The "Lion Gardiner": Making the Case for a National At-Risk List

Photo by Ernest Hunt.

When New York Central No. 450 rolled out of the Pullman shops in 1914, those admiring her regal green and gold lines could scarcely imagine that this elegant heavyweight dining car – designed for service on the Central’s flagship trains – would one day be rotting in a New York field.

Yet that’s exactly what happened. After a prestigious career with NYC, car No. 450 traveled through a series of owners and gained the name Lion Gardiner before coming to rest in Kingston, New York, forgotten for decades and rusting toward oblivion.

Despite being a landmark of national importance, its significance was only recently discovered by the larger railroad heritage community. It’s considered the finest surviving example of upscale railroad dining in the post-World War I “Gothic period” of heavyweight passenger cars. The 100 year-old car also played a pioneering role in the railroad preservation movement: it was a regular on “High Iron” excursion trips during the 1960s, which introduced countless rail enthusiasts to the concept of re-using historic railroad equipment for recreation.

Today, its salvation may come through a unique public-private collaboration that embodies the future of railroad preservation. Last year owner Empire State Railway Museum teamed with the Catskill Revitalization Corporation and the Ulster and Delaware Railroad Historical Society to stabilize and  assess the dining car. The National Railway Historical Society then included the Lion Gardiner in its 2013 “Most At-Risk” list of endangered U.S. railroad landmarks.

The ranking helped open doors for the Lion Gardiner collaboration, including greater awareness and donations. In June, the NRHS awarded a $5,000 Railway Heritage grant to the Empire State Railway Museum, which was followed by a $4,000 grant from the Tom E. Dailey Foundation.

Though the NYC had modernized the car during the 1930s, it retains its wood windows and characteristic “clerestory” roof line. Despite its current condition, it also retains a high degree of historic integrity with its original kitchen, buffet and pantry intact, as well as a maze of steam-era underbody systems designed to heat, cool, water, and power the car.

The Lion Gardiner story illustrates the urgent need to develop a national system of identifying and prioritizing railroad landmarks for preservation. For decades this treasure slipped under the radar: few within the national railfan community knew of the car’s existence, while those who knew were unaware of its significance.

Interior of the Lion Gardiner. Photo by Ernest Hunt.

It’s a stark reminder that the rail preservation community is a fragmented collection of tourist railroads, railroad museums, historical societies and individuals – all of whom can point to exciting accomplishments, yet struggle with universal challenges. Unlike the mainstream preservation community, rail preservation lacks a national system that not only identifies landmarks and projects, but raises awareness among the public – and more importantly, raises funds on a collective scale.

The NRHS “Most-at-Risk” list is the first step of a planned railway heritage initiative that would boost preservation capacity, share ideas, coordinate support, avoid duplication and present a unified voice for all members of the industry. Future plans include a National Railway Heritage Register, a national watch list, preservation awards, an expanded grants program and more.

For now, the “Most at Risk” List is the first and best step to alerting the preservation community of rail artifacts in danger of being lost forever.  The 2014 list is being developed and nominations are urgently needed, especially from western and mid-western states. Send nominations to Nathaniel Guest, NRHS preservation programs director, at info@nrhs.com. For a potentially endangered resource to be considered, the following information must be provided:

1. A description of the resource and its history.
2. A statement of significance about the resource (why it’s noteworthy and important).
3. Specific barriers to preservation.
4. A statement about the threat facing the resource (e.g., deterioration, etc.). How significant is the threat?
5. What actions would alleviate the threat? How can the railfan community help? (e.g., where to send donations, how to volunteer, who to direct letters of support?)
6. What is a viable plan for the resource's preservation?
7. Contact information for the organization championing the resource's preservation (or otherwise responsible) 
8. A publication-ready photo with attribution.
9. Contact information and a relevant website or social media page.

“A profoundly rich legacy has been entrusted to our care,” explains Guest, “As a community of railway historians, preservationists and enthusiasts, it’s our responsibility to save these surviving relics for future generations. If we don’t do it, who will? We’re running out of time to build a brighter future for railroading’s history.”

Click here to see the entire 2013 list of endangered landmarks, with photos and donation links.