Abraham Lincoln railcar
In early 2023, I had the unique opportunity to take a step back in time, experiencing a short ride on a privately owned railcar. I was able to see what it might have been like to be a railroad president inspecting his territory.
The car, the Abraham Lincoln, with owners in the Pacific Northwest, spent time on Tenino, Wash.-based Rainer Rail for several private-party excursions. It should not be confused with the railcar used in the Lincoln funeral train of 1865.
The Abraham Lincoln was built by the Pullman Co. in 1910 for the Western Pacific Railroad as coach No. 894. In 1910, Abraham Lincoln’s son Robert Todd Lincoln had just taken control of the Pullman Co., and he more than likely oversaw the car’s construction.
By 1929, coach 894 was retired from Western Pacific service. It was purchased by the Denver & Rio Grande Western, which rebuilt the car at its Burnham Shops into self-contained business car No. 101, used by the railroad president and other officials.
As rebuilt, the car features office space; two staterooms, one with attached bathroom; a hallway bathroom; dining room; servants’ quarters; kitchen; and the all-important observation area. The interior was complete with inlaid walnut and mahogany with period electric lamps and bronze fixtures. It also featured ice-cooling air conditioning as well as steam heat.
The D&RGW used the Abraham Lincoln until 1964, when it was sold to Golden West Rail Tours, which used it for the next two decades. In 1983 it entered private ownership, moving from Los Angeles to Tucson, where an eight-month rebuilding brought it up to Amtrak standards allowing its use on long-distance passenger trains. It was then moved to eastern Washington, closer to the car’s owners.
Rebuilt to the elegance of 1920s rail travel, the car has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a reminder of the history of rail travel in the United States.
Take a quick look at the elegance of what it would have been like to be an Empire Builder!
Sign me up for the next trip.
Even today this would be an elegant way to travel.