Equipment Information

Pullman car “Palm Lane” is a rare example of an all-steel “sunroom” style solarium observation car. It is an all-steel heavyweight car designed for long-distance travel and features both private sleeping rooms and a large lounge area. The extra-height windows at the rear of the car were designed to admit the maximum amount of sunlight. The car originally saw use on the Seminole Limited, a train between Chicago and Jacksonville, Florida, over the Illinois Central, Central of Georgia, and Atlantic Coast Line railroads. It received air conditioning in 1934, was painted in Atlantic Coast Line colors in 1951, and was retired by Pullman in 1956. At that time it was sold to James E. Strates Shows, a carnival promoter, which renamed it “Syracuse.” In 1972 the was taken out of service and placed on display at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse. A short line railroad operator moved the car to Colorado in 2013 for a planned rebuilding that didn’t happen. “Palm Lane” arrived at IRM in 2023 after IRM member Roger W. Kramer bought the car and donated it to the museum.

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Pullman “Palm Lane” Details

Builder: Pullman/Pullman-Standard
Year Built: 1929
Seats: 23
Description: 3 compartment, 1 drawing room sleeper-buffet-lounge-solarium heavyweight car
Arrived: 2023
Condition: Incomplete / unrestored / not operational

Ownership History

1929-1956 – Pullman “Palm Lane”
1956-1972 – James E. Strates Shows #2 “Syracuse”
1972-2013 – Central New York Chapter, National Railway Historical Society, Syracuse, NY
2013-2023 – Iowa Pacific, Alamosa, Colorado
2023-present – Illinois Railway Museum, Union, IL