The last all pullman train in the us

[NP Eddie]

What was the last all Pullman train in the US? I know the Panama and 20th Century added coaches but with a name for the coach sections.

The 20th Century quit in 1967 so the PC could not use its name.

Ed Burns

[rcdrye]

NY Central took over operation of sleeping cars in 1958, so in its last years the Century wouldn't have been an all-Pullman train even with no coaches.  The "Panama Limited" was combined with the "Magnolia Star" an "all-coach" train that shared its numbers.  PRR's Broadway Limited's status depended on its combination with the General.  Coaches were added for good by 1967, when some ex-Rio Grande Prospector cars arrived.  Southern's Crescent was still all-Pullman between Charlotte and Atlanta at least into 1966.  The Lark's companion "Starlight" was permanently combined by the mid 1950s, though still listed in the timetables as a separate train.  B&O's Capitol Limited was combined with the Columbian to end its on-again off-again all-Pullman status for good.

If the summer-season El Capitan had resumed its old numbers 21 and 22, the last all-Pullman train would probably be the summer 1967 Super Chief, but the "El Cap" ran as sections of 17 and 18.  In the summers of 1972 and 1973, Amtrak split the Super Chief and El Capitan into two sections a number of times, resulting in some of the few all-sleeper trains ever operated by Amtrak.

[daveklepper]

Also depends on your definition of Pullman, because Pullman went out of business several years befire Amrak's start.  Even then, the summertime Super Chief is probably the winner.  A few years before Amtrak, all railroads operated  their own sleepers, completing a transition process started be the NYCentral much earlier.

[rcdrye]

Pullman contracts varied widely over the years.  Prior to 1947 Pullman owned most of the cars and leased them to the operating railroads - though most lightweights were railroad owned. After 1947 most of the cars were distributed among Pullman's owning railroads.  There were some railroads that operated their own cars but still had a contract with Pullman to supply cars and staff for seasonal or special operations as needed - notably the Soo Line and Canadian Pacific.  

Pullman pool service cars were often painted to match a train or railroad scheme during long term assignment.  One of the last Pullman-owned cars, 10 rmt 5 dbr Cascade Basin was painted in Illinois Central paint after 1950, though not owned by IC, or even assigned to IC trains.

[BaltACD]

In 1960 or 61 my family made a great circle rail vacation from our home in Garrett, IN.  B&O to Chicago, Panama Limited to New Orleans, Gulf Wind to Jacksonville.  We rented a car and spent a week at Daytona Beach and then when from Jacksonville to Washington on the Silver Meteor and then returned to Garrett on the Capitol Limited.

At that time, is was my understanding that the Panama Limited was the last all Pullman train in the USA.

[CSSHEGEWISCH]

Last all first-class train at any rate.  OG equipment listings show a railroad-operated Chicago-Carbondale parlor car.

[rcdrye]

PRR's Broadway Limited outlasted the Panama Limited as an all-Pullman train by about six weeks.  It was combined with the General (itself a one-time all-Pullman train) a short time before the PC merger.  PRR and PC bought ex-D&RGW and later ex-UP coaches for use on the Broadway. 

Pullman istelf ended operations about a year after the Broadway started carrying coaches. PRR's contract relationship with Pullman underwent many changes between 1958, when parlor cars were withdrawn, and the 1968 Penn Central merger.  At least a couple of Pullman Lines survived for Florida trains until the end of Pullman operations, but railroad operation of the Broadway's cars may have begun before the PC merger.

[daveklepper]

I  believe you are correct on that last point, but I don't remember the date.