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The last chance we had to ride on "Ocean View" was on the Adirondack back in Fall 2018, shortly before it was put into "retirement"
(we are pictured here at Rouses Point, NY).

The last public excursions aboard Amtrak's "Ocean View" Dome Car took place on the Downeaster in Maine (August 11 - September 23, 2018) and on the Adirondack in New York State (September 27 - November 2, 2018). In recent years, the addition of the dome car became a big draw for "leaf peepers" in the Northeast; the additional of the dome car was funded by Northern New England Rail Passenger Authority and New York's State Department of Transportation.

Even before these excursions took place, rumors began to fly around Amtrak and the railfan community that funds would not be allocated for "Ocean View" to go through its next major preventative maintenance cycle... and that the car would be put into permanent storage.

Between November 3, 2018 and April 13, 2019, "Ocean View" remained relatively stationary in Amtrak's Albany, New York train maintenance yards.

On Saturday, April 13, 2019 and Sunday, April 14, 2019, "Ocean View" dead-headed on Amtrak's Lake Shore Limited (Train #49) between Albany, New York and Chicago, Illinois. Conductor James Byberg got some photos of the move (see below).

Around late April 2019, "Ocean View" was brought down to Amtrak's maintenance shops in Beech Grove, Indiana... where it sat on one of the storage tracks with other cars to be sold off for much of the spring, summer, and fall. In October 2019, Amtrak sent out an e-mail to those in the private car industry requesting bids on Ocean View --- with the deadline of November 8, 2019.

During March 2020, the Midwest Rail Rangers and AmtrakDome.com were contracted by Jim Evenson, owner of PaxRail. The Midwest Rail Rangers got to know Jim over the years... as we provided interpretive guides and onboard educational programs on his other dome car, "Stampede Pass". This car was often used between Chicago and Milwaukee for charters. Jim advised us that he was the winning bidder of "Ocean View".

Jim asked for the Midwest Rail Rangers' help putting together some history pieces on the Great Dome for Paxrail's website, but requested we keep his purchase confidential until his company was ready to issue a press release. The car was re-numbered PAXX #1391, its original number, as seen in the below photograph.

On August 18, 2020, Paxrail broke the news about their purchase of "Ocean View" with a story about the Great Dome being saved on Railfan.com. According to Jim, PaxRail originally planned to move the dome car to repair facilities in Kentucky, where the car would receive extensive renovations and then be eventually be available for charters out of Chicago. However, the Evensons relocated from Illinois to California in late 2020, which caused a pause in those plans.

On March 17, 2021, "Ocean View" was spotted at the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad (see below photograph). It was later learned that PaxRail hired a company called Railexco to manage the car on tourist trains on the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad during the 2021 season.

In early 2022, it was reported that Railexco outright purchased the "Ocean View" Great Dome from Paxrail. Railexco embarked on a $75,000 interior upgrade providing the railcar with upgraded seating, upgrade lighting, and new carpeting. Plus, the downstairs cafe space was converted back into comfortable lounge/bar area.

In October 2022, the Midwest Rail Rangers and AmtrakDome.com got to visit the "Ocean View" Dome Car at the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad. We received an in-depth tour of the car from Railexco managers Scott Jarrett and Will Gawin that we were able to capture on video and share with you. If you are interested, you can watch below.

In early 2023, it was confirmed that Railexco sold the former Amtrak Great Dome to the Canadian National Railway. The car was renumbered as #119 as Canadian National as a business car. The two photos below were taken in early 2023 by Kevin Burkholder who spotted it in the CN shops in North Bay, Ontario.

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