CSX Theater Car “Prime F. Osborn III”

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Back during my college years in Nashville, Tennessee I used to frequent CSX’s Kayne Avenue Yard in downtown. There were a couple of reasons for this, first it had a great parking lot next to the tower that no one bothered you. The Union Station, that at the time still had its massive train shed, provided a great backdrop to watch a countless number of trains. In addition, the CSX business train (or CSX OCS train in Conrail parlance) often passed through town on its way to or from an important event. The paint scheme at the time was blue with a stripe running down the center of the car. I carefully snapped some photos using some cheap Kodak Gold film. The CSX OCS passed through Nashville slowly, offering time to snap a few photos. On more than one occasion the train slowly backed by me as the mechanical crew used the hose next to the tower to water the cars. I stood watching as the crews quickly worked and as executives detrained. Instead of asking to go inside, I just assumed they had read my mind and said no and in truth I bet if I had actually asked that would have been the answer anyway, except for one time. The train several former Conrail cars, still in Conrail paint and lettering and I told myself that this time I had to ask. I have no idea how, but it worked and I soon found myself onboard Conrail Conference Car 12 and theater car 9. From that point forward I was forever changed.

The CSX employees were incredibly nice.

On this page, I cover the current roster of theater, observation, and office cars used by Norfolk Southern (as of April 2024). The railroad business car fleet is always subject to change. While some railroad CEOs see the train as a valuable sales and inspection tool, others view it as an extravagant and unnecessary cost. And undoubtedly the cost to operate the train is high. L. Stanley Crane, Southern Railway and later Conrail’s CEO, thought the cost was justified, always preferring to understand what was happening on the railroad by being on it. Wick Moorman, Norfolk Southern’s former CEO, seemed to agree with L. Stanley Crane and made heavy use of the train. During his time in office, he implemented Blue Ribbon Specials that invited employees to ride the train. Those who were chosen were greatful for the opportunity and it created a sense of camaraderie between labor and management. Since his time with the company, Norfolk Southern has largely kept its fleet intact, but it seems the train has been used far less.

Business cars are also often subject to complex histories with changing names and numbers. The photo below of Norfolk Southern 21 “Kentucky” is a good example. The car is no doubt a standard former Southern Railway office car. It would seem to match the Norfolk Southern 21 “West Virginia” before it was rebuilt in 2006. But the name “Kentucky” which is not mentioned in the Norfolk Southern history for car 21, makes tracking its lineage more complex. Conrail suffered from this as well, with many examples of inaccurate numbers and dates cited in their office car booklets.

A few years ago, Norfolk Southern produced a small book featuring each car in its business car roster and a history for each. I’ll quote this book below for each of Norfolk Southern’s observation style cars. With any luck, these cars will continue to serve NS well into the future, providing a reminder of where the industry came from and hopefully showing willing CEOs, stock holders, and customers exactly what they are getting when they purchase transportation services.

CSX 994318 “Prime F Osborn III” - Theater Car

HERITAGE - S

AMTRAK # - 800770

History as provided by Norfolk Southern:

“The Virginia (NS 1) and the Carolina (NS 2) have been paired since construction by the Pullman Company for Southern Railway in 1928. The Virginia, a dining-observation car, is the perfect traveling complement to the four-bedroom sleeper Carolina.

Southern Railway first numbered the Virginia SOU 16 and the Carolina SOU 17. In 1979, car 16 became SOU 1, and car 17 was renumbered SOU 1A. Six years after the creation of Norfolk Southern in 1982, the cars were given their current names and were renumbered NS 1 and NS 2.

Historically, the Virginia/ Carolina set has been reserved for the railroad's president or chairman of the board. Today, Norfolk Southern Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Wick Moorman enjoys hosting guests on the cars. Over the years, many of the cars fixtures have been carefully preserved, and attention to detail is apparent. In the Virginia, metal walls are painted to appear as wood.

The Carolina was refurbished in early 2013 to a four-bedroom executive sleeper with private bathrooms and a crew room. The car interior is designed with wallpaper and wood trim with a cherry finish. The bathrooms are fitted with granite countertops and ceramic-tile floors and showers. A satellite track-vision system was installed with televisions in all five rooms.”

Norfolk Southern 21 “West Virginia” - Observation Lounge Car

HERITAGE - SOUTHERN

AMTRAK # - 800775

Norfolk Southern 21 served the Southern Railway as an office car with the design being identical to the other SOU office cars. NS kept the original office car layout until 2006 when it performed a major overhaul of the car, changing the exterior window layout along with a complete interior reconfiguration. To me, the car now closely resembles the general layout of Conrail 10 with an extended platform, an open interior space that is highly configureable for dinner parties and such, a large kitchen and restrooms for guests. One of my favorite features of the car are the jump seats on the observation platform. Brilliant.

History as provided by Norfolk Southern:

“This car was built by Pullman between 1926 and 1929. A former heavy-weight car, the West Virginia was converted into an office car in 1950 at Southern Railway's Hayne Shop in Spartanburg, S.C., and renumbered SOU 15. It received its current number, 21, in 1985.

In 2006-2007, the West Virginia was completely renovated and converted to a lounge car.”

Explore my Norfolk Southern business car series:

An Interview with Casey Thomason, NS Company Photographer

Norfolk Southern Business Train Series Introduction

Norfolk Southern Sleepers

Norfolk Southern Diners, Power Car, and Exhibit Car

If you have stories from your time riding or maintaining the train, business train booklets, or other collectibles from the NS business train, please contact me as I begin researching the train in more depth for a possible new book.