Why The Private Railroad Passenger Car?
A happy group of passengers aboard a 1923 Pullman business car.
Photo by Ryan Martin
Perhaps you have seen an image like the one above. Likely a vintage photograph, taken at a railroad station. Using a film camera, capturing the scene as travelers embarked upon a journey to an unknown destination. A classic moment, preserved for the ages.
At one time, railroads were the way to travel. Jet airliners were the kind of things found in pulp magazines or novels of authors such as Jules Verne. Automobiles were noisy and undependable, especially on the dirt roads that were little more than dusty or muddy trails. Certainly not the interstate highway system of the 21st Century. In fact, many people never traveled more than 10 miles from where they were born.
If one did travel, it was by train. Railroad cars had come a long way from the coaches that carried passengers when the Transcontinental Railroad was completed between Sacramento, California and Omaha, Nebraska in May of 1869. The Golden Era of rail travel was the peak with trains operating all across the United States, Canada and Mexico. Why you could walk down to the local railroad station and purchase tickets for a journey from your home town to almost anywhere in those three countries at that time.
And you traveled in comfort. Air Conditioning was standard, aboard passenger cars of steel construction. Dining and lounge cars offered meals and beverages equal to or better than many of the finest restaurants. The Pullman Company had more beds occupied each night than any hotel operator in the world, with passengers sleeping in comfort and security. All with the finest of service provided by a uniformed and attentive staff aboard these trains crisscrossing the nation. Named trains such as The Overland Limited, The Daylight, The Empire Builder, The 20th Century Limited, the Chief and The Broadway Limited performed their duties each day and night, carrying passengers to their destinations, right on time.
The Pullman Company offered a wide variety of options for rail travel. Everything from the simple section (with a bed in a lower or upper berth, with curtains to separate passengers at night) to private rooms able to sleep 3 or four people. But if you really wanted to travel in style, Pullman offered private railroad cars for charter. Complete with your own chef and porter aboard to take care of your every need. The design of these cars often included a rear observation platform with an adjoining lounge, 2 or 3 bedrooms, a full restroom (complete with shower), a dining room, kitchen and pantry and space for the chef and porter as well. One tale related how a society dowager had enjoyed her trip by private railroad car, and when asked by a newspaper reporter what she thought of the journey, she replied that it something to which she could easily become accustomed to.
Many railroads also used cars with a similar layout as business cars, often assigned to high ranking officials to inspect railroad operations and conduct business with community members and shippers aboard. It was not uncommon for a fleet of cars to be on call as needed at various points across a railroad. Trips could be a single day or many weeks depending upon the need.
As rail travel declined and many of the famed passenger trains passed into memory, the passenger cars found other uses. Some were repurposed for maintenance service on the railroad. Others were sold to other railroads for service elsewhere. When Amtrak began service in 1971, they selected what some considered the best of cars, purchased from railroads eager to exit the business of rail travel. And private individuals also purchased a number of cars.
Today, there are a good number of these vintage railroad passenger cars still in operation. Many have been maintained to meet the current standards for service on Amtrak trains. There are all kinds of cars available for charter to meet client needs. From business cars, to sleeping cars or combination sleeping and lounge cars, to dining cars and full lounge cars; there is something available for any trip.
Private Car Service offers passengers unique travel experiences. We work with a wide variety of cars and owners to offer charters of all kinds and sizes of groups. Everything from birthdays to business meetings to reunions and even weddings – if you can book an event space, your function can often be held aboard a private railroad passenger car.
Our blog will be relating some tales of past excursions as well as showing some of the private railroad cars we have chartered for clients in the past. And don’t believe some of the rumors floating out there about the end of private railcar travel on Amtrak. It may be true that recent restrictions have made it more of a challenge at times, but it continues to be a fascinating way to travel. We look forward to sharing more with everyone right here!