(The following story by Paul McDonald appeared on the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier website on August 12.)
“Good mornin’ America, how are you?
Don’t you know me? I’m your native son!
I’m the train they call the City of New Orleans …”
— Arlo Guthrie
WATERLOO, Iowa — Long before private jets and custom tour buses, many wealthy Americans traveled aboard their own private or corporate railroad car.
Owners attached luxury rail cars to passenger trains traveling across North America. Then air travel replaced rails. With the exception of commuter trains, today train travel is viewed as a novelty.
But not all private rail cars ended up in salvage yards or train museums. A few corporations and individuals still own cars, and I was invited to climb aboard the San Marino car, owned by Dean Levin, for a trip from Chicago to its home berth in New Orleans.
On July 28, we were the last train in Amtrak’s “City of New Orleans,” one of the rail system’s most famous trains immortalized by Arlo Guthrie. Always popular when it was operated by the Illinois Central Railroad, “The City of New Orleans” cuts through the heart of America and displays it for viewing at ground level.
Levin purchased the car in 2002. It was in excellent cosmetic and mechanical condition, retaining its original wood interior. After making several trips, Levin stored the car in New Orleans, where it was damaged in Hurricane Katrina and later in a tornado. It was moved to a shop near Milwaukee, where it underwent mechanical restoration. A new stainless steel kitchen was installed, furniture was refinished and reupholstered and the car was given a new coat of exterior paint.
Now it was parked in Chicago, awaiting our departure. Several Amtrak passengers asked about the San Marino and seemed shocked to learn the private cars still exist. After a quick tour, they left convinced it was the only way to travel. “Now I’ll go back to my spot in steerage,” one woman remarked as she left.
The San Marino was built in 1916 for Henry Huntington, the nephew of a founder of the Southern Pacific Railroad. Southern Pacific purchased the car in the 1920s and used it until the 1970s, when it was sold to a Mexican railroad. It was soon purchased by a Texas corporation and returned to the United States.
A typical private rail car contained a full kitchen, dining room for four to 10 people, multiple bedrooms and a lounge, often with an open platform so the owner and his guests could enjoy an unobstructed view of the countryside. All this comfort was contained in an 85-feet long car weighing up to 100 tons. Most were built by Pullman Co., just south of Chicago.
After passing an Amtrak inspection, the cars can be attached to its passenger trains for about $2.50 per mile. Most cars have been restored and upgraded to meet Amtrak’s mechanical specifications.
We backed out of Chicago Union Station and were switched to a track connecting us to Illinois Central’s main line to New Orleans. With Chicago’s skyline visit from the rear of our car, we rounded the last curve out of the station and headed south at 85 miles per hour.
About 4 a.m., we crossed the Ohio River on the impressive bridge at Cairo, Ill., and traveled into Kentucky. North of Memphis, sun broke through early morning fog, and we entered the city on a twisting route along alleys and streets and past mansions. Later we were in Mississippi, which amazingly resembled rural Iowa.
Louisiana felt like a different country. The temperature felt like 150 F, and large swamps covering many square miles flanked the train. I spotted a large alligator cooling off, his head out of the water.
Just north of New Orleans, we followed the west side of Lake Pontchartrain, crossing a portion of it on a bridge. It looked like an ocean. Entering the city, I saw only a few signs of hurricane damage. We rounded a curve and backed into the station 15 minutes early.
From the San Marino’s comfortable lounge, we saw front yards, backyards, junk yards, main streets, alleys, factories and farms.
Those passengers in Chicago were right. It’s the only way to travel.