The Illinois Railway Museum has acquired a second complete and operational train of bi-level “gallery cars.” The three stainless-steel Chicago Burlington & Quincy cars, including two coaches and a cab car, arrived at the Museum on November 11, 2026. Cars 702 and 709 were built by the Budd Company of Philadelphia in 1950 and were among the very first gallery cars ever constructed. Cab car 791 was built in 1965 and was part of the Burlington’s original order for cab cars, which enabled the railroad to inaugurate push-pull commuter service.

When the CB&Q ordered the first gallery cars in 1950, the cars were revolutionary. Most Chicago commuters at the time rode on wood and steel coaches that were decades old and in most cases were pulled by steam locomotives. The Burlington’s 700-series gallery cars were air conditioned, with sealed windows and comfortable seats. The two-level design permitted a higher seating capacity, while the open “gallery” allowed the conductor to collect fares from both levels simultaneously. The design of the Burlington gallery cars was so successful that nearly every Chicago commuter car built since 1950, including cars on the Metra Electric and South Shore Line, have used a similar layout.

The original 1950 gallery cars on the CB&Q were hauled by steam or diesel locomotives and powered by separate passenger cars fitted with large generators, but at first, there was no push-pull operation. That changed in 1965, when the Burlington followed the example of the Chicago & North Western and ordered its first bi-level cab cars. This allowed the commuter trains to operate in either direction without turning the train or switching the engine. Cab cars like car 791 were the first of their type used by the CB&Q in commuter service. In 1973, all of the Burlington’s gallery cars were rebuilt with electric heat for use with head-end-power-equipped locomotives.

Cars 702, 709, and 791 were retired by Metra in the early 2000s and sold to MiTrain, a planned commuter operation in eastern Michigan. The cars underwent some overhaul work, including being adapted for wheelchair accessibility, at this time. The commuter service ended up being cancelled, and the cars were put up for sale. IRM purchased the three cars as a complete train in 2026. Together with a set of 1950s smooth-sided bi-level cars from the Chicago & North Western, this gives the Museum two complete trains of first-generation bi-level commuter cars from Chicago railroads.

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