Railroad Passenger and Baggage Cars
Pullman 'Villa Real'
Description: | 10 Sec 3 DbBrm Sleeper |
Equipment Information
Pullman car “Villa Real” is an all-steel heavyweight sleeping car. It was built in 1911 and heavily rebuilt in 1931. It was designed for long-distance accommodation and features a mixture of private rooms and open seating that was convertible into bunks separated by heavy curtains for nighttime accommodation. It was assigned to service on the Pennsylvania Railroad for most of its career but was later sold to the Wabash before being rebuilt in 1957 for use by railroad work crews. During the early 2000s it was completely restored by owner Al Sauer, after which it was donated to IRM in 2021 and arrived at the museum in January 2022.
Read about the history and donation of the “Villa Real” here.
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Builder: Pullman/Pullman-Standard
Year Built: 1911
Seats: 23
Length: 81ft 10in
Width: 10ft
Height: 14ft 4in
Weight: 152700 lbs
Brakes: ??
Trucks: Pullman 2410
Description: Sleeper
Arrived: 2022
Condition: Complete / restored / operational
Read more about the history of this car in Rail & Wire #271
Ownership History
1911-1931 – Pullman “Lenover”
1931-1951 – Pullman “Villa Real”
1951-1953 – Pullman #5141
1953-1957 – Wabash #4318
1957-1964 – Wabash #5634
1964-1982 – Norfolk & Western #565634
1982-1995 – Norfolk Southern #565634
1995-2022 – Privately owned (Raleigh, NC)
2022-present – Illinois Railway Museum, Union, IL
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