# Where to ride "reclining seat coaches" from the 50s and 60s?



## MARC Rider (Jun 4, 2013)

Any tourist train operators run service with the old long-distance streamliner coaches? Yeah, I know that VIA still runs old Budd cars on the Canadian, and they even still run some RDCs, but that's a long way from home. I'm looking for stuff within perhaps a 4 hour drive of Baltimore or Washing, or maybe up the northeast into New England.

That's some nostalgia for me, plus, even during the Penn Central and early Amtrak era when the cars were aging, they were pretty comfortable!


----------



## AmtrakBlue (Jun 4, 2013)

Perhaps Strasburg PA? It's been awhile since I've been up there & ridden one if their trains. And I don't know one train car from another.


----------



## RampWidget (Jun 4, 2013)

AFAIK, the Alaska RR still operates some ex-UP dome coaches in daily service with the original, albeit reupholstered seats. The recline mechanism and footrests work as well as they did when the cars were new! I found the coach section of these cars more comfortable than the AKRR's much newer full coaches. YMMV.

Edit: the usual typo


----------



## WhoozOn1st (Jun 4, 2013)

Strasburg presents a much earlier era than the (19)50s and 60s, and I doubt operates reclining seat coaches of that vintage. Haven't been there since '09, but I generally DO know one train car from another. You might try talking with somebody at Baltimore's B&O museum (http://www.borail.org/); perhaps someone - e.g. a docent - would know about tourist roads running such stuff in the area.


----------



## railiner (Jun 5, 2013)

MARC Rider said:


> Any tourist train operators run service with the old long-distance streamliner coaches? Yeah, I know that VIA still runs old Budd cars on the Canadian, and they even still run some RDCs, but that's a long way from home. I'm looking for stuff within perhaps a 4 hour drive of Baltimore or Washing, or maybe up the northeast into New England.
> That's some nostalgia for me, plus, even during the Penn Central and early Amtrak era when the cars were aging, they were pretty comfortable!


Sorry, I can't help you locate any in service. But I will comment that the old streamliner era cars, especially the ones that had the Heywood-Wakefield "Sleepy Hollow" seats, were more comfortable than any seat design that has come since. Besides the supreme comfort of their design, they allowed much more angle of recline than modern ones do, partly because they were not encumbered with tray tables....


----------



## The Davy Crockett (Jun 5, 2013)

WhoozOn1st said:


> Strasburg presents a much earlier era than the (19)50s and 60s, and I doubt operates reclining seat coaches of that vintage. Haven't been there since '09, but I generally DO know one train car from another. You might try talking with somebody at Baltimore's B&O museum (http://www.borail.org/); perhaps someone - e.g. a docent - would know about tourist roads running such stuff in the area.


This was my idea too. They operate a really short run on the grounds, which I've not taken, but which uses cars of the vintage you seek. If inquiring at the museum, be careful about what you believe, as I've found the volunteers at the B & O Museum follow the "If you don't know the answer, make something up" philosophy of information disemination.


----------



## Alice (Jun 5, 2013)

I can't recall any tourist train with reclining seats. I think you might do better with a private car, some take individual passengers now and then. The AAPRCO website lists cars available for charter, including several coaches with photos that look like what you want.


----------



## Bill Haithcoat (Jun 5, 2013)

Everything you wanted to know about reclining seats but were afraid to ask.

There are some things we take for granted today. Such as reclining seats, diesel power or electric, streamliner construction (even though the term streamliner is no longer used) and air conditioning,etc.

These things did not all happen at once, of course. But it is safe to say they often began in at least the late 30s and resumed after World War 2.

But it was not just the newly built lightweight streamlined coaches that were given reclining seats but the old heavy weight non streamlined coaches that had them installed also.

I think some people think all trains were streamlined during the so called streamliner era but nothing could be further from the truth I guess in the 50s about 30 to 40 percent were streamlined.

The wide spread introduction of reclining seats, air conditioning etc probably sort of resulted in the use of parlor cars becoming redundant.

By the time I came of age, early 50s ==probably 97 per cent of LD trains had reclining seats.

But timetables continued right on specifylng which trains had reclining seats . Old timetables often noted that a train was powered by diesel and often if it was streamlined.

There was a further distinction as to whether a coach had full leg rests and not just foot rests. The UP dome coaches, mentioned earlier, had leg rests. That was for the really nice trains, like UP streamliners.


----------



## Bob Dylan (Jun 5, 2013)

:hi: Thanks for the Info Bill! Most of our Members are too Young to remember when Coaches had No A/C and had the Old Chair Car Upright Seats, were pulled by Steamers that made Water Stops in "Tank Towns" and used Steam Heat in the Winter! i rode Many,Many Miles on SP Night/Local/Mail Trains that fit this Description! At one time SP ran 8 Passenger Trains a Day(Night) between Houston and El Paso! Most of my Rides seemed to be on #6 and #8 with #1 and #2 being the Fancy Train The Sunset Ltd!


----------

