QUICK FACTS:
Builder: Budd Company, Philadelphia, PA
Build Date: 1948
Built for: Santa Fe Railway
Originally: dining car
Served on: Santa Fe system
Capacity: 40 day
Top Speed: 110 MPH
Generator: Not equipped
FEATURES:
The Passaic River is a buffet-lounge car capable of seating 8 passengers in parlor chairs, 24 passengers in six booths, and 8 more passengers in lounge seating. The nostalgic railroad environment is the perfect setting to watch the picturesque view of the passing scenery. With a kitchen equipped with an oven, freezers, and ample refrigeration, this car is perfectly outfitted for a cocktail hour or social gathering. The car features heat & air conditioning throughout. The atmosphere and amenities provided in this car will exceed your expectations for hosting a business meeting, corporate event, social gathering, or family outing. The Passaic River is fully certified by Amtrak and VIA Rail to operate anywhere the rails lead it.
HISTORY:
The Passaic River was built in 1948 as an Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway (better known as the "Santa Fe") dining car, serving all over the southwestern United States. In 1971, the car was sold to Amtrak, and later reconfigured to become buffet-lounge #3106. The Morristown & Erie Railway acquired the car in the early 2000s and renamed it Penobscot Bay, and it served until 2015 on the M&E-owned Maine Eastern Railroad along Maine's Mid-Coast region. In 2016, the car was moved to New Jersey and renamed Passaic River, and it is now operated by the Morristown & Erie Railway and based at the railroad’s private car storage facility in Whippany, NJ.