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For
more than 100 years, “
Pullman
” was synonymous with overnight train travel. Pullman was a manufacturer
of sleeping cars, as well as an operator;
Pullman
provided the cars, furnished and staffed, and the railroads hauled them as
part of their passenger trains. The railroad received a regular coach fare
for each passenger, and
Pullman
got an extra charge which varied depending on the type of accommodation
purchased.
Inside the
Bison
Peak
, there are two private drawing
rooms and 10 traditional open
sections. The open section is perhaps the most familiar image of
overnight train travel in days gone by, containing an “upper” berth
which folds down from the ceiling, and a “lower” berth created by
moving the two facing seats together. The sections were open in the day
and enclosed by curtains at night.
During the Korean War, the Santa Fe Railway purchased a
number of surplus
Pullman
sleeping cars (including this one) and converted them to coaches. This car
served as coach No. 1127 from 1953 until 1960, when it was transferred to
work train service. It served as a bunk car for thirty years, finally
being retired in 1990.
With
the help of Pacific Rail Industries,
it came to the Museum in 1993. The car was repainted in 2007 for an
appearance in a Hollywood movie production.
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