CHICAGO — The Pullman National Historical Park and State Historic Site has secured its first Pullman railcar for display at the site of the factory that produced rolling stock for decades.
The Historic Pullman Foundation announced in November that it has completed a Letter of Intent to Donate with owner David Hoffman for a wooden parlor car built by Pullman in 1899 and placed in service on the Rock Island in 1900.
Ownership of Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Parlor Car No. 699 will be transferred, and the car will be relocated to the north wing of the Pullman factory, once funding has been secured for environmental remediation at the site.
“We owe a debt of gratitude to Dave Hoffman for the generous offer of this rare gem,” Joseph C. Szabo, Pullman foundation board member and former head of the Federal Railroad Administration, said in a press release. “While the interior will need a full restoration, the frame and body are in remarkable shape for a railcar that is 125 years old.”
Szabo is leading an effort to bring Pullman cars to the site for interpretive displays; Norfolk Southern made a $250,000 donation to support that effort when it was announced last year [see “Norfolk Southern funding will help bring railcars …,” Trains News Wire, Sept. 1, 2023]. “While we still have much work to do, securing the rights to this car is a key milestone in our efforts,” Szabo said.
Hoffman said Pullman is “the perfect home for the CRI&P No. 699. I’m thrilled to know it’ll be preserved and appreciated as part of the Pullman story and its contributions to American history.”
The Pullman site was designed as a National Monument by President Barack Obama in 2015 and designated a National Park by Congress in 2022. More information on the National Historic Park is here and on the State Historic Site is here. For more information on the Historic Pullman Foundation, the park’s support group, visit its website.
