Summer 2006 Above Right, Northern Pacific Railway Slumber- Coach Loch Long Was Photographed at Chicago in March 1968
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NRHS Bulletin Summer 2006 Above right, Northern Pacific Railway Slumber- coach Loch Long was photographed at Chicago in March 1968. Originally built as Sleepland for the Baltimore & Ohio in 1959, it also wore the colors of NP, Burlington Northern and Amtrak. Paul Kutta Right, some Budd Com- pany brochures and sales material originally referred to the car as a "Siesta Coach" but even then, as seen here, the illustration of Burling- ton's Silver Slumber carries the Slumbercoach name. Collection of R. L. Eastwood, Jr. 4 NRHS Bulletin Summer 2006 The Budd Slumbercoach Brings Economy to Pullman Passengers by Tom Smith merica’s railroads and their kind of accommodation and a rea- folded down. The single room pro- suppliers endeavored to son to ride the rails, as well as giv- vided a seat for day use that also A combat the decline in pas- ing the carriers one of their few folded out of the way at night, and senger boardings in the 1950s by competitive edges against the again two fold-down doors formed efforts that were aimed more at growing competition. Unfortunate- a platform on which bedding was reducing expenses than increasing ly, not enough of them were built rolled out from one of the wells to revenue, and were phenomenally to make much difference. form the bed. The bedding was unsuccessful, such as the Aero- The Slumbercoach featured both pre-made by the porter, and the train, Xplorer, and so forth. But single and double types of rooms. passenger was given instruction to one innovation from that period Double rooms were about the size prepare his own room for sleeping, succeeded at both, and that was the of a standard roomette, with two although the porter was always Budd-built Slumbercoach. seats facing each other, and a available to help. Each room had its In my opinion, the Slumbercoach hinged upper berth above, similar own fold-down wash basin and a was the most innovative develop- in arrangement to an Amtrak toilet. Single rooms were in a ment in passenger railroading in the Superliner standard bedroom. At duplex arrangement to conserve postwar period, save the Vista night, the seats folded down, and space, with slightly different Dome. More than just updating two doors behind the seats opened arrangements for the berths in the existing technology, it gave long- to form a bridge on which the bed- upper and lower rooms. The bed in distance passengers a totally new ding was placed. The upper berth the lower room was just above the NRHS Bulletin Summer 2006 5 6 NRHS Bulletin Summer 2006 Left, Budd Company cutaway views illustrate the single (above) and dou- ble (below) rooms and their facilities for both day and night service. Below, an enthusiastic model poses in an economical--but small--Slumber- coach room. It certainly was worth every penny of the modest charge to avoid sleeping in a coach seat all night! Collection of R. L. Eastwood, Jr. Opposite page, while Budd Company material refers to Siesta Coach, these are the cutaway, side elevation and floor plans showing the final Slumbercoach product. Typical Pullman all-room cars carried as many as 22 passengers, but the thrifty Slumbercoach carried 40 overnight guests. Collection of R. L. Eastwood, Jr. floor, while the upper room bed bed in which to sleep. Most of all, not only by its inability to compete was just above the window. Interi- they could save money. A Slumber- with the airlines on speed, but also ors were formed of two sections of coach passenger paid only a small by high cost. For example, in 1956 molded pink fiberglass, and had room accommodation charge on a Baltimore & Ohio passenger two reading lights and chrome top of a coach ticket. would pay $27.21 to travel between handrails. The decline in long-haul passen- Washington and Chicago in a coach Slumbercoach passengers did not ger traffic following World War II seat, but a roomette would have enjoy luxury. Seats were small, the hit Pullman travel quickly and espe- cost $48.63, including a $12.40 beds narrow, and there was little cially hard. Although coach travel Pullman accommodation charge on legroom in which to stretch out. held on due to its economy, Pull- top of a $36.23 first-class rail tick- But they did have privacy, and a real man traffic was adversely affected et. After the Slumbercoach was NRHS Bulletin Summer 2006 7 Above, the chart shows early Slumbercoach assignments and routes. The New York Central called its cars “Sleepercoaches” while none of the operators referred to their equipment as a “Siesta Coach”. Interestingly, the Burlington's car No. 4900 (built 1956) was named Silver Siesta! Collection of R. L. Eastwood, Jr. Below, the Burlington proudly calls attention to new Slumbercoach service on the American Royal Zephyr between Chicago and Kansas City. The CB&Q's fleet leader Denver Zephyr offered Slumbercoach service for a number of years. Collection of R. L. Eastwood, Jr. introduced, a traveler would pay proved immensely popular wherev- only the $6.00 accommodation er they were introduced, bringing charge above the coach fare, about in new business while retaining the two-thirds the cost of a standard old, until they made their last runs roomette. for Amtrak in the mid-1990s. Most standard lightweight Pull- It is a testimony to the genius of man sleepers could accommodate Budd Company designers that they 22 passengers. Because of the com- recognized the need for an eco- pact nature of the Slumbercoach nomical private room before car- design, a fully occupied Slumber- builders were inundated with new coach could accommodate 40 pas- orders for passenger equipment sengers, giving the railroads virtual- after World War II. One can see the ly the same revenue-producing abil- origins of the Slumbercoach in the ity as the long distance 44-seat “Budgette,” a design for a single- coach, and allowing the passenger passenger small duplex room that to pay the cheaper coach fare was announced in hopeful terms in instead of the first-class rail fare. the 1946 Car Builders Cyclopedia: The Slumbercoach was aimed at a “In these remarkable rooms Budd market the railroads were rapidly answers the most insistent request losing: the passenger who wanted of passengers — the demand for pri- to take the train for convenience or vacy at low cost. At the same time it safety, did not want to sit up all supplies an important need of rail- night in a coach, and did not desire roads — better and more salable — or wish to pay for — first-class accommodations with high capacity Pullman service. Slumbercoaches per car...The Budgette is compact, 8 NRHS Bulletin Summer 2006 Above, the New York Central promoted Sleeper- coach service for the entire family. Collection of R. L. Eastwood, Jr. Above right, the cover of B&O's company mag- azine of June 1959 shows off the new Slumber- coach service to St. Louis. B&O also offered Slumbercoaches between the East and Chicago on the Columbian. Below right, the Missouri Pacific had a nice advertisement for its "Sleep 'n' Save" Slumber- coach service. Collection of Paul Kuta yet each room has a comfortable seat by day; a full-length pre-made bed for sleeping. Each has its own toilet and lavatory, its own broad window and luggage rack.” The proposed Budgette car would have 32 duplex rooms, all singles. Cut-away diagrams show that the rooms were arranged very similarly to Slumbercoach rooms in the way the upper and lower room beds folded out. One noticeable difference is that Budgette rooms faced each other, but did not con- nect, so that half the passengers would always be riding backwards. NRHS Bulletin Summer 2006 9 However, when Budd’s antitrust Denver and the other continuing to ket that Budd had. Budd built the suit against Pullman ended in victo- Colorado Springs, in a through-car final 12 Slumbercoaches in 1959, ry for the Philadelphia carbuilder, arrangement handled beyond Den- which enjoyed the distinction of they were swamped with new ver by D&RGW’s Royal Gorge. being the last new Pullman cars orders for standard Pullman cars In 1958, two more Slumber- built. (See Table 1) These 12 cars and the Budgette car was never coaches were delivered to the B&O were leased to the railroads on built. It would take ten more years and assigned to the Columbian which they ran, saving the railroads for the debut of the Slumbercoach. between Baltimore and Chicago. It a capital expenditure. Three cars The first four Slumbercoaches is interesting to note that after the went to the B&O, which assigned were delivered to the Burlington in all-coach Columbian and all-Pull- them to the Baltimore-St. Louis late 1956 as part of two completely man Capitol Limited were com- National Limited. A single car new Budd-built trainsets that bined, the Slumbercoach became went to the Missouri Pacific, which would replace the original 1936 part of the coach train. in conjunction with the three B&O articulated Denver Zephyr train- Budd must have thought it had a cars inaugurated a through Slum- sets. Each Slumbercoach had 24 winner in the Slumbercoach, but bercoach between Baltimore and duplex single rooms and eight dou- orders were not coming in from the San Antonio, using the Texas ble rooms. Two cars were assigned railroads, which apparently lacked Eagle beyond St. Louis. to each trainset, one operating to the faith in the long-distance mar- Four cars were leased to New Above, Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Slumbercoach No.