Eureka and Rail camp

I saw on another thread that there was some discussion about the use of the railcamp. For all the reasons mentioned in that thread there do seem to be logistical problems with its original purpose. I would think that is why it has not seen any service lately.....except when Eureka pulled it during Railfest 2009. I believe the D&S people have used it for some of their purposes associated with the railroad.

For our needs it worked out very well. Ditty and I used it in Silverton when Eureka was there, and then I used it after Railfest when our crew overnighted it in Tacoma. The rail camp proved very handy for me because I could stay near Eureka during the night, keep the fire up and do servicing without having to run all over the place. Also, it is fairly light compared to some of the other rolling stock Eureka has had to pull around that is full of steel, so it fit well in our little consist.

The rail camp itself it really pretty neat, but the use for which it was originally built now seem quite limited. It still has a purpose though, and I guess we were just the latest example of how it may be used in the future. Maybe someday the D&S or the C&TS will come up with another type of car that is more suited for rental by the public. One suggestion would be to make the bunks longer, improve the lighting. The flourescent lights give it a very eery feeling late at night. Also, a a new car should be bear proofed. Any bear smelling dinner or breakfast at the camp does not have much of a problem getting in the current car. A longer box car would be needed and probably have it reenforced with steel sills so that it can be carried anywhere in the train.

Anyway, staying in it was convenient and fun!

Dan