Well...now I have seen everything....

[magickmaker]

What do you get the railfan that has everything? Why not stay here:

http://www.gn441.com/

GN 441 is the only known locomotive to have been converted into a luxury living quarters for a hotel...

 

[pcas1986]

I knew someone who lived in a converted double decker bus. The rooms were a little narrow.

And I once lived on a converted WWII patrol boat.

 

[sawyer811]

Nice Paul...don't happen to know what class she was, do you?

Magick, somewhere in my copious stacks of magazine back-issues I have the TRAINS Magazine special "Year in locomotives" Issue...I don't quite remember what the technical name they use for it is...that talks about the conversion process done on this beauty. The cab was actually left in place, and rebuilt and refurbished to as-new condition!! I don't quite remember all the functions that still worked, but I know you can toggle the Pyle light, headlights, and ditchlights. For their neighbors' sake's, I hope the horn and bell don't work anymore, especially if I ever happen to stay in the 441!!

 

[pcas1986]

Nice Paul...don't happen to know what class she was, do you?
...

No idea. I did look on the web but didn't spot any similar vessels. The superstructure had been extensively modified so chances of recognising would be slim. I was about 10 or 11 at the time and the vessel was moored in the estuary in Fareham (Hants). It was wooden hulled (marine ply) and probably diesel driven although there were no engines in her at the time.

 

[viesturs]

I am very grateful that such things are being converted into homes. If it hadn't been for one, now our railway museum wouldn't have a passenger car from the 1920ies - the only piece of pre-WWII rolling stock that has been somehow preserved

Also - here in one town someone lives in a historic trolleybus!

 

[4449tj]

GN 441 is a former F45.
TJ

 

[sawyer811]

No idea. I did look on the web but didn't spot any similar vessels. The superstructure had been extensively modified so chances of recognising would be slim. I was about 10 or 11 at the time and the vessel was moored in the estuary in Fareham (Hants). It was wooden hulled (marine ply) and probably diesel driven although there were no engines in her at the time.

Sounds like a Ton-class minesweeper to me. Same class as Jacques Cousteau's famed MV Calypso.

Yes, I spend far too much of my time reading Jane's Warship Guide. what of it?

 

[pcas1986]

Sounds like a Ton-class minesweeper to me. Same class as Jacques Cousteau's famed MV Calypso.

Yes, I spend far too much of my time reading Jane's Warship Guide. what of it?

Don't think it was Ton class as they seem to have come out in the 50's. I recall my "home" being long and narrow but I was only a kid a the time. I'm familiar with Ton class as the RAN had six of them (ex RN) back in the 60's and 70's. One of my mates served on one and I recall visiting him onboard. The messdeck space was quite luxurious compared the cramped conditions I experienced on other ships (destroyers mostly).

One of those served into civilian service could still be seen in Port Jackson (Sydney) for many years.

We always had a copy of Jane's on the bridge of ships I served on.

 

[cheechako]

Caboose homes: http://dornob.com/cute-caboose-7-train-cars-transformed-into-tiny-houses/#axzz2mqiF441T
Train churches: http://dornob.com/religious-conversions-old-train-cars-turned-into-churches/#axzz2mqiF441T

I also ran across a nice rustic boxcar home, but cannot find it again.

The write-up for the conversion of this engine was pretty interesting, although they skipped over the salvage part.

 

[sawyer811]

@cheechako, there's an old outside-braced boxcar beside the Katy Trail in Rocheport, Missouri (location of the only tunnel on the entire MKT system) near where I live that someone has turned into a sort of trailer home/guest house. I don't think it's an original Katy car (from the pics I can find of her boxcars, it just doesn't look right) but the guy who owns her has hung the Katy Shield on its side. I can understand why he did, mind you, seeing as he's right next to the biking trail they built out of the Katy track bed and all.

 

[clam1952]

Don't think it was Ton class as they seem to have come out in the 50's. I recall my "home" being long and narrow but I was only a kid a the time. I'm familiar with Ton class as the RAN had six of them (ex RN) back in the 60's and 70's. One of my mates served on one and I recall visiting him onboard. The messdeck space was quite luxurious compared the cramped conditions I experienced on other ships (destroyers mostly).

One of those served into civilian service could still be seen in Port Jackson (Sydney) for many years.

We always had a copy of Jane's on the bridge of ships I served on.

Fareham? may have been a wooden hulled MTB, used to be a couple around there in the late 50's and 60's converted to weird looking houseboats from what I can remember, least that's what my Dad told me they were, wasn't very old then. Don't think there were any left when I joined the RN in the 70's

 

[ColPrice2002]

Hi,
If it were a British MTB, with diesel engines, it would have been a rarity. IIRC, only a few were built, and then converted into unarmed transports - the diesels didn't give enough power compared with the petrol engines. The E boats were steel hulls.
The transports did the run into Sweden for ball bearings.

Thereis a hotel in Northumberland (Fisherman's Arms) which has a converted railway coach as a dining room and looks very smart too.
We had a barmeal as we were on a walking holiday and I didn't have my posh togs!

Colin

 

[pcas1986]

Hi,
If it were a British MTB, with diesel engines, it would have been a rarity. IIRC, only a few were built, and then converted into unarmed transports - the diesels didn't give enough power compared with the petrol engines. ...
Colin

I don't believe it was an MTB. From what I know of naval vessels, it wasn't built for speed and the hull shape and construction wouldn't lend itself for launching torpedoes. It may well have carried those roll off depth charges but probably nothing like hedgehog or similar depth charge launchers. The vessel was quite large so I can imagine it could support a small crew for a few days at sea. I did look at a couple of RN WWII naval ship sites but there were not many photos and there were an awful lot of different patrol boat sized vessels.

As it was made of wood (marine ply) it could well have been used for mine detection - i.e. magnetic mines.