Customer Reviews

Night Trains: The Pullman Systems in the Golden Years of American Rail Travel

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This is the sort of book that one would describe as a "labor of love." For 99.9% of the population, this is way too much information about an esoteric topic that no one gives a darn about. But if you're a hard-core enthusiast of passenger trains and US railroad history, this is a valuable volume. The first part of the book discusses the railroad history of every state, explaining which railroad routes went where, and why, accompanied by helpful maps. The major cities' railroad stations are also briefly covered. The second part of the book lists every train in the US with Pullman cars (sleeping cars) at midnight on a typical night during the era's heyday. The composition of long-distance passenger trains rarely remained intact between origin and destination; instead, sleeping cars would be added or removed from the train enroute. The lists in this book show exactly where each train would be at midnight, the details of the cars comprising it, and the city from which each sleeping car originated, as well as its destination. If your eyes are glazing over at this point, it's too specialized for you, but some enthusiasts will appreciate this fine tribute to a by-gone era.

Summary of state operations by passenger railroads, state by state maps of passenger rail lines, appendix listing by state of trains with location, consist, joint operating roads, origination and termination information and schedule times. Absolutely the very best source of information about long-ago and recent (to the 1950's) operations. It is authoritative and reliable. I bought a second one because the first started coming apart at the spine from constant use. It took a while, but reading and studying it has given me a comprehensive understanding of how passenger trains operated and interchanged all over the U.S.

This is a fascinating history of American overnight sleeping car train travel during its golden age, roughly from 1920 to 1955. There is a chapter for each region or state, plus chapters on long-distance trains that carried Pullman cars. The book notes the departure cities as well as the destination cities of Pullman sleepers during this era. The book should appeal to train enthusiasts, to people interested in the history of the hospitality industry, and to people interested in business history more generally.