Restoration work to begin on exterior of ‘French Broad River’ Pullman car

Restoration work on the French Broad River Pullman car is scheduled to begin this week.

Corbin Tourism Director Maggy Monhollen said the tourism commission has unanimously approved a motion to have the exterior of the car on display outside the old railroad depot sandblasted.

In addition, the roof will be repainted, the car will be relettered, and the window seals will be redone.

“There is no timeframe for the interior,” Monhollen said noting that there are plans to restore the car to make it historically accurate.

According to railroad historian Ron Flanary and Cincinnati Museum Center Registrar Jennifer Jensen, the French Broad River is a ten roomette and six double bedroom sleeper car built by the Pullman-Standard Manufacturing Co. in 1949 for the Cincinnati, New Orleans & Texas & Pacific Railroad Company (CNO&TP), a lessee of Cincinnati Southern. Pullman operated the car on the Southern until about 1969, when the remaining sleeping car functions were handed back to the railroad companies still using them. (Jennifer Jensen, CMC)

Since Southern did not initially join Amtrak in 1971, the car continued in service (normally on the Southern Crescent, trains 1 and 2, between New York and New Orleans) until 1979, when Southern decided to join Amtrak and relinquish operation of its remaining train. Southern Railway acquired 72 cars from Pullman Standard between 1949 and 1950.  Twenty four of those cars were configured as 10-6 sleepers, meaning that they had 10 roomettes and 6 double bedrooms. These cars were placed into what they called the River series, appropriately named after prominent rivers alongside their service territory.

#3401, named French Broad River, was assigned to the subsidiary CNO&TP for service on the Royal Palm.  The streamlined sleepers hauled passengers from points between Cincinnati and Miami.  After her time at the Southern Railway, French Broad River was assigned to Amtrak in 1979, operating as #2862.  It appears that she was retired in 1982 and sold to Railway Exposition Company in Latonia, KY (which would later become the Railway Museum of Greater Cincinnati).  She would be acquired by the Cincinnati Museum Center but remain at the yard in Latonia.

On Sept. 22, 2015, the Corbin CSX Terminal donated 100 foot of track panel for the French Broad to be placed on for static display. With the help of J. Hall, Inc and the assistance and expertise of the Corbin Public Works Department, the site was prepared for the track panel. After correspondence and requests for sponsorship, TTX Corporation donated the railcar, and CSX Corp donated the transport of the car from Latonia, KY to Corbin, KY. She arrived in Corbin on Oct. 16, 2015 and on November 11, 2015, with the help of J. Hall Inc and Corbin CSX staff, the French Broad River was placed in her final resting place for static display beside the Corbin Rail Museum.

Monhollen said restoration of the French Broad River is part of the ongoing effort to establish the Corbin Rail Museum.