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East Tennessee Rail Car Services, Inc.

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Oak Ridge, TN
East Tennessee Rail Car Services, Inc.

ETRC provides a broad spectrum of services to freight, locomotive and passenger equipment.

03/24/2026

We're upgrading our welding capabilities for an upcoming freight car modification program. We have numerous Miller 252 series welders but they need periodic breaks to avoid overheating. The 452 machine allows us to run more or less continuously with some very large welding wire. We bought our first one of these several years ago for some locomotive frame modifications and we've really liked it.

We're also looking to hire some additional folks to help us as our business grows. Stay tuned for more details!

02/06/2026

Our former Southern Railway SW-1 was out and about for photos this past Saturday. Built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in 1947 she has a long history of serving the industries of the Tennessee Valley. These days she's living her best life in restored semi-retirement.

Does your business or one you know need a locomotive? We can help!

Many thanks to Eric Hendrickson for this fine drone shot!

01/26/2026

It was great to see our former Florida East Coast Railway observation car, "Bay Biscayne" carrying the markers for the Sugar Express photo weekend this past weekend. Now 87 years old and still earning her keep providing first class service in her home state of Florida. Be sure to check out the Sugar Express operation when you're in South Florida.

And for those wondering, it was 83° there today!

11/20/2025

As usual, we have several projects going on at once. Notable among them is a lower liner seal leak on one of our lease units. This is a common problem with EMD's older 567 model engines (567 B and older). Fortunately we keep material on the shelf to deal with this issue quickly.

The cooling system is pressurized in this video to about 10 psi.

07/31/2025

Our little SW-1 is all buttoned up and ready to head home to Oak Ridge. It'll be good to have it home.

01/19/2025

The subject came up elsewhere this past week regarding what we might have for sale equipment wise. After putting some thought into it we do have a fair little list of things that we probably would be willing to part with. They all have the proverbial "good bones". Most of them are offered "freight ready" with no prep work needed and we can offer our services to prep those that are not. All are projects to one degree or the other. Salvaging for parts and scrapping the rest is always the final option, but we always like offering things out before we go that route.

So with all that in mind...

ETRC and affiliated companies have the following passenger cars, freight cars, and locomotives for sale:

Passenger Equipment:

CDPX 2923 -- 56 seat coach, Budd 1947 for NYC. Very good body and excellent structural. D-22 air, tread brake, current COT&S. Mostly complete. Trucks are tired, wheels are good. Freight ready. Needs total refurbish. CSX interchange.

CDPX 512 -- RPO/Pie Car, Budd 1953 for CRI&P. Good body, with an aftermarket vestibule on B end. D-22 air, tread brake, current COT&S. Last used as a wreck train diner. Good Trucks. Freight ready. CSX interchange.

WRRX "Silver Gladiola" -- 6-6-4 sleeper, Budd 1947 for CB&Q. Gorgeous body, full skirts. D-22 air, CFM disc brake. Interior is stripped for re-paint but we have most of it including recovered upholstery. Good trucks. CSX or NS interchange.

WRRX 512 -- 56 seat coach, P-S 1946 for NP. Needs typical side sheet and side sill repairs at bottom of side sheets. Rough vestibule. Good roof and good body above the side sills. Needs glazing replacement. No seats. ABDW air, TFM disc brake. Excellent trucks. BNSF or UP interchange.

WRRX 1098 -- 56 seat coach, P-S 1946 for C&NW. To GN in 1963. Needs typical side sheet and side sill repairs at bottom of side sheets. Rough vestibule. Good roof and good body above the side sills. Needs glazing replacement. No seats. ABDW air, tread brake. Excellent trucks. BNSF or UP interchange.

WRRX 1139 -- 56 seat coach, ACF 1951 for GN. Decent body, typical steel car corrosion. Good trucks. D-22 air, tread brake, fresh COT&S, freight ready. Nice glazing. Commuter seats with the car but not installed. Some recovered. NS Interchange.

WRRX 2500 "Columbia College" -- 10s-2DB-1C sleeper, Pullman 1922, to ACL in 1948. Excellent body and roof. Tubed out interior. Decent vestibule. Needs glazing replacement. No seats. ABDW air. Needs roller bearings to move. BNSF or UP interchange.

WRRX 540 -- Baggage, St. Louis Car, 1943 for Southern Railway

Freight Equipment:

Mo-Pac boxcar, 50' double plug door.

20x 89' flat cars. Originally set up for "Circus Loading" 40' trailers. Currently set up for 40' containers.

WRRX XC-4 Transfer Caboose, former Southern Railway

SARX X-601 Bay Window Caboose, former Southern Railway

Locomotives:

CDPX 1510 Former NYCS. GP-7u. 645C, D-77s, excellent trucks, good body, 26L. Intermittent "moisture ground".

CDPX 50 CF-7. Running Blue Carded. 567BC, D-77s, like new wheels, fair to good body, strong puller, 26L air

For details/inspection contact Charlie Poling -- [email protected]

01/02/2025

We're ringing in the new year with a new schedule, offerings, and Family Packages!

The 2025 season will begin with three weekends of events in January featuring Sugar Express steam locomotive no. 148, including the Lake Placid Local out of Lake Placid, Clewiston Comet between Lake Placid and Clewiston, Highlands County Crescent out of Sebring, Lake Placid Limited between Clewiston and Lake Placid, and the Palmdale Pioneer Ice Cream Train.

For details, tickets, times, and bookings, click here: www.sugarexpress.com.

12/24/2024

We had an inquiry about a prospective lease for one of our lounge cars a week or so ago so that gave us an excuse to pull the car out of storage and do a little work to it. This is former Amtrak 48 seat lounge car 3108 that we've had for a little over a year now. We took the garbage out, cleaned up the tables and chairs, got the HEP (Electrical) back together, replaced a refrigerator door and a couple of latches, and a few minor mechanical things underneath. Still much to do before it can go into service, but at least now it's fit for someone to walk through and see what's there.

11/28/2024

We're excited this evening to introduce the final piece of a puzzle we started working along with our friends Southern Appalachia Railway Museum roughly 35 years ago. East Tennessee Rail Car Services is pleased to announce the acquisition of former Central of Georgia passenger GP-7 #121 (aka Project X). The 121 will complete our "Man o' War" passenger trainset and is the sole surviving example of a Central of Georgia passenger diesel.

The 121 was built by the Electro Motive Division of General Motors and delivered in May of 1951. It has a 16 cylinder model 567BC engine and delivers 1500 horsepower for traction. From the factory she was equipped with a steam generator and other equipment necessary for use in passenger service. While 121 was never intended as a regularly assigned passenger engine she and her three passenger equipped sisters would serve as back ups when a reqularly assigned unit was out for repair or maintenance or an extra boost was needed due to a longer than normal train. In this capacity 121 saw service on the Man o' War passenger train as well as many others.

With the decline of passenger service in the 1960s along with the acquisition of Central of Georgia by Southern Railway, the 121 eventually had its steam generator removed and was assigned exclusively to freight service. We've seen several photos in the Southern Railway era of the locomotive assigned to the Knoxville area. After Southern Railway retired the unit it was sold to the Chattahoochee Industrial Railroad in Georgia and later transferred to their sister operation at the Georgia Pacific paper company in Muskogee, Oklahoma, USA.

We've owned the unit for most of 4 years now but a combination of Covid, plus the need for extensive repairs/prep work, and a busy schedule helping our customers slowed the process. We completed a truck swap, coupler replacement, and other critical repairs recently and it made its first move toward home today. The locomotive is complete and non-failed, but tired. We're looking forward to being able to do a thorough evaluation and getting it returned to operation. She'll spend her retirement years helping us with freight moves at Walden's Ridge as well as special appearances with the restored Man o' War passenger train. Stay tuned!

11/24/2024

LUGGAGE RACK WANTED!!!

We're looking for some luggage rack material for a museum restoration project. We think this was an Adlake product from the 1950s. No quantity is too small. Any leads appreciated.

10/24/2024

A little mid week update.

Handbrake rebuilds? Yeah, we do that. Five of the seven are ready to go home to a customer from Texas.

10/19/2024

WANTED: ETRC is looking for a couple grab irons this style. It's for a post-war Budd coach. Any leads appreciated!

Address

Oak Ridge, TN
37830

Opening Hours

Monday	8am - 6pm
Tuesday	8am - 6pm
Wednesday	8am - 6pm
Thursday	8am - 6pm

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