Skytop Lounges

The Neil Bagaus Collection

INFO

Car #	Car Name	Year Built	Cars Outcome
188	"Dell Rapids"	1948	Withdrawn From Service in 1970

The 10 Skytops, created by industrial designer Brooks Stevens in 1948, were probably the most distinctive cars ever built. Milwaukee Road built 4 parlor cars in their own shops (1 drawing room and 24 parlor seats) and had Pullman Standard build 6 sleepers, each with 8 bedrooms and a lounge.

Skytop Parlor cars: Pullman Standard Lot 6775 - Plan 4138 - delivered 11/48-1/49
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188 "Dell Rapids: - purchased by Chapman S. "Chappie" Root Daytona Beach FL in 1970. The car was sent to William Krateville's "Autoliner Corp" shops in Omaha NE where it was refurbished and repainted into it's orange & maroon colors. During delivery the car was involved in a wreck of the eastbound BN freight it was traveling on in mid - Iowa. The car was returned to Autoliner and rebuilt on the left side where the majority of damage was, and again repainted. The car was finally delivered to Mr Root, who also owned C&O dome #1876 "Silver Holly" (RGW# 1249) which he purchased from Autoliner during 1970. Following his death the two cars were donated by his estate to the Daytona Beach Museum of Arts & Sciences. A railroad wing is under construction for the cars and other railroad memorabilia. The cars remain on Root Property (Coca Cola Bottling plant) as of late 1999. Car status is "stored".
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The following slides were graciously given to me by Neil Bagaus. He is head of passenger operations at the Mt. Dorna Senic Railway. Home of the Mt. Dorna Doodlebug. Click here to go to their homepage Mt Dorna Secnic Railway These slides were taken in Jacksonville, Florida. The car was stored in a trainshed so some of them are a little dark but the show overall how nicely the car was restored. Currently the Daytona Beach Museum of Arts & Sciences is building a wing to house the cars as they were donated by the last owner after his death.

Skytop Parlor 188 "Dell Rapids"