Pullman Gallery Car

Gallery Car (7006A, 7600 and 8700 series)[1][2]
Virginia Railway Express #V425. Originally in service with the C&NW
Manufacturer	Pullman Company
Constructed	1950s-1970s
Entered service	1950-present
Capacity	153-161
Specifications
Car body construction	LAHT steel body on a steel frame
Car length	85 feet (26 m)
Entry	Step
Doors	1 per side
Track gauge	4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge

The Pullman Gallery Car was a double-decker passenger car built by Pullman-Standard during the 1950s to 1970s for various passenger rail operators in the United States.

The car's upper level was accessed by four sets of stairs in the middle vestibule. A narrow walkway with handrail and middle sections open looking below. Passengers disemarked from stairs from the vestibule on both sides. The original bench seating on the lower level was often upgraded to individual seats during rebuilds by operators. The 8700 series cars feature a control cab; this is not found in the 7600 series cars.

Models

There were four types:

Operators

• AMT - Canadian Vickers-built gallery cars (all retired)
• Amtrak: Acquired twelve cars from the Chicago and North Western Railway in the 1970s; ten coaches and food-service cars. Amtrak converted four of coaches into control cars in 1981–1982. All twelve were off the roster by 1994.^[5]:192
• Burlington Northern and Santa Fe - acquired the six Transcisco Tours gallery cars and converted them to be used as business cars (BNSF #40–45); two were later converted to track geometry cars.
• Canadian Pacific Railway - Montreal passenger routes and cars transferred to STCUM, and then to AMT (all retired)
• Chicago and North Western - sold cars to Metra and Amtrak
• Metra - currently used on the Milwaukee District lines and the Union Pacific routes
• Southern Pacific - Peninsula Commute, then Caltrain. Operated 46 gallery cars (SP 3700–3745) until 1985. Sold to Tour Alaska in 1986. Colorado Railcar converted four (SP 3734, 3740, 3744, 3745) into "Ultra Dome" cars at Tillamook, Oregon.^[6][7][8] Six sold to Transcisco Tours (SP 3700–3703; 3707, 3708), subsequently acquired by BNSF.
• Transcisco Tours - acquired six from SP and converted them for tour use (#800532–800537).^[9]
• Utah Transit Authority FrontRunner - for parts
• GO Transit - borrowed both CP Rail and Chicago and North Western cars for trial runs.

Preserved Cars

• Two cars, a coach and a cab car, are preserved at the Illinois Railway Museum.

See also

• Bombardier Bi-Level Coach
• Hi-Level

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Pullman-Standard gallery cars.