A dome car is a type of railway passenger car that has a a glass dome on the top of the car where passengers can ride and see in all directions around the train. "Railroad" and "Railway" both redirect here For other uses see Railroad (disambiguation. This article is about railroad equipment For other cars see Automobile and Wiktionary definition of passenger car. A dome is a common structural element of Architecture that resembles the hollow upper half of a Sphere. It also can include features of a coach, lounge car, dining car or observation. A Railway coach &mdash also known especially in the UK, as a railway carriage &mdash is a passenger car designed for the conveyance of passengers A lounge car (sometimes referred to as a buffet lounge, buffet car or club car is a type of passenger car on a train where riders can purchase food and drinks A dining car (American English or restaurant car (British English also diner, is a railroad passenger car that serves meals in the manner of a An observation car/carriage/coach (often abbreviated to simply observation) is a type of Railroad passenger car, generally operated in a passenger train Dome cars were primarily used in the United States and Canada, though a small number were constructed in Europe for Trans Europ Express service. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page The Trans Europ Express is a former international Train network in Europe.
In North America, dome cars were manufactured by the Budd Company, Pullman Standard and American Car & Foundry. The Budd Company (now ThyssenKrupp Budd) is a metal fabricator and major supplier of body components to the Automobile industry Pullman Porter redirects here For the 1919 film starring Fatty Arbuckle, see The Pullman Porter The Pullman Palace Car Company, founded American Car and Foundry (often abbreviated as ACF) is a manufacturer of Railroad rolling stock and Locomotives. Southern Pacific Railroad built its own dome cars in their Sacramento, California shops. In the 1990s Colorado Railcar began producing dome cars. Colorado Railcar is a manufacturer of Railroad rolling stock. Generally, seats in the dome were considered "non-revenue" like lounge car seats. When dome cars operate today in excursion trains, the dome seats often command a premium fare.
Contents |
Configuration
A portion of the car, usually in the center of the car offset towards one end, is split between two levels. This resulted in the floorplan having a "long end" and a "short end" on the main level. Stairs would go up to the dome and down to the lower level. The lower level below the dome usually contained the car's restrooms or a small lounge area, while the upper portion was usually coach or lounge seating within a "bubble" of glass on the car's roof. Passengers in the upper portion of the dome were able to see in all directions from a vantage point above the train's roofline.
Union Pacific Railroad operated dome dining cars. These cars had a kitchen in the "short end", with a pantry in half the space under the dome. The other half of the space under the dome was a private dining room for small groups. Between the pantry and kitchen there was a dumbwaiter to transfer items between the kitchen and the dining area in the dome portion of the car (see photo below). An elevator or lift is a Transport device used to move people or goods vertically from one floor to another The "long end" was the main dining area.
Northern Pacific Railway operated dome sleeping cars. The Northern Pacific Railway was a railway that operated in the north-central region of the United States. The cars had 4 bedrooms in the "long end", 4 roomettes in the "short end" and 4 duplex single rooms under the dome. A roomette is a type of Sleeping car compartment in a Railroad Passenger train.
The Wabash Railroad and Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad operated dome parlour cars for first class day service. The Wabash Railroad was a Class I railroad that operated in the mid-central United States. The Chicago Burlington and Quincy Railroad was a railroad that operated in the Midwestern United States.
History
Although the design of a dome car can be likened to a cupola caboose, the dome car's development is not directly related. A caboose (North American Railway terminology) or brake van or guard's van (British terminology is a manned rail transport vehicle coupled at The earliest documented predecessor of the dome car was first developed in the 1880s; known at the time as the "birdcage car", it was used on an 1882 sightseeing tour on the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad. The Chicago Burlington and Quincy Railroad was a railroad that operated in the Midwestern United States. In 1891, T. J. McBride received a patent for a car design called an "observation-sleeper"; illustrations of the design in Scientific American at the time showed a car with three observation domes. [1] Canadian Pacific Railway used "tourist cars" with raised, glass-sided viewing cupolas on their trains through the Canadian Rocky Mountains in the 1920s. The Canadian Pacific Railway ( Mountain peaks of the Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains, often called the Rockies, are a Mountain range in western North America.
These dome car designs did not prove successful, and further refinements to the idea didn't come for a few decades. The first successful dome cars were conceived by Cyrus Osborn of General Motors Electro-Motive Division (EMD). Electro-Motive Diesel Inc (formerly the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors Corporation is currently the world's second largest builder of Railroad In 1944, while traveling in an EMD-built Rio Grande locomotive through Glenwood Canyon in Colorado, it was Mr. Glenwood Canyon is a rugged scenic 125 mile (21 km gorge on the Colorado River in western Colorado in the United States. Osborn that recognized the wonderful views the passengers could enjoy from a panoramic dome. His idea was to provide a full 360-degree view from above the train in newly built "Vista-Dome" cars. [1]
Mr. Osborn took the idea to the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad (CB&Q). The CB&Q took a stainless steel Budd-built coach and rebuilt it at their shops in Aurora, Illinois, with the Vista Dome imagined and sketched by Cyrus Osborn. The Budd Company (now ThyssenKrupp Budd) is a metal fabricator and major supplier of body components to the Automobile industry Aurora is the second-largest City in the US state of Illinois, with a population of 175952 (2007 est The dome area featured seats that were positioned lengthwise in the cabin facing double-pane windows which were designed to improve insulation. This first Vista Dome was called appropriately, Silver Dome. On July 23, 1945, the car was tested in the consist of the Twin Cities Zephyr. Events 1632 - Three hundred colonists bound for New France depart from Dieppe France. Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar The Twin Cities Zephyr was a Passenger train service of the Chicago Burlington and Quincy Railroad (CB&Q [1] Vista Domes quickly found their way into many Burlington Zephyr consists, culminating in 1949 with the inauguration of the California Zephyr. The California Zephyr is a 2438-mile (3924-km long Passenger train route operated by Amtrak in the Midwestern and Western United
Soon after Silver Dome entered service, railroad managers and passenger train executives met to discuss the merits of the dome car design. In the United States, domes could only be readily used on railroads west of the Mississippi, due to lower clearances in tunnels in the eastern USA. (In Canada, Canadian Pacific would run its domes from coast to coast. The Canadian Pacific Railway ( ) The managers also noted that the passenger carrying space was regarded as non-revenue space because the managers believed that passengers would not want to spend their entire trip in the domes. These factors and the added costs of car construction in adding stairs, two levels of car floors and air conditioning increased the costs to railroads that chose to operate dome cars. [2]
Despite the costs involved, Pullman completed the first four production dome cars for GM's Train of Tomorrow in 1947. Pullman Porter redirects here For the 1919 film starring Fatty Arbuckle, see The Pullman Porter The Pullman Palace Car Company, founded The four cars, dubbed Astra Liners, were similar to Silver Dome and were displayed to the press on numerous private charters and to the public at the Chicago Railroad Fairs in 1948 and 1949 before they were sold to Union Pacific Railroad for use between Portland, Oregon and Seattle, Washington. The Chicago Railroad Fair was an event organized to celebrate and commemorate 100 years of railroad history west of Chicago Illinois. Portland is a city located in the Northwestern United States, near the Confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers [2] Other passenger car manufacturers soon built their own dome car models to compete with Pullman; Budd's first domes, completed in Fall 1947, were the first to feature curved glass and full streamlining effects on the domes and entered service on the Burlington's Twin Zephyrs between Chicago and Minneapolis-St. Paul. The Budd Company (now ThyssenKrupp Budd) is a metal fabricator and major supplier of body components to the Automobile industry The Twin Cities Zephyr was a Passenger train service of the Chicago Burlington and Quincy Railroad (CB&Q Chicago (ʃɪˈkɑːgoʊ is the largest City by population in the state of Illinois and the American Midwest of the United States. [2] Pere Marquette Railroad was the first to operate dome cars east of Chicago in 1948, and Baltimore and Ohio Railroad became the first railroad to operate dome cars on the east coast when it added domes to the Baltimore-Chicago Columbian. The Pere Marquette Railway was a railroad that operated in the Great Lakes region of the United States. The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad ( B&O) was one of the Oldest railroads in the United States and the first Common carrier railroad The Columbian was a named passenger train operated by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. [3] B&O also went so far as to add floodlights on the roofs of its dome cars to illuminate the scenery during nighttime travel. [4]
On September 21, 1950, a monument was established at Glenwood Canyon. Events 1217 - The Estonian tribal leader Lembitu of Lehola was killed in a battle against Teutonic Knights. Year 1950 ( MCML) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Called "Monument to an Idea", this monument celebrates the Vista Dome at the place where it was first inspired. In the late 1980s, the monument was moved to the Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden, Colorado, to make way for expansion of Interstate 70. The Colorado Railroad Museum is a Non-profit railroad museum located at the foot of North Table Mountain near Golden, Colorado. The historic City of Golden is a Home Rule Municipality that is the County seat of Jefferson County, Colorado, United States. Interstate 70 (I-70 is an Interstate highway in the United States that runs from Interstate 15 near Cove Fort Utah, to a Park and Ride
As dome cars became more common on North American passenger trains, some western railroads purchased or built "superdomes. " These were dome cars where the upper level of the car extended for nearly the entire length of the car. The cars' dimensions were all larger than standard dome cars of the time, all except the overall height; a superdome's height was only 15 ft 6 in (4. 72 m), rather than the 16 ft 2 in (4. 92 m) of standard domes. The first ten of these cars were built by Pullman for the Milwaukee Road's Chicago-Seattle Olympian Hiawatha. The Milwaukee Road, officially the Chicago Milwaukee St Paul and Pacific Railroad ( CMSP&P RR), was a Class I railroad that operated in the Midwest The Olympian and the successor Olympian Hiawatha was a named Passenger train operated by the Chicago Milwaukee St The Milwaukee Road paid $320,000 each for these cars and operated them on that route until 1961, after which four cars remained in service between Chicago and the Twin Cities; these last four were sold to Amtrak upon its formation in 1971. The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Doing business as Amtrak, is a Government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971 The Santa Fe and Great Northern also purchased superdomes from Budd in 1954 and 1955. The Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, often abbreviated as Santa Fe, was one of the larger railroads in the United States. The Great Northern Railway, running from St Paul Minnesota to Seattle Washington &mdash more than 1700 miles (2736 km &mdash was the creation of All but one of Santa Fe's cars were sold to Auto-Train in 1971. Auto Train is an long scheduled train service for passengers and their automobiles operated by Amtrak between Lorton Virginia (near Washington D [5]
Starting in the 1980s, the use of the dome car has become rarer as Amtrak has introduced new Superliner bi-level passenger cars that reach the maximum possible height over the length of the car; however, the Superliner lounge car can be considered as a dome car. The Superliner is a double decker passenger car used by Amtrak on long haul trains that do not use the Northeast Corridor. Dome cars are very popular on tourist railways and private charter rail services. While the dome car is a mostly North American feature, a few also operate in the scenic areas of Europe.
Downfall and preservation
As railroad passenger ridership declined in the late 1950s, some railroads retired dome cars due to the extra maintenance costs. Other railroads that had not purchased dome cars new bought them second hand. Illinois Central purchased several cars from Missouri Pacific and Canadian National bought several cars from Milwaukee Road for example. Because of their enormous usage of sealed glass, the cooling of the cars required massive air conditioning capacity. Both maintenance and repair to these cars ran high. Breakdown of the air conditioning system on the road, even in winter, could render a car unusable.
Some railroad museums have preserved several dome cars. These cars are very popular with visitors who often remember the spectacular rides they had in these cars.
The Western Pacific Railroad Museum at Portola, California, rosters several Budd-built Vista-Dome cars from the original California Zephyr train. The Western Pacific Railroad Museum (WPRM at Portola formerly known as the Portola Railroad Museum prior to January 1 2006, is a Heritage railway Portola is a city in Plumas County, California, United States. The California Zephyr is a 2438-mile (3924-km long Passenger train route operated by Amtrak in the Midwestern and Western United These are being restored as part of the museum's Zephyr Project, a program to re-create the CZ experience.
Current Usage
Via Rail Canada operates the largest fleet (28) of true dome cars in the classic sense in that they offer a 360° view of scenery. VIA Rail Canada (also referred to as VIA Rail and VIA; ˈviːə 'vee-ah' is an independent Crown corporation offering intercity passenger rail All were built by Budd for the Canadian Pacific Railway in the 1950s, and transferred to Via service in the 1970s, where they continue in service as of 2007. The Canadian Pacific Railway (
Amtrak currently operates one dome car #10031. The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Doing business as Amtrak, is a Government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971 It is a Budd full length dome car, former Great Northern Railway 1391 "Ocean View". It is used on special services such as the Oakland, CA to Reno, NV "Reno Fun Train" or the Seattle, WA to Leavenworth, WA "Snow Train". Most recently (November 2007) it operated on the "Adirondack" in fall foliage service.
The Napa Valley Wine Train operates a Pullman 1952 Vista Dome, which it uses as on of its dining areas on its daily service. The Napa Valley Wine Train is operated by the Napa Valley Railroad.
The Conway Scenic Railroad operates a dome car on the Crawford Notch train. The Conway Scenic Railroad (CSRR is a Heritage railway in North Conway New Hampshire.
The Grand Canyon Railway operates three dome cars between Willams, AZ and the south rim of the Grand Canyon. The Grand Canyon Railway, is a passenger Railroad and Heritage railway which operates between Williams Arizona, and the South Rim of Grand Canyon
Manufacturing companies such as Colorado Railcar have built modern dome cars with updated versions of original dome design, used by American Orient Express, Holland America, Princess Tours, Alaska Railroad, Royal Caribbean and Rocky Mountaineer Railtours. Colorado Railcar is a manufacturer of Railroad rolling stock. The Holland America Line was founded in 1873 as the Dutch-America Steamship Company, a shipping and passenger line The Alaska Railroad is a Class II railroad which extends from Seward and Whittier, in the south of the state of Alaska, in the United States Royal Caribbean International () is a Norwegian / American Cruise line company based in Miami Florida.
Several of the private railroad cars available for charter listed on the American Association of Private Railroad Car Owners' website have domes.
Documentary
Dome rail travel was highlighted in the PBS-aired program Dome Car Magic. The Public Broadcasting Service ( PBS) is a Non-profit Public broadcasting Television service with 354 member TV stations in the Dome Car Magic A History of Railroad Dome Cars Produced by award-winning Richard Luckin, it is narrated by actor Michael Gross and chronicles the history of the railroad sightseeing cars, from Burlington's 1945 "Silver Dome" to the full-length models operating today in Alaska and Canada. Michael Gross (born June 21, 1947) is an American television movie and stage actor who plays both comedic and Dramatic roles Alaska ( Аляска Alyaska) is a state in the United States of America, in the northwest of the North American continent Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page
See also
- Passenger car (rail)
- Superliner (railcar)
- Bilevel car
- Kintetsu (Japan) Vista Car (ja)
References
- White, John H. This article is about railroad equipment For other cars see Automobile and Wiktionary definition of passenger car. The Superliner is a double decker passenger car used by Amtrak on long haul trains that do not use the Northeast Corridor. The bilevel car ( North American English) or double-decker (British English increases the passenger or freight capacity of a train without lengthening a train , Jr. (1978). The American Railroad Passenger Car. Baltimore and London: Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 0-8018-2743-4 (pbk. : set); ISBN 0-8018-2722-1 (pbk. : v. 1); ISBN 0-8018-2747-7 (pbk. : v. 2); ISBN 0-8018-1965-2 (hc. ).
External links
- Web Lurkers DOME.main
- Luxury Under Glass / The Ultradome Experience
- Napa Valley Wine Train: Our Train
Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic