Pullman Palace Car Company by Laz Scangas
After spending the night sleeping in his seat on a train trip from Buffalo to Westfield, New York, George Pullman was inspired to design an improved passenger railcar. This car would contain sleeper berths for all its passengers. During the day, the upper berth was folded up overhead, like a present-day airliner's overhead luggage compartment. At night, the upper berth folded down and the two facing seats below it folded over to provide a relatively comfortable lower berth. Curtains provided privacy and there were washrooms at each end of the car for men and women. In 1859, as the railroads were expanding their reach across America, Pullman convinced the Chicago, Alton and St. Louis Railroad to let him convert two old passenger cars into new and improved sleepers. These would become the first Pullman coaches built in the spring of 1859. These more comfortable, luxurious sleeping cars were an instant hit, affording wealthier passengers the amenities they were accustomed to at home and allowing middle -class travelers to enjoy a taste of the good life. Pullman established his company in 1862 and built luxury sleeping cars, which featured carved wood details, carpeting, draperies, upholstered chairs, libraries, card tables and an unparalleled level of customer service. At their peak in the early 20th century, Pullman cars accommodated 26 million people a year, and, in effect, the Pullman Palace Car Company operated "the largest hotel in the world". None of this success would have happened without the Pullman porters. The first Pullman porters began working aboard sleeper cars around 1867 and quickly became a fixture of the company’s sought-after traveling experience. Just as all of Pullman’s specially trained conductors were white, Pullman recruited only black men, many of them from the former slave states in the South, to work as porters. Their job was to lug baggage, shine shoes, set up and clean the sleeping berths and serve passengers. Champlain Valley Chapter (Burlington, VT) of the NRHS Chapter President Laz Scangas will present a photographic journey of George Pullman, the Pullman Palace Car Company, the Pullman Porters and the Cars They Rode. Laz Scangas is a practicing architect in the State of Vermont specializing in historic restoration. He has been involved in the restoration of the Central Vermont Station in Swanton, Vermont and the Central Vermont Station in Waterbury, Vermont.
