NEW YORK CENTRAL Sleeping Car "Imperial Manor" |
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This sleeping car once carried passengers from New York to Los Angeles and back, traveling the southern route through El Paso, Tucson, Chandler and Phoenix.
It was built for the New York Central in 1939 as a "4-4-2" car, with 4 double bedrooms, 4 compartments, and 2 drawing rooms, and served on the famed "20th Century Limited" between New York and Chicago, continuing to Los Angeles via the Rock Island and Southern Pacific's "Golden State."
In 1962 it was sold to the Illinois Central Railroad and served on the "Panama Limited." In 1968 it was purchased by a travel company in Oklahoma, then by one in Tucson in 1980. It was leased to the Arizona Railway Museum in 1991, and was donated in 2017.
Originally named "Imperial Estate," this car was built by Pullman-Standard as one of 9 cars in lot 6571, plan 4069D for service on the New York Central Railroad (NYC lot 2219). The order was placed in December 1938 and it was delivered in July 1939. Its length is 82 feet 4 inches over end sills.
The Pullman Company operated it on NYC trains, then sold it to the railroad in 1948. The NYC changed its name to "Imperial Manor" in 1950, and in 1952 began assigning numbers to its cars, this one receiving No. 10017. In June 1962 the car was sold to the Illinois Central Railroad who renamed it "Hazelhurst" and used it on the "Panama Limited" from Chicago to New Orleans.
In 1968 the car was sold to John Brigham for charter service with Howard Thornton's Midwest Travel Services in Midwest City, Oklahoma. It was named "Mistletoe," numbered as MWT 7777, and was made available for travel throughout the U.S. It was then sold to Rail Passenger Services of Tucson, Arizona, in 1980 and to its affiliate Arizona Rail Car in 1982. The car was renamed back to "Imperial Manor" and was leased to the Arizona Railway Museum in 1991, finally being donated in December 2017.