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 ant to start your own business? As any successful entrepreneur will advise, find an unmet need—and fill it.
That's what motivated Tom Rader. Having introducing domed railcars in Alaska between Anchorage, Denali, and Fairbanks (an instantly popular alternative to bus tours the other tour companies and cruise lines were offering), Rader—owner at the time of Tour Alaska—set up facilities to repair and rebuild the vintage domes he had purchased for the Alaska tour train. Eventually he sold Tour Alaska, and began repairing and maintaining domes for other companies.
During a telephone interview for our first PTJ column, Sylvia asked Rader, "Have any journalists ever toured the Colorado Railcar Manufacturing plant and written about it?"
"No, but if you'd like to, I'll be glad to give you a tour," he replied.
We arrived in Denver on October 27, 2006, in grand style, aboard the former American Orient Express, which Rader purchased in May and renamed the GrandLuxe Express. We, along with other longtime rail-travel professionals (such as fellow PTJ columnist Karl Zimmermann, Eleanor and Owen Hardy of the International Railway Traveler, and Cole Dannewitz of Vacations by Rail), as well as a group of "Golden Rail" past passengers, were treated to a rare behind-the-scenes look at the CRM facility in nearby Fort Lupton. (Carl Fowler of the Rail Travel Center,
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ABOVE: Colorado Railcar's Tom Janaky waves from the mezzanine of the upper
level of the full-length double-deck lounge during the Blishak's visit
to the company facility on November 6, 2006 -- SYLVIA BLISHAK BELOW: This is the view from the upper level of the same car, which is destined to be the mid-train lounge on one of the Grand Luxe Express trainsets. The view looks down from the mezzanine to the car's main level, which features a dance floor complete with baby grand piano. CRC's first cars of this type, with their signature wraparound glass roof, were built from retired SP double-deck commuter coaches built by Pullman-Standard in the 1950s.—GRANDLUXE RAIL
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also having arrived on the GLE, stated afterward that the tour was, "The most interesting half hour I've spent in the last ten years!")
CRM will now add keeping Rader's GrandLuxe Express in tip-top condition to its other responsibilities. The plant employs more than 200 individuals: 38 are engineers, designers and draftsmen. There are no cranes inside the building, but a number of lift trucks. The plant is spanking clean, and has an earplug dispenser on the wall.
There are about a dozen railcars in various stages of completion or restoration inside the plant, including new equipment for the Federal Railway Administration (FRA), Diesel Multiple Units (DMUs) for commuter service in Florida, and double-deck domes for tourist trains. There are many more outside, including several AOE cars—even a traditional round-end observation car with a short dome—that are scheduled for restoration.
Both Tom Rader and Tom Janaky were on hand to show us around. Tom Janaky was vice president-sales at Rader's Tour Alaska for 10 years, and is now vice president of sales and marketing for GrandLuxe Rail Journeys (GLRJ).
The original mission of CRM was to repair and maintain vintage domes, but, as any successful entrepreneur will tell you, one must change with the times. In 1987, CRM began building new double-deck domes, which they now service. Domes constructed in 1988 for Princess Tours were floated—since there are no railroad tracks between the Alaska Railroad and either Canada or the U.S.—from Whittier, Alaska, in 2005. The rail barge, pulled by tugboats, took six days to reach Seattle; then the cars were transferred to the Union Pacific main line and rolled to Fort Lupton where the CRM plant is located, between Denver and Cheyenne. After being refurbished, the Princess cars retraced their route to Alaska.
Now most of CRM's business involves building new cars with CorTen steel frames. Thus when organizations such as the Alaska Railroad, Princess Tours, Holland America Cruises, Royal Caribbean/Celebrity, and Rocky Mountaineer Vacations wanted new double-deck domes, CRM was ready to build them. These new cars cost between $3.8 and $5 million, in ready-to-roll condition, depending upon size, design, and type of materials used. Leather upholstery, sported by the Royal Caribbean/Celebrity car, costs more than cloth seats, for example.
"CRM staff really think out of the box," Janaky explained, as these cars are an entirely new design. "Now everybody gets to sit upstairs, instead of jockeying for position as passengers had to do in the vintage domes with their limited seating."
The air-conditioning units, as well as the generators which provide lighting, heating and air conditioning for each individual carriage, are designed for convenient repair or replacement. They can be rolled out sideways in a built-in drawer, and, according to Janaky, can be repaired overnight.
While there are some variations, a typical tourist carriage is constructed so that passengers sit in high-backed upholstered seats on the upper level, which is covered by a full-length, curved glass ceiling. At the end of the car's lower level is an open platform, then a spiral staircase, restrooms, a dining room, galley, and an elevator for handicapped passengers.
One of Rader's rules is: "We don't re-invent the wheel here." (Pun intended!) His first new double-deck domes were constructed on trucks recycled from old commuter cars that once ran up and down the San Francisco Peninsula.
"Fifty-year-old trucks are rebuildable. They are malleable, high-strength carbon steel with an infinite fatigue life," Rader says. Eventually the supply of vintage trucks was exhausted and Rader began purchasing new trucks, of the same design and composition, from a company called Columbus Steel Castings.
As of October 2006, there were 34 of Rader's double-deck tourist cars in Alaska, and 15 in Canada, and there are at least two more on the way.
CRM's biggest customer is Canada's Rocky Mountaineer Vacations. RMV's 16th "GoldLeaf Dome" is under construction. It will be transformed into |
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a blue-and-white beauty with a gold stripe, and be equipped with four generators. When completed, this GoldLeaf Dome will be placed on the nearby Union Pacific main line and rolled up to Vancouver, B.C. Another car, to be floated by barge farther north for the Alaska Railroad, is the largest in the plant and the current winner of the competition by various companies to operate the biggest double-deck dome in existence.
The Alaska Railroad once operated a string of somewhat utilitarian coaches, and hauled deluxe domes for Princess, Royal Caribbean/Celebrity, and Holland America at the end. But as the cruise industry brought more and more vacationers into the Anchorage area, the Alaska Railroad decided to go upscale too and will soon be outshining the other companies for which it provides motive power. In 2005, $6.605 million was spent to purchase two bilevel dome coaches from CRM, outfitted with full kitchens. They provided a new first-class service option as part of the Denali Star train in the summer of 2005.
In 2006-2007 $7.15 million was budgeted to purchase two additional bilevel dome cars, which will also be equipped with full kitchens and dining areas. One of these cars is the biggest ever built.
Soon, the Alaska Railroad will take possession of its newest, 18-foot, 2-inch-tall car, just a bare steel frame at the time of this writing, and a foot higher than some of those that Princess operates in Alaska. It includes a new design feature: an open-air platform on the upper level—with a glass roof! A large amount of space will be devoted to state-of-the-art food storage and preparation equipment, as three hundred meals must be on board as the car leaves Anchorage.
The only single-level car currently under construction is a self-propelled track geometry car, which Federal Railway Administration inspectors will use to check track conditions. The rear of the car is terraced so that each observer will have an unobstructed view of the tracks behind.
Denali, a single-level private business car resplendent in Alaska Railroad's gold-and-blue livery, is undergoing a major redesign and rejuvenation. It has a bedroom, bathroom, and private galley.
Meeting and lounge space boast an ornately carved wood ceiling and unique chandeliers. The historic carriage's upgrade has been largely financed, to the tune of $800,000, by a philanthropic organization, the Rasmussen Foundation.
"The first step in building a new car is to frame the top half upon a jig," Janaky explained, and showed us one-half of a dome. "The bottom section is then constructed. Later, they are welded together."
Janaky points out that CRM is diligent about keeping a paper trail on the progress of each railcar under its care. "Who provided the metal? Who bent the metal? Who are the welders, and what are their qualifications? This information is kept on file. With such detailed histories, CRM will know who to contact should something need repairs, say, 15 years from now."
The FRA, whose representatives make frequent inspections, require the CorTen-steel cars to withstand a squeeze force of 800,000 pounds. Janaky points out one car, just a shell at this point, with huge bags of water suspended inside.
"These duplicate the weight that passengers, paneling, plumbing, floor covering, paint, and windows will add, and is ready for the FRA inspectors to view under compression testing," he says.
"Another important step is to prepare a spatial prototype (or mock-up) for the customers signed approval before actually finishing the interior. This can involve cardboard furniture and counters, and samples of material for rugs and drapes, to make sure the colors and layout are exactly what the client wants."
What next? CRM is now building some state-of-the-art, Diesel Multiple Unit equipment for commuter and regional services.
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PTJ editor Mike Schafer asked me to find out the status of the DMUs that CRM may build for Amtrak's Vermonter, which may someday see double-daily service south of White River Junction. A step up from Budd-built Rail Diesel Cars (RDCs) of the past—the sort of vintage self-propelled diesel cars that VIA Rail Canada still uses on Vancouver Island—the DMUs have enough power to propel not only themselves but also pull two trailer cars.
"The Vermonter project is yet to be agreed upon," according to Rader. "If we get that contract, it will be great start for a Vermont commuter rail project.
"The largest self-propelled commuter car in the world began operating in Florida yesterday [Oct. 27, 2006]. Consisting of one of CRM's double-deck DMUs (which costs $4.8 million) and two trailers, the equipment constitutes a joint demonstration project funded by the FRA and the Florida Department of Transportation. Operating on South Florida Regional Transportation Authority (Tri-Rail), the consist carries passengers between Miami Airport and West Palm Beach.
"The two-year demonstration will be expanded when CRM delivers more cars in the of spring of 2007," Janaky adds. "Eventually, these cars plus several more should run between De Land and Orlando. The project got its start from Congressman Mica's support of commuter rail in central Florida.
"Mica's solution to traffic jams is to take drivers off the crowded roads—and put them on the rails."
The third, fourth, fifth, and sixth double-level cars to be used on the Miami Airport-West Palm Beach route were in the CRM plant and nearly completed. With a teal stripe along the bottom, then lime green and orange stripes, a large white band along the windows (with logos crediting both FRA and Florida DOT) and another teal band along the top, they are real eye-catchers. Each DMU is powered by two six-cylinder, 650-hp. Detroit Diesel Series-60 engines mounted in a laid-over configuration. The T212 BRE turbo hydromatic transmissions are provided by Voith, a German company, but most other components used in the DMUs come from the U.S.
According to Janaky, each customer's project has a large specification sheet, and one unusually challenging one involves some DMUs for Alaska Railroad's proposed commuter service. Where there is a continuous 3.2 percent grade along a six-mile stretch between Seward and Anchorage, the railroad wants the minimum speed to be maintained at 35 mph. This was accomplished in a CRM test.
"These DMUs will be able to do dual duty, carrying tourists in the summer. In the winter, when icy road conditions make driving hazardous, commuters between Matanuska and Anchorage could use them."
One of the company's contracts will provide single-level DMUs to operate between Wilsonville and Beaverton, Ore.
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