QUICK FACTS

Model: dining car
Built: 1925
Builder: Pullman Company, Chicago, IL
Past Railroad Owners: Atlantic Coast Line (Pullman Company), Erie, Erie Lackawanna
Current Owner: Erie Business Car Society, Inc.

Diner No. 741 was one of fourteen dining cars built by the Pullman Company in 1925 under lot 4916. These cars were Pullman-owned “pool” cars Nos. 3 through 16, which could travel across multiple railroads and be reassigned as needed. Five of the fourteen (cars Nos. 3-4 and 13-15, all built to floor plan 3952-B) were assigned to the Illinois Central, while the remaining nine (cars Nos. 5-12 and 16, built to floor plan 3952-C) were assigned to the Atlantic Coast Line. This car was originally lettered as Atlantic Coast Line No. 11, and it sat a total of 36 people at dining tables.

In August of 1927, the Erie Railroad purchased four of the nine Atlantic Coast Line-assigned diners from Pullman (Nos. 5, 7, 10, and 11). The No. 11 was renumbered as Erie No. 947, and it entered service on the Erie’s long-distance passenger trains between Jersey City and Chicago via Port Jervis. In 1928, ACL/Pullman Nos. 6 and 8 were added to the Erie roster, and the last three of the ACL-assigned cars (Nos. 9, 12, and 16) were purchased by the Erie in May of 1930, effectively standardizing the Erie’s dining car fleet. Pullman assigned a new lot number, R-6389, to the nine cars resold to the Erie.

In 1940, due to the changing design aesthetics of the era, the Erie began a program to modernize and refurbish these nine dining cars. The cars were modified into lounge-diners, with major interior renovations. Most noteworthy was the change to the clerestory ceiling, which was hidden behind a drop ceiling (although the original Pullman ceiling lights were utilized). Attractive murals and new carpeting were installed. The dining area was reduced to seating for 24 people at tables, and a small 10-seat lounge was added in the newly-vacant space at the opposite end of the car from the kitchen, reducing the car’s total capacity to 34 passengers.

The Erie’s nine Pullman dining cars were again rebuilt in 1947 at the Erie’s shops in Susquehanna, Pennsylvania. A streamlined turtle-back roof was added to cover the clerestory from the outside, new wider windows were installed in both the dining and lounge areas, and new windows were added in the kitchen and hallway. Cast steel, top-equalized six-wheel trucks were purchased surplus from the Chesapeake & Ohio and equipped with roller bearings. The kitchens were redone in stainless steel, and the air conditioning was updated. New carpeting from Mohawk was installed, and new chairs were added in the lounge area. The exterior color was Pullman Green, with all lettering in Dulux gold.

At some point prior to May of 1952, the Erie swapped the numbers on diners Nos. 941 and 947, as evidenced by original Erie documentation from the era. The reason for this change is unknown. With the delivery of new EMD E8s in a two-tone green paint scheme starting in 1952, most Erie through-line passenger equipment soon received this look, including the newly-renumbered No. 941.

After the Erie Railroad merged with its chief competitor, the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad, on October 17, 1960, the No. 941 was renumbered to Erie Lackawanna No. 741 and repainted in the Erie Lackawanna’s gray-and-maroon scheme. It continued to serve on long-distance passenger trains until they were gradually canceled due to the explosive growth of automobiles and the interstate highway system. The No. 741 was one of only three of the original Erie diners left in service at the end of Erie Lackawanna long-distance passenger operations in 1970, and it was retired in January of that year. All of the Erie Lackawanna’s remaining diners (including No. 741) were stored in the Port Jervis yard that spring pending disposition. It was still stored in Port Jervis as late as September of 1972.

The Erie Lackawanna eventually decided to use No. 741 on the wreck train stationed in Binghamton, New York. The car was renumbered No. 473511 and painted olive green. After Conrail was formed on April 1, 1976, the car remained in the Binghamton wreck train as Conrail No. 45914. As part of its new assignment, the car was modified both inside and out, including the addition of full-height doorways on both sides of the car. With the demise of the railroad wreck trains, Conrail then placed the car in camp car service. The car was eventually considered surplus and sold to the Everett Railroad in the mid-1990s.

When the Everett determined that they could not feasibly turn the car into a lounge for excursion service, the No. 741 became the first railcar ever acquired by the Dining Car Society in 2001. The exterior was restored to its Erie Lackawanna appearance in Kansas City, Missouri in November of 2007, and it was shipped to Scranton, Pennsylvania in April of 2012.

The car was moved to Port Jervis, NY on April 21, 2022 with the interior gutted and awaiting restoration. It was donated to the Erie Business Car Society on March 3, 2024. The 99-year-old car will soon be moved from Port Jervis to its new home in Jefferson, Ohio, where it will be restored to operation and its historic Erie paint.