: The professional association for engineers who design Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems.
American Society of Mechanical Engineers: Since much railcar repair is structural, ASME standards are often referenced.
American Welding Society: Provides welding materials specifications, welder certifications, trade shows, and other services to the welding community
AMP.: Well-known brand of electronic and electrical connectors. Their Pre-Insulated Diamond Grip ("PIDG") line of crimp-on ring terminals are specified by Amtrak. Owned by Tyco Electronics.
Amtrak: Our nation's intercity passenger rail company. For anyone restoring a private car, theirs are the highest standards to aspire to. At the 2012 RPCA tour of Beech Grove, they indicated their services are available for hire.
"Amtrak Trains & Travel" by Patrick Dorin.: Published by Superior Publishing Company in 1979. Photograph of dining room interior on page 91.
A.O. Smith: Maker of electric motors and water heaters. I've found a totally-enclosed, non-ventilated three-phase motor in their catalog which fit my needs.
APA - The Engineered Wood Association: Formerly named the American Plywood Association, they are an excellent resource for learning about engineered wood products, their characteristics and proper application techniques.
Applied Products, Inc.: My source for Ingersol-Rand "black-out punches", which are for punching out old rivets. They sell a full line of Ingersol-Rand air tools, including chipping hammers, rivet busters, and tooling.
Association of American Railroads: The AAR is THE railroad industry association. Originally formed to promote mechanical compatibility between different railroad's equipment, today the AAR provides a host of services for the entire industry, their suppliers, and their customers. For passenger car restoration, I recommend buying the current "Field Manual of the A.A.R. Interchange Rules" each year. It defines defects which repair shops may repair - and bill you for - without any further authority than the interchange rules. Look for it in the publications catalog.
ASTM International: Formerly the American Society for Testing and Materials. Steel and other metals are often sold as meeting an ASTM standard.
Automation Direct: Recommended by a friend who designs and builds industrial automation controls - and owns a few railcars. Automation Direct can provide most any electrical device a car owner needs at extremely competitive prices.
Avalon Rail: A passenger car engineering and repair firm in Milwaukee. Their site lists capabilities including: Amtrak certified repairs, spring calculations, structural repairs and modifications, mechanical and electrical, interior design and modifications, glazing and painting. A notable project was their restoration of the Burlington's "Pioneer Zephyr".
Batavia and Ohio Railway Services LLC: 1144 Nature Run Road, Batavia, OH 45103. 513-752-0211
COT&S, track inspection, locomotive service & inspection, passenger car service, inspection, restoration, storage and parts.
Cooper Bearings Inc.: 24502 Zoar RD, Georgetown, DE 19947 Phone: 302-934-1116 Fax: 302-934-1119
This is the roller bearing refurbisher used by Ringling Bros.
D. F. Barnhardt & Associates: Sales, marketing services and auctions of used freight cars, passenger cars and locomotives.
BNSF Railway: One of America's biggest railroads, and a corporate successor to the Great Northern.
Centaur Forge: Although primarily specializing in Horse shoeing products, they were recommended by a friend with several steam locomotives in his care as a good place to get rivet ovens. They've also got a good selection of anvils for blacksmiths.
Central Sales & Service, Inc.: Supplier of cleats, window gaskets and door gaskets for locomotive and transit applications, they also offer custom rubber extrusion, rubber molding, and machining services.
Century Mallet Instrument Service: Successor to J.C. Deagan. Inc., who manufactured many of the dinner chimes used by the railroads. (Typically model 206.) Century Mallet can repair old dinner chimes.
Champion Charter Sales & Service: Need Huck bolts? Alcoa is the manufacturer, and Champion Charter is the master distributor in the Twin Cities area. An Alcoa product manager recommended the C6L Lockbolt to replace 3/8" hot rivets, and the C50L Lockbolt to replace 1/2" and 3/4" hot rivets.
Champion Rivet Company: I got their contact info from the NKP 765 folks. Champion Rivet supplied their boiler rivet needs. Their railroad products include hot rivets, brake pins, knuckle pins, plunger rods, and grab iron rivets.
China Concepts: China Concepts specializes in stock, custom and reproduction china, glassware and flatware manufacturing for use in transportation. They stock reproductions of historic railroad patterns, and have tips for care of china on their site.
Coffee Creek Restoration: A blog of the restoration of Milwaukee Road Skytop Sleeper-Lounge "Coffee Creek". Previous site.
Colorado Pine Restoration: Louisville & Nashville 3462 "Plantation Pine", a Pullman 6-4-6 sleeper rennovated by Colorado Zephyrs, Inc. as a PV for hire. This is an enjoyable restoration narrative to read.
Copper Development Association: The Copper Development Association provides The Copper Tube HandBook, a 56-page PDF technical guide to copper tubing. I used it to study up before buying supplies and teaching myself to silver solder.
Comet Industries: I purchased parts for a museum caboose restoration from their parts catalog, but they have several other interesting products and services, such as AEI tag programming.
Component Hardware Group, Inc.: Manufacturer and distributor of plumbing and hardware - their catalog seems oriented towards food service. They sell stainless "Cap Strips & Dividers", manufactured by Kroh-Wagner, which looks very similar to Pyramid Snap-On moulding. Also: Kitchen cabinet and drawer pulls which are close to correct, and refrigerator door hinges.
C Vision Productions: Local railroad vidiographer with an extensive list of titles available. "Minnesota's Railroads Vol II - St Croix Valley and Northern Minnesota" includes a 10-minute segment on 1146's July 2005 move from Pine City to Rush City. Shows the Big Sky Blue side.
Dallas Terminal Railway: Also known as DALT or John's Trains, Inc. John is associated with the Age of Steam Railroad Museum in Dallas, Texas. He has posted both a want list, and a lengthy list of passenger car parts and restoration tools he's selling. DALT also manufactures a few reproduction parts.
Daniel and Henry Co.: Liability and physical damage (loss) insurance for PV owners. They have advertised in AAPRCO's "Private Varnish" magazine.
Delval Rail Car: Building 6 Suite 112, 191 South Keim Street, Pottstown, PA 19464. 610-970-0614
Locomotive and passenger car engineering, painting, truck & brake work, and Amtrak/238 compliance work.
"Dining by Rail" by James D. Porterfield.: Published by St Martin's Press in 1993. Great Northern publicity photos of passengers dining on page 70.
Discrete Wireless: A truck fleet solution for GPS tracking and reporting via the web. Handy for tracking one's rolling stock during shipping.
Dumond Chemicals Inc.: Dumond Chemicals' paint-removal products include Peel Away 7, an effective, environmentally-friendly, water-based, non-irritating paint stripper which has been praised by other restorationists I know.
DuPont: DuPont produces railroad finishes - and several other useful products. The Twin Cities' local sales rep is Thomas R. Kluver, (952) 484-3808 (cell.) Useful web search keywords are "Imron", "Corlar", and "performancecoatings".
Dynamic Metals LLC: Custom rolling of complex metal shapes. List HSLA steels (general category for Cor-Ten.) Recently acquired R.E. Jackson and J.T. Nelson, two vendors of railroad windows.
E-bay: Don't laugh. I keep an eye on category Collectibles > Transportation > Railroadiana, Trains > Hardware > Other Hardware. That's where most of the passenger car interior trim items seem to get listed. Of course I've also got some searches running. The key with E-bay seems to be to know what something is worth, deduct shipping, and let it go if others bid it up higher. My first bid is usually my top bid.
Electro-Wire, Inc: They supply Exane locomotive wiring to EMD, GE, Motive Power, MTM, and now also to ERIX RailCar.
Ellcon-National: Manufacturer of the Peacock 800 (lever) and 850 (wheel) handbrakes which are common on postwar streamlined passenger cars. They're common on locomotives as well, and are readily available.
eMachineShop.com: A friend found this: A web-based R&D prototyping outfit. Download their CAD software, design the part needed, and they provide pricing and as many as needed. Their fabrication capabilities seem extensive - may be very useful for replicating needed parts.
Enidine Inc.: 7 Centre Drive, Orchard Park, NY 14127 Phone 716-662-1900 Fax 716-662-1909
Affiliated with ITT and Koni, Enidine manufactures hydraulic telescoping (piston) and rotary shock absorbers for railroad equipment. Got an old worn-out Houdaille rotary? Enidine can make a new replacement. (Dan Pluta and Ben Ringnalda found this vendor.)
Envirotech Remediation Services, Inc.: 3000 84th Lane N.E., Blaine MN 55449-7214, 763-746-0670 (p) 763-785-9020 (f)
Recommended by the City of Minneapolis, I've hired them to handle asbestos abatement.
Evercoat: Supplier of the auto body fillers I've used most.
Fastenal Company: Retailer of industrial and construction supplies. Can usually order in oddball fasteners needed for railcar restoration.
Federal Railroad Administration: The FRA is the primary US agency which regulates railroads. Part of the Executive Branch, they enforce Congress' laws, but also make rules. These are found in the US Code of Federal Regulations, Title 49, parts 2xx. For dockets and proposed rulemaking, see http://regulations.gov
Forbo Flooring: A European company, they sell Marmoleum-brand Linoleum flooring (not rubber or vinyl,) including some with extra transmitted-noise dampening. They also sell a line of European transit carpets which are certified for use in the France-to-England "Chunnel", but as of Jan 2010 not yet certified in the US.
F&M Car and Locomotive Repair: P.O. Box 258, Atlanta, IN 46031 317-984-5655
Roger Fuehring's shop. Roger is the son of RPCA founding member Bill Fuehring.
Gateway Rail Services, Inc.: 1980 Third Street, Madison, IL 62060. 618-451-0100
Located in an Illinois suburb of St Louis, Gateway has a huge inventory of used passenger cars on site available for purchase. They also have excellent shop capabilities and have had replica "Adlake" window sash channel extruded. They purchased the assets of the former Illinois Transit Assembly Corp
General Fireproofing: General Fireproofing manufactured 1146's dining room chairs. Established in 1902, they are still in business today as GF Office Furniture.
General Signals Inc.: Said by my signaling engineer friend to be the best source of lenses anywhere. Also a good source of light bulbs in odd voltages.
GE Transportation: I used to buy window gaskets from Power Parts. They are now part of GE Transportation.
Glen-L.com: A resource for do-it-yourself boat builders, they were a first stop in educating myself about marine grade plywood.
Globe Amerada Architectural Glass LLC: Now a division of Standard Bent Glass. They provided the 3/8" FRA Type-II plastic laminate safety glazing used in 1146, as well as four of MTM's GN streamlined cars. Custom-manufactured in their Selma, Alabama facility.
Grainger: Grainger is a whole-sale supplier of industrial parts and supplies. They accept credit cards and ship to residences, but do not do retail. I had to piggy-back on a business account I'm affiliated with.
Great Lakes Railcar: I've never had the opportunity to do business, but they have some very interesting stuff on their site.
Great Northern Archive: Jon Snyder is assembling a web site focused on Great Northern streamlined passenger cars, and has done some very interesting work with two- and three-dimensional modeling programs. I look forward to watching it develop!
Great Northern Empire: Web site devoted to the history of the Great Northern Railroad. Created and maintained by Ben Ringnalda. Simply the best single source I know of for locating surviving Great Northern rolling stock and historic structures. I met Ben corresponding about surviving passenger cars.
"Great Northern's Internationals" by James H. Larson.: Reference sheet #313 published June 2003 by the Great Northern Railway Historical Society. Provides a very good overview of the service 1146 was built for, with maps, diagrams, press releases, and advertising photos.
Great Northern Railway Historical Society: A non-profit dedicated to preserving the history of the Great Northern Railway. Of particular interest to me is their large collection of GN AFEs. (AFEs are "Authorities for Expenditure" - documents of purpose, plan, and estimated cost - which were required before any capital expenditure could be approved.)
Groupe PRELCO: Canadian glass manufacturer. They make FRA Type-II windows of glass, not plastic, with a stick-on plastic sheet to capture splinters. Look under transporation glass-->railroad
Guild of Master Craftsmen Publications Ltd.: A publisher of craft specialty literature, I found useful data in their "Wood Identification & Use" book. Their upholstery books may also come in handy.
Hadady Corporation: Their Rail Products include brake pins and bushings once offered by EX-CELL-O. Their market niche is metal, rubber and plastic locomotive truck accessories.
Hank's Specialties: Hank's is an upper-midwest distributor of floor covering supplies and tools, with sixteen stores concentrated in Iowa and Minnesota. A friend has gotten good adhesive remover here, for removing the Amtrak carpet glue from the walls.
Hanson Rivet: I've found steel drive rivets in their catalog, which can duplicate hot rivets in appearance once painted, for use when only one side is accessible.
Harbor Freight Tools: Retail vendor of tools. They usually have a wide assortment of hand and power tools, in categories one wouldn't normally find in retail, for good prices. I'm not yet a customer so cannot speak to their quality.
Heritage Rail Business Consulting: (888) 567-RAIL
From their site: "Heritage Rail Business Consulting helps tourist railroads, railway museums, and private railcar owners make more money to 'keep the trains running'".
Heywood-Wakefield: Heywood-Wakefield gained fame in the streamlined passenger car era with their anatomically-engineered "Good Form" coach seats. (Such as found in 1146.) The modern company is the result of a 1992 aquisition of the name and logo of the bankrupt company, and does not appear to serve the transportation industry.
HMBD Insurance Services: 800-272-4594
HMBD has had a vendor booth at RPCA conventions. They are members of ASLRRA, TRAIN, ARM, NRC, RPCA, and NRHS.
Hockenbergs Food Service Equipment and Supply Co: The only restaurant supply wholesaler in the Twin Cities who will sell to anyone. They have a good selection, great prices, vendor catalogs, and design services.
Hillcrest Enterprises, Inc.: 11092 Air Park Road, Ashland, VA 23005 Phone 804-798-8390 Fax 804-752-7830
On-line outlet for Pyle-National Quelarc plugs & recepticles (208 shore power connectors) and Ralco plugs & recepticles (Waukesha Ice Engine & Enginator control connectors.) I've not done business with them yet, but I'm definitely adding them to this list.
Interlube Corporation: Discovered by a friend, Interlube offers over twenty railroad-specialty lubricants, including Journal Oil, roller bearing grease, brake valve oil, and steam and diesel locomotive lubricants
International Rail Industry Standard: IRIS is an internaltional vendor quality certification, which links with ISO 9001. Their Certified Companies list includes 400 vendors, and is growing.
Jay-Cee Sales & Rivet Inc.: I got their contact info from the NKP 765 group, who bought their structural-grade rivets here. I've also found steel drive rivets in their catalog, which can duplicate hot rivets in appearance once painted, for use when only one side is accessible.
JFS Railcar: A broker for used freight cars, passenger cars and locomotives.
Johnson Controls: Manufacturers of the System 350 environmental controls, used on my Northwest Rail Electric control panel.
John W. Barringer III National Railroad Library: Part of the St. Louis Mercantile Library of the University of Missouri - St Louis, they hold the ACF Industries Archives collection. For 1146, they were able to provide the Bill of Materials and the builder's photos. Gregory P. Ames is the curator. 314-516-7247.
Kano Labs: Makers of penetrating oils, industrial lubricants, rust protection/removal products, and engine cleaners. Many swear by their "Kroil" penetrating oil. They sell direct on their web site.
Kelly Industrial Coatings: Distributor of Dupont Imron paints. Specializes in the railroad industry. I suspect that BNSF has them as a vendor.
Ken's Railroad Chili: Chili seasoning - made to a railroader's own recipe - sold to raise funds for restoring Milwaukee Road Dynamometer car X-5000.
Kor-Pak: Manufacturer of primarily truck components: Anti-friction center bowl liners, rubber parts, Fabreeka pads, and Manganese Steel wear liners. They have managed to cross-reference many of the old Power-Parts part numbers. They are also able to custom-manufacture in rubber, steel, Fabreeka and graphite-impregnated Phenolic.
Koshi Maxelum America, Inc.: Supplies metal-plywood (Plymetal) and metal-honeycomb core laminated products to the transit/railcar construction industry. Can do custom work. Recommended by a car owner who inspects new railcars at the factory on the buyer's behalf.
Kroh-Wagner Inc.: Manufacturer of stainless snap-on moulding. For small lots, they recommended purchasing through Component Hardware Group, Inc. Inquiries to sales@krohwagner.com, or 773-252-2031.
Laird Plastics: A large plastics supplier with offices all over the United States. While I haven't done business with them myself, a friend says he's found Margard FRA type-II window glazing there.
Lake Superior Companies, Inc.: My friend - and fellow car owner - Mark Arnold, has a business doing industrial controls and fabrication. I've seen an electrical cabinet he installed in a passenger car, and was quite impressed. His company has three divisions:
*Lake Superior Electric & Controls, UL listed control assemblies and licenced as an electrical contractor in 7 states.
*Lake Superior Precision, precision cutting offering waterjet and plasma. Also light machining, MIG/TIG welding and machine fabrication.
*Lake Superior Rail, railroad passenger car leasing and light to medium car modification and rebuilding.
Lake Superior Railroad Museum: Cool railroad museum in Duluth Minnesota. They own Great Northern coaches 1115 and 1116 (a.k.a. BN A-13 and A-14) which were built by ACF along side 1146, on the same order, for the same train. The cars share many construction blueprints.
Lancaster and Chester Railway: A shortline with a luxury railcar rebuilding division, which apparently started with their J. Pinckney Henderson. Their site lists heavy overhaul, running gear repairs, interior design, renovation and construction, woodworking, painting, and stainless steel fabrication among their capabilities.
Logan Corporation: My old window gasket supplier was bought up by a larger company. I'm told Logan Corporation is now the best bet. Try the Locomotive Parts contact in Huntington, WV.
Luminator: Communication and lighting products for the transportation industry since 1934.
Mafelec: French supplier of switches and indicators for harsh environments.
W.P.&R.S. Mars Co.: A locally-based on-line shop supply company. I bought glass bead blast media from them.
MassTransit Magazine: Geared towards mass transit agencies, this publication's on-line site has some good supplier directories.
The MasterSeries Coating Line: Contributed by a reader: "This guy used to work for POR15 and then he started his own company. His primer uses Al-oxide flakes to block air and water better than POR15. It is also self-building/leveling for pitted jobs. My customer in Mpls who is an avid VW bug restorer has used both and prefers this over POR15. I have used in a little bit with good results and plan to prime/paint the car's metal roof with it."
Mavo Systems: Local abatement company who removed all the under-car steam heat in one day. They did excellent work.
McMaster-Carr Supply Company: 600 N County Line Rd. Elmhurst, IL 60126-2081 (630) 833-0300
Mail-order supplier of industrial plant maintenance supplies.
McNichols Co.: Manufactures pressed- and expanded-metal stair tread, planks and rungs. Their TRACTION TREAD (tm) has the correct pattern for the fixed steps applied by the Great Northern.
Metro Moulded Parts, Inc.: Custom and hard-to-find weatherstriping for automotive restoration.
Mid Atlantic Rail Car: Mid Atlantic Rail Car has a large variety of light weight passenger railroad car parts - 20 to 30 trailer loads - mostly from the Long Island Railroad and New Jersey Transit. Ken Bitten: 410-336-1605 (phone) or 717-993-5055 (fax). Inquiries welcome.
Mid-Continent Railway Museum: Located in North Freedom, Wisconsin. One of their claims to fame is that they still use steam heat in their passenger cars.
Miller: My favorite brand of electric welding equipment.
Minnesota Historical Society: The official historical society of the state of Minnesota. Because the Great Northern and Northern Pacific railroads were headquartered in St. Paul, the MHS ended up with the bulk of their old business records.
Minnesota Transportation Museum: The museum where I first got into passenger car restoration, and still work twelve to fifteen hours two or three Saturdays a month. They currently own nine Great Northern passenger cars, five of which are operating.
Minnesota Woodworkers Guild: The Minnesota Woodworkers Guild. As I get more into the wood aspects of restoration (plywood products for floor and interior walls) I intend to check these guys out.
Midway Auto Supply: A decent source for tools and supplies, with a focus on automotive repair.
Mississippi Welders Supply: A good welding supply company close to home.
Monad Railway Equipment: Based in California, they specialize in providing rolling stock to the movie industry. However, they do have an inventory of used passenger car parts.
Moorhead Machinery and Boiler Co.: 3477 University Avenue N.E., Minneapolis, MN 55418
When MTM's steam loco NP 328 was operating, Moorhead supplied flues and handled boiler welding. Recently, they formed skirts for GN 1213 in their slip rolls.
Morton Manufacturing Company: In years past, they made the step boxes and diaphragm curtains. Now they concentrate on punched- and expanded-metal anti-slip floor materials, and can do custom work. Probably a good source of vestibule steps.
Museum of Transportation: This famous museum is also the custodian of American Car and Foundry's old construction blueprints. For not much more than the cost of duplicating, they were able to provide me with a complete set of drawings for 1146.
NAPA: This auto parts store is a convenient source of tubing fitings, gasket material, engine hose, and paint.
National Coatings and Supplies: 1166 S. Robert Street, W. St. Paul, MN 55118 651-645-0481
Formerly GT Parts & Paint Company, later CARQUEST Automotive Finishes. They sell DuPont Imron and DuPont Nason paint, and other fine automotive finishing products. They mix on site, and have been able to translate 1950's DuPont Dulux paint codes to the current paint bases. I hear they can also load spray cans with custom-mixed colors.
Newark: A large electronics supply house. They seem to have everything in stock, and accept credit card orders over the web. Good shipping.
North Second Street Steel Supply: A large streel supply house in Minneapolis. They can get COR-TEN.
Northwest Rail Electric: The only supplier I know of who can provide engineering and materials to convert a passenger car from DC and steam heat to brand-new, fully Amtrak-approved heating, ventilating, air conditioning, and lighting with an optional integrated standy-by generator. They built the electric controls which ended up in 1146.
Northwest Timber: An Oregon-based retailer specializing in "the finest highly-figured domestic exotic hardwoods" including Oregon Myrtlewood, which is used for the dining room's bas-relief carvings.
NRE Wheel Works Inc.: 5300A North 33rd Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53209 Phone: (414) 462-8244 (phone) Fax: (414) 462-8231
Wheel shop used by the Milwaukee 261 group.
Olsen Chain & Cable: 7225 Washington Ave S, Edina, MN 55439 952-944-7678 800-328-1906
I bought new hand brake chain from them. They stock a large variety of chains and cables, as well as links, binders, etc.
OMR Parts: Railroad parts exchange list owned by John Suscheck.
OnlineComponents.com: MTM has used this vendor for AMP PIDG crimp lugs. They had better prices than others.
ORX: One Park Avenue, Tipton, Pennsylvania 16684 (814) 684-8484 (phone) (814) 684-8400 (fax)
Recommended by several Amtrak car inspectors as a vendor who can build or recondition passenger car wheel sets.
OTC Tools: Now a division of SPX, the former Owatonna Tool Company of Owatonna, Minnesota makes a decent, ergonomic impact screwdriver which I like. (Model 4607.) OTC should be famous among preservationists for preserving the Owatonna depot and that 2-4-4T Forney Chicago commuter engine, Illinois Central 201
Oxygen Service Company: A good, full-service welding supply store in St Paul
Ozark Mountain Railcar: Railroad equipment brokerage owned by John Suscheck.
Ozark Rail Logistics LLC: 1144 Nature Run Road, Batavia, OH 45103. 513-752-0211
"A non-asset based logistics company specializing in providing transportation services ... inspections, COT&S, AEI tag installation, equipment escort services."
Parker-Hannifin Corporation - Tube Fittings Division: Manufacturer of a wide array of tube fittings. Their customer support folks were very helpful in locating a local retailer of a particularly hard-to-find fitting.
"The Passenger Car Library - Volume 3 - Western Railroads" by W. David Randall.: Published by RPC Publications Inc. in 2000. Plan and builder's photos on pages 10-12.
Pittsburgh Air Brake Co., Inc.: 33 B Sycamore Street, Carnegie, PA 15106. 412-278-1833
PABCO's core business is servicing passenger car brake valves and obsolete freight car brake valves. They also developed, and recently acquired, the RPCA's Air Brake certification classes. Owner Bill Jubeck and his son Mike also manage the RPCA test equipment pool.
The Pocket List of Railroad Officials: Published quarterly. The pocket list is a directory of officials of railroads, transit agencies, and suppliers. It has served the industry since 1895.
POR-15 Rust Preventive Paint: This stuff is awesome. It's absolutely the best rust-preventive, rust-converting paint I've ever met. In the Twin Cities, I get it at Welle Auto on Central Ave. in Minneapolis.
Potters Industries Inc.: Manufacturers of glass bead for abrasive blasting, and other fine engineered glass materials.
Precision Gasket Company: Custom-manufactured the window gasket used in 1146 with the 3/8" single-pane glazing. It came from a 5000' lot done for MTM back in the mid-90's.
Prime Panels, Inc.: Manufactures wall panels clad with durable, sanitary finishes. Their products include potential replacements for Plymetal (Aluminum-clad plywood.)
Progressive Railroading: A well-known railroad industry magazine.
Pyle-National: Pyle-National manufactured railroad lighting, electrical and connector products for decades. In 1963 Trans-Lite purchased their locomotive headlight, generator, and gyralite products. (At some point they also picked up their passenger car light fixtures.) In 1994 Pyle-National was purchased by Amphenol. In 1996, Amphenol merged them with new purchase Sine. Initially named Amphenol Sine Systems * Pyle Connectors Corporation, they have recently been restructured into cable assembly (Amphenol Sine Systems) and connector (Amphenol Pyle-National) business units. For railroad connectors, see "Rail Mass Transit" under "Markets Supported."
RailFonts.com: Ben Coifman's RailFonts.com. Ben volunteered at the Minnesota Transportation Museum back in the 1990's, and got started making computer versions of railroad fonts around the time MTM was repainting some cars. Today he has an extensive selection of specialty railroad fonts.
Railinc: Railinc is the data processing arm of the AAR. They are the folks who can set up reporting marks for equipment owners, and they run the railroad industry's rolling stock database. ("EMIS" - the Equipment Management Information Service, and its predecessor "UMLER" - the Uniform Machine-Language Equipment Register.) Most class one railroads these days insist that car owners have legitimate reporting marks, and that the rolling stock and its physical characteristics are properly entered in the database. It is good for the private car owner, because setting certain fields can protect the rolling stock or prevent unnecessary repairs.
Rail Merchants International: A broker of used passenger cars, cabooses, locomotives and MOW equipment. They own a yard in Iowa where much of the inventory is stored.
RailSwap: A web site for buying and selling used railroad equipment, tools, and parts. I've found a few things I needed, and gotten some good response to my want ads.
Railroad Car Owners Group: A Yahoo! discussion group for passenger rail car owners.
Railroad Passenger Car Alliance: Memberships offers networking opportunities, education programs (including FRA-mandated air brake certification,) group liability and property insurance, and access to their reporting mark RPCX.
Railway Age Magazine: Railway Age is an industry publication that has been going since the 1870's at least. Check university libraries for back issues - they are a wonderful source of period news, reviews, techical data and advertising.
Railway Equipment Co.: Manufacturer of railway crossing and switch accessories. They built my "Cragg RailCharger" on-board battery charger.
"The Railway Passenger Car Annual/Volume V 1980-1981" by W. David Randall.: Published by RPC Publications Inc. in 1980. Provides Amtrak roster information around the time 1146/8401 was retired.
Rockler Woodworking and Hardware: A local woodworker's specialty store, which I visit for supplies, tools and reference materials.
Roettger Welding: A local welding shop in Bayport, MN. They chiefly do custom weldments, but have an 8' shear and brake, as well as a 4' slip roll capable of 1/8" sheet.
R.P.C. Publications, Inc.: P.O. Box 503, Alton, Illinois 62002 618-465-5513
RPC has published many excellent histories and equipment rosters of streamlined passenger cars. Several of their publications have informed this web site.
S&M Air Tool Service: This very helpful shop repairs Huck tools, sells refurbished Huck tools - the inventory changes constantly, and sells Huck fasteners.
Sani-Tred: Contributed by a reader: "They make a "Permaflex" urethane waterproof compound that will adhere to less than ideally prepped surfaces, which is what we had. It was designed for metal roofs. They also make a calk called "Liquid Rubber Base" which can fill gaps, spaces, etc. like caulk. We have found nothing else that will seal the roof like this stuff. It is unbelievable how well it works. It literally saved our car from incessent roof leaks. Not cheap, but worth every penny too."
Sears - Craftsman Tools: I'm an enthusiastic user of Sears Craftsman hand tools. They're well-made, readily available at odd hours, and their lifetime guarantee has proven useful more than once.
SEI Chemical: Contributed by a reader: "They make some really interesting graffiti-proof coatings, super strong/durable clear coats (anti-graffiti), rust removers, paint removers, 5 yr no-prep corrosion inhibitors when stuff is just rusting outside, etc. Warning: not cheap stuff! "
Seven Corners Hardware: 216 West 7th Street, St Paul, MN 55102 651-224-4859 800-328-0457
Located near the Xcel Energy Center in St Paul, this is one of the largest general hardware stores I've ever been in. The easiest way to shop is to ask a sales rep to help find things - there is that much stuff in the store.
Simmons-Boardman Books: Simmons-Boardman has been publishing books intended for the railroad industry for decades. The wonderful Car and Locomotive Cyclopedias are theirs, for example. They also publish the Federal laws (49 CFR) governing railroads in handy pocket-sized spiral-bound editions. For passenger car restoration, the green one (Passenger-related parts 238 and 239) and the red one (Railroad mechanical department regulations, including parts 210, 215-218, 221, 223, 225, 229, 231 and 232) are essential.
Softrail: Formerly Signal Computer Consultants, Softrail specializes in AEI tag programming, programmers, readers and software. They provided the AEI tags for 1146.
Southco: Southco is the original equipment manufacturer of the screw-like fasteners in rooftop vents, and the quarter-turn fasteners in interior ceiling air diffusion grids.
Southeast Railroad Supply Company: Of interested to passenger car owners, their line includes rubber coil spring pads and freight car brake pins.
Special Metals Corporation: 1146's kitchen floor is Monel metal sheet. Monel was invented by International Nickel Corporation (INCO) in 1901. In 1998, Special Metals Corporation acquired the rights.
Stadco Generators: Stadco packages Deutz diesels in quiet, ready-to-mount enclosures which are engineered for the very hostile environment under a railroad car. I aspire to get one of these.
Stanley-Proto Tools: Manufacturs tools under the Stanley, Proto, and Blackhawk brand names. For loosening stuck screws, their impact driver bits (5/16" hex) seem wonderfully durable. Search for kit J7099A to list available bits.
StarTrak: 102 Morris Ave., Boonton, NJ 07003
Raymond Clauss of NYC "Hickory Creek" restoration fame is the sole proprieter. He offers an array of passenger car restoration services.
St Nicholas Mountain: Web site devoted to the history and restoration of Great Northern 1291, the "St Nicholas Mountain", an observation-lounge built by ACF for the 1951 edition of the Empire Builder. Ben Ringnalda is the owner and restorer. I got to come along and offer my mechanical opinion when he bought it, and he pointed me towards some great ACF archives.
Stork Twin City Testing: Materials testing company with locations all over the United States and Europe. They analyzed steel samples for me to determine the alloy composition.
Strato: Strato manufactures and sells everything necessary for brake pipe repairs, including flange fittings, socket-weld fittings, quick-connect brake cylinder pressure gauges, dummy couplings, hoses, and gladhands.
Streamline Technologies: Stephen Dick, 505-553-5192, Sd75t@hotmail.com
Structural engineering and repair services
Striegel Supply: Discovered by a friend, Striegel offers parts supplies and services for diesel engines from Alco, GM, Hamilton, Baldwin, Cleveland, Cooper-Bessemer, EMD, Waukesha, Fairbanks-Morse, and GE. They also service American Bosch and EMD injectors, Woodward governors, and turbochargers from Alco, EMD, GE and Buchi.
Super Radiator Coils: A radiator/heat transfer coil manufacturer, with custom design capabilities and plants in Phoenix, Arizona; Chaska, Minnesota; and Richmond, Virginia. They have advertised replacement coils for existing passenger car systems in AAPRCO's "Private Varnish" magazine.
Timken: Timken is one of the oldest and most prolific supplier of railroad roller bearings. In their AP line of journal bearings, model EE is intended for passenger cars. Amtrak and most commuter agencies use AP-EE bearings.
Timken Rail Bearing Service Co.: 2122 Holston Bend Drive, Mascot, TN 37806-1523 (Knoxville Metro Area) Phone: (865) 932-5750
Recommended for roller bearing reconditioning.
Total Tool: 315 Pierce St N, St Paul, MN 55104 651-646-4055 800-444-4899
One of my favorite contractor-grade tool and safety equipment stores. They carry a large inventory, rent expensive but rarely-used tools (such as large electrical lug crimpers,) and have a tool repair service. To date, they're the only place I've found the Sprayon dry molybdenum lubricant which a local short line's CMO recommended for lubricating coupler knuckle parts.
TrainWeb.com: A rail-related directory. All interests - not just passenger cars.
Trans-Lite: As several railroad light fixture suppliers (Pyle-National, Safety, etc.) were exiting the railroad market, Trans-Lite was there to purchase the product lines. They still have some globes and even some new castings for light fixture designs which are now over half a century old.
Transquip: Supplier of reproduction uniforms for operating personnel.
Trans-Texas Rail Shop: 203 Bexar Ave, Elmendorf, TX 78112 (210) 224-9120
Founded in 1996, they repair freight and passenger cars. Listed clients include UP, CSX, NS, CN, Amtrak and Arizona Railway Museum's PV "Vista Valley". The proprieter, Harold T. Schroeder, started on the SP RIP track in 1951. Listed in AAPRCO's "Private Varnish" magazine, issue 123.
Twin City Janitor Supply: A friend has gotten good cleaning supplies here, including disinfectants to kill surface mold growth.
United Surface Preparation: An upper-midwest supplier of media-blasting equipment. Recommended by a friend.
Union Pacific Railroad: Corporate successor to several Minnesota railroads, including the Chicago and North Western, Chicago Great Western, Omaha, and the Minneapolis and St Louis; and current owner of most former Rock Island trackage.
UTC RAS: 501 Highland Avenue, Morton, PA 19070. 610-328-1100
AAR M-1003 and ISO 9002 wheel, bearing, truck and transmission shop. They have had a booth a RPCA conferences.
Vergara Studio: While Cesar Vergara's services are probably not something an individual car owner could use (unless one is having a new PV built,) it's wonderful that someone is carrying on the industrial design tradition of Dreyfuss, Loewy and others.
Vesconite Bearings: They advertise Vesconite as "a premium polymer alloy with internal lubricants." Based in South Africa - not sure what track record they have in the United States.
Viking Electric Supply: A good electrical contractor supply house, with several sites in the Twin Cities area. They were able to order odd-ball Kulka fluorescent light fixture parts, so that I could completely rewire 1146's light fixtures and eliminate problems with bad/dirty contacts.
Wabtec Corporation: Several of the main suppliers who equipped 1146 survive today as business units within Wabtec. I've personally purchased air brake parts, toilets, and window gaskets from them, but they produce and sell much more.
WAGO: WAGO invented a spring-cage wire clamp, which they produce in a dizzying array of DIN-rail mount products. Their stuff is approved for use in railroad signaling applications, but I'm not sure if its approved for transit or Amtrak use.
D. A. Walmsley Railway Equipment Sales: A Canadian seller of railway antiques and artifacts, including foodservice items, light fixtures, and other interior hardware.
Walter: A supplier of welding products. I discovered their "Stainless Clean" chemical stainless-steel cleaning and brightening gel. It does a better job than other products I've tried, and can be used in food plants.
Wasatch Railroad Contractors: Primarily a steam restoration shop, Wasatch has also converted passenger cars with UC brakes to ABDX to reduce maintenance costs. They have also trucked passenger cars over the road, repaired broken cast iron parts, provided first responder training, and brokered rail equipment sales.
Welle Auto Supply: 4801 Central Ave NE, Minneapolis, MN 55421 763-571-2734
The only POR-15 distributor in the Twin Cities. They also carry many other fine automotive finishing products.
Western Safety: A safety equipment supplier with a good representation of railroad products.
Williams Steel & Hardware: Another steel & fasteners supplier in Minneapolis
Yacht Linens: Bedding, table cloths, and custom monogramming for yachts, private planes and rail cars.
"Zephyrs, Chiefs and Other Orphans" by Fred W. Frailey.: Published by RPC Publications Inc. in 1977. Includes Amtrak car assignments through February 1976.
Zurich in North America: Insurance provider.

See Also