Car Birken M&E table
The Birken is a “table car” capable of seating 56 passengers at 14 tables. With warming ovens and refrigerators behind the bar and buffet area, the Birken is an excellent venue for a cocktail hour. Alternately, the Birken can be used with a dining car or another passenger car with a full kitchen to seat your guests for a full meal while rolling down the railroad. It is the perfect companion to any other private passenger car on the market, allowing you the extra space to expand your event. The tables are also removable, making the Birken into an excellent open space. The car features two restrooms, a generator for power, and heat & air conditioning throughout. The Birken is fully certified by Amtrak, the FRA, and NJ Transit to operate anywhere the rails lead it.
The Birken was the first in an order of 218 identical 72-seat coaches built by Canadian Car & Foundry in 1954 for the Canadian National Railway. Numbered #5437, the car served on CN until 1978, when CN split off its passenger service into VIA Rail (the Canadian equivalent of Amtrak). The #5437 continued to serve VIA until it was sold to the British Columbia Railway in 1990, where it was rebuilt into a 14-table, 56-seat “table car” for use as a bar car and extra dining space on their Royal Hudson trains. It was during this time that the Birken was named for a location along the railroad’s mainline in British Columbia. After a decade of further service, the Birken was sold into private ownership in 2002. The car was upgraded to full Amtrak and FRA standards and repainted into colors once worn by the New York Central’s famous 20th Century Limited train.
Photos, text and plan - Morristown & Erie Railway
Car Birken M&E table
The Birken is a “table car” capable of seating 56 passengers at 14 tables. With warming ovens and refrigerators behind the bar and buffet area, the Birken is an excellent venue for a cocktail hour. Alternately, the Birken can be used with a dining car or another passenger car with a full kitchen to seat your guests for a full meal while rolling down the railroad. It is the perfect companion to any other private passenger car on the market, allowing you the extra space to expand your event. The tables are also removable, making the Birken into an excellent open space. The car features two restrooms, a generator for power, and heat & air conditioning throughout. The Birken is fully certified by Amtrak, the FRA, and NJ Transit to operate anywhere the rails lead it.
The Birken was the first in an order of 218 identical 72-seat coaches built by Canadian Car & Foundry in 1954 for the Canadian National Railway. Numbered #5437, the car served on CN until 1978, when CN split off its passenger service into VIA Rail (the Canadian equivalent of Amtrak). The #5437 continued to serve VIA until it was sold to the British Columbia Railway in 1990, where it was rebuilt into a 14-table, 56-seat “table car” for use as a bar car and extra dining space on their Royal Hudson trains. It was during this time that the Birken was named for a location along the railroad’s mainline in British Columbia. After a decade of further service, the Birken was sold into private ownership in 2002. The car was upgraded to full Amtrak and FRA standards and repainted into colors once worn by the New York Central’s famous 20th Century Limited train.
Photos, text and plan - Morristown & Erie Railway