I didn’t think they were. I thought they were a thing of the past….a part of Chicago history. Well, they are a part of Chicago history, but I saw one still in operation yesterday! I was on a METRA train approaching Union Station and I saw a rail car that said Pullman Federal on it. It looked to be in excellent condition and was operating as the last car attached to an AMTRAK train. At first I couldn’t believe what I was seeing, so it took me awhile to reach for my iphone camera. Luckily I was able to take the photo below while passing the car. The sun was very bright, so it’s hard to read, but trust me it said Pullman Federal!
Today I did some research and found out that what I saw was a restored privately owned Pullman Federal rail car. It was built by the Pullman Company and was one of the first all steel business cars. The Federal car started service on February 3, 1911 and it’s the oldest private car certified for Amtrak operations. It was used by presidents Taft and Wilson for their travels from 1911-1916. The Federal car was sold to DL&W RR in 1933. It was acquired by AAPRCO (American Association of Private Railroad Car Owners) in 1992. It underwent extensive restoration and started operating again in October 2002.
The interior has a formal dining room with a 1911 mahogany dining set. There are two bedrooms with brass beds and a full service kitchen (as well as some modern day conveniences such as TV and DVD player)! Awesome!!
