Zephyr Train Car Auction Canceled

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A public auction intended to sell off some of the cars from the defunct Minnesota Zephyr rail line has been canceled.

The Washington County Sheriff's Office was slated to sell off the cars at an auction Wednesday morning to settle a dispute between the owners and Andersen Corporation.

The company had been storing the cars and wanted $250,000 in fees from the train's owner.

"Andersen Corporation has reached an agreement with (David) Paradeau, which will resolve the storage fees and allow him until March 1 to remove the Zephyr railcars from our property," said Andersen Corporation's Laurie Bauer. "As a result, we are cancelling the public auction of the six Zephyr railcars that was scheduled for today."

The agreement was met with less than an hour to go before the auction was scheduled to begin.

The following were the cars listed for the auction prior to its cancellation:

-- 1949 Pullman Coach Car, aka the "Northern Winds Car" with Serial Number 5275;
-- 1949 Pullman Coach Car, aka the "Stillwater Car" with Serial Number 5257;
-- 1949 Pullman Coach Car, aka the "Lakewinds Car" with Serial Number 5262;
-- 1949 Dome Car, aka the "St. Croix Car" with Serial Number 2210;
-- 1938 Dome Lounge Car ex-Amtrak, aka the "Grand Dome Car" with Serial Number 1289.