Bar Cars, Parlor Cars, Private Cars. etc.

There has been an on-going discussion on one of the eastern commuter rail boards about Bar Cars, Parlor Cars and Private Cars that still operate on commuter rail lines.

In part, due to Metra's reputation for running an extensive, and well patronized system, all sorts of Metra references have been made.

So what is the REAL deal here ? Does Metra operate any Bar Cars, or Parlor Cars in regular service, and are there any private "commuter clubs" still in operation ??

Thanks

Ken

In recent times, the only non-coach rolling stock left is 553, a private club car on the UP-north line. A few years back, Metra discontinued bar cars, but these were standard MK, Budd, or Sumitomo gallery cars with the doors deactivated and a bar set up in the vestibule. Other than these two examples, bar cars and private cars are ancient history out here. There was an article in a recent issue of First & Fastest, the Shore Line Interurban publication, about the club cars on C&NW that's worth reading. At one time Northwestern operated three or four of them, named Deerpath, Cowpath, and Psychopath (serving Lake Forest, Winnetka, and Highland Park respectively).

Hello tadman 333 never stoped at Winneka it came out of Madison Street station at 510 rush up the North line, its first stop was Highland Park then Lake Forest Lake Bluff and North Chicago and farther up the line. on the weekends the CNW ran a single club car with four Bilevels and a E8 that train would make all its northern stops then stop at Indian Hill then head for Chicago. comming out of the city on a saturday it would make all stops up to Kenosha,

Tadman the runs for the club run inbound 320 left Kenosha at 715 skipped great lakes at Highland park at 0808 then arrived Chicago at 841. Saturday inbound Club run train 806 left Kenosha at 720 skipped great lakes at Highland park at 0808 Indian Hill at 819 Chicago at 845 Out bound as 333 left Chicago at 510 rushed to Highland Park 542 then all stops except Great Lakes Kenosha 622. Saturday out bound 1235 out of down town all stops to Kenosha. I always saw the inbound and out bounds of 320 333 expect when I was in school or camp when I was growing up, I would give anything to see it again Pure Chicago and North Western.
By the way Chcago and North Western did have Club Cars on their lines three on the North West Line, one car named Northwest passage and two other single level cars. the scoot with Northwest passage was a F7 NWP five Bilevels the other two were E8 four Bilevels a single level then three or four Bilevels. one went to Harvard and one went to Willaims Bay.
On Week day mornings the scoot from Harvard dead headed up the North Line to Winnetka waited for 320 to go by then swtich over and head to Chicago as train 324 time out of Winnetka 820. later the club cars were bilevel and nice, as with the MLW they had the vestibules as the bar area and had tables, the cars were built by the St. Louis car Company and numbered 8, 9 in CNW 7900 7901 Metra RTA. Retired in late 90s.