| How often do you see two Pullman cars in the wild in the same photo in 2017?! I love passenger cars. They are my favorite piece of railroad equipment. I love the history of the cars and the stories that they tell. On this trip out west, I got to see a lot of great passenger cars, some of which I have seen before and others that I have not. Here is an example of both. On Monday June 19, 2017, our four-hour late westbound Amtrak Capitol Limited train 29 had a private car on the rear - a great start to the trip! Washington D.C. Chapter of the National Railway Historical Societys "Dover Harbor" with their "DC NRHS" green drumhead brought up the rear. This heavy weight car was constructed by the Pullman Company of Chicago in July 1923 (lot 4698, Plan 2951) as a combine baggage-library car named the “Maple Shade.” The 81-foot car weighed 80 tons and had a four section, twelve-seat lounge, a barbershop, and a twenty-eight foot baggage area. Painted in the Pennsylvania Railroads Tuscan Red, it operated in service at the head of that railroads name trains, including the Broadway Limited and the Spirit of St. Louis for eleven years. In March of 1934, the Maple Shade was recalled into the Pullman Company Shops. The car was rebuilt into six double bedrooms, a buffet, and a lounge, and was renamed the Dover Harbor. The Dover Harbor and eight other cars with this same configuration were built according to plan 4015 and were designated the Dover Series. Air conditioning, which was new to railroad cars at this time, was also installed. After rebuilding the car, which weighed 87 tons, it was repainted to the standard Pullman green and gold livery that it wears today. After the renovation was completed in May of 1934, the Pullman Company assigned the car to service on the Michigan Central Railroad, a subsidiary of the New York Central Railroad. In 1939, it operated with sister cars Dover Plains and Dover Bay on the westbound Lake Shore Limited and the eastbound Commodore Vanderbilt between New York and Chicago. This same car, eighty-three years prior, would have stopped in Toledo, Ohio on the mainline of the New York Central, though not at Central Union Terminal, as it was not built until September of 1950! The history of this car goes on, but this is some of the more important notes. Ive actually ridden in this car and photographed it several times on Norfolk Southern steam specials with Nickel Plate Road #765. Also in this photo is another Pullman Company passenger car, one that I have not photographed before. In the background you can see a gray Norfolk Southern work train dining car, NW 521414, named the “Spirit of Tim Drake.” This car was built in 1922 as a 12 sections, 1 drawing room (12-1) sleeper and wore the name “Cuttyhunk” on the Norfolk and Western. It is one of the oldest cars owned by NS. This car was converted to work train service in April of 1967. The inside of this car is completely gutted from how it was built and now features a countertop running down both walls of the car with two long benches that also run down the length of the car. It’s interesting to see the contrast of these two cars. One which is still running on passenger trains and is restored to its original appearance and configuration and is privately owned, and one that has been totally gutted and repurposed and is owned by the railroad. |