Super Dome Train Car Cutaway, 1952

Super Dome Train Car Cutaway 1952

Super Dome Train Car Cutaway 1952

Sightseeing “dome” rail cars were not new in 1952, but to this point these VistaDomes, as they were called, had extended only partially along the length of the car.  With the new Pullman super dome car, this “greenhouse” area now extended 73 feet, the entire length (more or less) of the car, accommodating 68 passengers.

The half-inch thick glass top was double-walled, air conditioned air flowing through the plenum during hot summer months.

Downstairs was a 28 seat diner with full electric kitchen.

The Napa Valley Wine Train is one of the few outfits running Super Dome Cars, though in their literature they mistakenly refer to them as VistaDomes.

Click to Enlarge to 1251 x 762 px

Source:  Popular Science, July 1952

By Lee Wallender

Deception, influence, fakes, illusions, themed environments, simulations, secret places, secret infrastructure, imagined places, dreamscapes, movie sets and props, evasions, camouflage, studio backlots, miniatures.

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