A former Maine Central business car that was hidden from public view for decades has been purchased by the 470 Railroad Club of Portland, Maine, and is expected to be moved to the Conway Scenic Railroad in New Hampshire.
Maine Central 333 was long considered the pride of the Pine Tree Route and was used for years by the railroad’s presidents, most significantly E. Spencer Miller, one of the longest-serving Class I railroad presidents in history. The car was built by the Pullman Company for New England industrialist R.T. Crane. The car was initially named “Nituna.” After Crane’s death, his wife renamed the car “Lone Pine.”
In 1929, the car was sold to the Boston & Maine and renumbered 333. In the 1930s, the B&M and MEC were jointly managed, and during that time, business car 333 was transferred to the latter road. The car would be frequently used by executives, including Miller, Edward S. French and John F. Gerity. During the MEC years, the car wore a dark green livery highlighted with gold stripes. Inside, the car featured mahogany woodwork, four private bedrooms, a full kitchen, a central dining/meeting room and a small sitting area at the rear. MEC employees recalled that it was a big deal when the “three-3s” was on the road.
“Taking out the 333 was like bringing out a rare piece of family china,” railroader Geoffrey Doughty once said. “The car was an eye catcher; it was elegant as all get out, and when it rolled past the general office building, windows were filled with faces. It is not an overstatement to say that the 333 was the pride of the Maine Central. It was, in fact, the crown jewel.”
In 1981, Maine Central was purchased by Guilford Transportation Industries, and car 333 was occasionally used by owner Timothy Mellon and railroad president David A. Fink Sr. (father of current Federal Railroad Administrator David A. Fink Jr.). In the 1980s, not long after Guilford acquired the Delaware & Hudson, the railroad began using the D&H’s business cars, and car 333 was placed in storage in Waterville, Maine. The car would remain out of sight for the next three decades. The car finally saw daylight again a few years ago when it was sold to the Hobo Railroad in New Hampshire. But eventually, the Hobo decided to put the car up for sale, which is when the 470 Club jumped at the opportunity to save the iconic passenger car. The group plans to move the car to the Conway Scenic, where the rest of its equipment is maintained, including a pair of B&M F7As and a GP9. The group said it plans to restore 333 to operating condition and use it on the former MEC’s famed Mountain Division, which hosts Conway Scenic’s regular excursions to Crawford Notch.
The 470 Club is presently raising money to move the car to North Conway. Donations can be made online.
—Justin Franz