Luxury First-Class “Car 3” Returns for 2023
Upgraded Pullman Parlor Coach ReADY for Passenger Service
- Class, comfort, and history rides RBMN’s rails once more
- Car 3: New and Improved following the 2022-23 Restoration.
Pullman First-Class Parlor Car 3 has been a favorite of both RBMN’s management teams and riders since its release in 2015.
Keeping with many of RBMN’s coach and locomotive historical choices for specialty service, Car 3 was built in the 1920s and was owned by the Gulf Mobile & Northern Railroad (GM&N).
GM&N debuted in 1917 after reorganization of the New Orleans, Mobile, and Chicago Railroad. The railroad serviced Mobile, Alabama to Jackson, Tennessee until 1938 until a merger of GM&N and the Mobile & Ohio Railroad rebranding as the “Gulf Mobile and Ohio Railroad” (GM&O).
Car 3 was not the only significant acquisition from the GM&N/O lines. Our iconic, “425” steam engine was another piece of rail history RBMN restored and has since been available for special Passenger excursions.
A masterclass in Interior & Exterior DesigN
RBMN acquired the vintage first-class Pullman coach, later to be renamed as “Car 3” c. 1990. However, the coach would be stored along RBMN’s siding (e.g. a side track) for almost 25 years prior to renovations and restoration.
As RBMN’s Passenger services and interest for different excursions grew, it was a natural evolution to consider various ridership options to serve the needs, desires, and budgets for all to enjoy RBMN’s railroad. In 2014, Mr. and Mrs. Muller (RBMN’s owners) picked the future Car 3 with the vision of the coach redefining expectations of what “first-class passenger trips” were in the minds of established railroads, historians, and rail enthusiasts.
Mrs. Muller singularly designed the car’s interior while painstakingly searching for vintage 1910-1920s period pieces of furniture, decorum, and design. Utilizing a style known as “Art Deco”, a splash of Victorian era touches, and coupled with classic turn-of-the-century techniques such as filigree with nods to the artists and architecture of the movements, Mrs. Muller’s vision came to life spectacularly much to the delight of everyone who has ridden along RBMN’s line in Car 3.
CAR 3’S SERVICE & RESTORATION
In only one year, Car 3 was ready for its initial journey for special trips during Fall Foliage along the stunning Lehigh Gorge in Jim Thorpe, PA via RBMN’s Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway (LGSRY); it was an immediate sensation.
After some time, Car 3’s Passenger services were temporarily held due to required maintenance on its wheels and springs (suspension). However, Car 3 evolved into the perfect “office space” for occasional management and special meetings to the delight of the staff. It was parked just outside of RBMN’s Port Clinton headquarters until repairs could be prioritized.
In November of 2022, the order was given, and the Parlor Car was fixed in our own Reading and Northern Shops by our expert mechanical team over a period of weeks. In total, over $46,000.00 was spent on the wheel work.
As a result, riding in this car as a Passenger will be a one-of-a-kind and rare experience you will not want to miss.
Car 3 Features and How to Ride
** Car 3 Tickets will be Available to the Public this May. **
When you ride in Car 3, you are greeted with…
· Hand-carved wooden architecture and inlays
· Luxurious and adjustable swiveled armchairs
· Wide angle vantages from our extended windows
· Two functional fireplaces
· A Hand-hammered designer tin ceiling
· Additional and alternative seating options (such as love chairs)
· Plenty of room to stretch out and, if desired, intermingle with your fellow riders (13 total riders MAX)
· Comfort in any season you choose to ride with us (heating options as well as cooling)
· Accessible and generously sized restrooms.
More details will be on rbmnrr-passenger and our social media channels in the coming weeks! For the best chance of securing your tickets before they sell out, follow our Facebook pages…
· RBMN Passenger
· LGSRY
Reading & Northern Railroad, with its corporate headquarters in Port Clinton, is a privately held railroad company serving over 75 customers in nine eastern Pennsylvania counties (Berks, Bradford, Carbon, Columbia, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Northumberland, Schuylkill, and Wyoming). It has expanded its operations over the last 30+ years and now handles over 34,000 carloads of freight and 225,000 excursion train riders over 400 miles of track. Reading & Northern operates both freight services and steam and diesel-powered excursion passenger services, owns almost 1,800 freight cars, and employs nearly 300 dedicated employees. Reading & Northern has repeatedly been honored as one of the premier railroads in the nation including being named Regional Railroad of the year in 2020 by Railway Age Magazine.
Additional Content
· Gulf, Mobile & Northern: Wiki
· Additional searching for GM&N/O pictures and inquiries for general historical reference.
- Car 3 Idling at Reading Outer Station Ready for its Test Run prior to Return to Passenger Service in 2023