Lounge cars provide a place for passengers to relax and enjoy a drink. This car was originally built as a 52-seat coach for the Santa Fe Railway in 1946, and served on many trains including the ″Hassayampa Flyer″ from Phoenix to Williams Junction.

It served as an Amtrak coach from 1971 to 1977, then was sold to the U.S. Air Force in 1981. It moved to Vandenberg AFB in California where its interior was removed to convert it into a hospitality office, but that was never completed. The car was purchased by a private owner in 1990, then by a museum member in 1993 who moved to the Arizona Railway Museum and named it ″Regal Phoenix.″

In 1996 it was purchased by museum member Brad Van Ness, who rebuilt it into a lounge configuration complete with bar and personal seating areas. His estate donated it to the museum in 2021.

This car was built as a coach by the Budd Company as one of 16 cars in lot number 9613-001. It was ordered in May 1941 and delivered in March 1946 as Santa Fe coach No. 3166. It is 81 feet 4 inches long over end sills.

This car saw service on many Santa Fe trains from 1947 to 1959, most often on the "San Diegan" between Los Angeles and San Diego. In 1968 it was rebuilt into a 44-seat leg-rest coach and was returned to service on the "San Diegan" until 1970, when it was sold to New Jersey Department of Transportation and became NJDOT No. 2423.

It was acquired from NJDOT by Amtrak in 1971 and renumbered as No. 5236. It was scheduled for shop work with conversion to 60 seats and renumbering to 6043 in 1976, but that was not done and it was retired in 1977. It was sold to the U.S. Air Force in 1981 for a never-finished hospitality office conversion, then was purchased by John Clark in 1990. Mr. Clark sold the car in 1993 to Mike Margrave under the company name Rail Car Preservation Inc. of Scottsdale, Arizona.

The car was brought to the Arizona Railway Museum's Armstrong Park location with no interior furniture or fittings. The windows were broken, the shades torn or missing, and luggage racks removed. Almost all evidence of its use as a coach was gone.

Brad Van Ness purchased the car in 1996 and began rebuilding it into a lounge car. The work required new walls and windows. The new electrical system is 120/240 volts A.C. The original air pressure water raising system was restored. A small food service buffet and crew room were incorporated. New carpet and railroad style furniture were installed throughout. An evaporative cooling system was added. Modern diaphragms (the enclosure around the passageways between cars) and pass-through electrical connections were installed to complete the conversion. 

The car was moved to the museum's Tumbleweed Park location in 2006. Mr. Van Ness passed away on February 24, 2021, and his estate donated the car to the museum.

	Interior view showing furniture rescued from other passenger cars.
	Interior view showing furniture rescued from other passenger cars.  The original luggage rack has been converted into a mini-kitchen.
	6/2001 - Exterior view of the car.

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