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. 

by 1930, the company was operating 9800 cars, and 100,000 passengers slept in Pullman beds every night. Quoting from a 1939 advertisement: “ Pullman is not the cheapest way to travel, but it is the most comfortable, convenient and safest way……You cannot afford to deny yourself the advantages of Pullman service. With 80 years of experience, Pullman has perfected the art of travel hospitality.”

The Corydon is a 7 Compartment-2 Drawing Room car with 20 beds. (The name Corydon is the traditional word for “shepherd” found in poems about rural life). In contrast to the majority of Pullman ’s fleet, it has no “open sections”, and is instead comprised solely of private rooms. It was retired in 1944 and sold to 20^th Century-Fox for use as a movie prop.

The car was repainted in 2007 for an appearance in a Hollywood movie production.

Pullman Virtual Museum (highly recommended) 

The Pullman Project

Historic Pullman Foundation

Historic Pullman Shops in Richmond CA

Other Railroads page