Joe Welsh and Bill Howes 156 pages hardcover
Every evening for much of the
twentieth century, 50,000 or more travelers snuggled under crisp
Pullman linens, falling asleep in one state and awaking in another. This
nostalgic look back at what was essentially a rolling hotel company
contracted by the nation's railroads to provide guest accommodations,
covers every aspect of Pullman operations, from the emerging popularity
of steam-powered rail travel in the early twentieth century to its
diesel-powered zenith and its eventual nadir in the 1950s and 1960s.
Pullman's entire complex network of employees and services is featured,
from the ticket offices that manually handled millions of reservations
each year to the six car shops spread across the nation to perform heavy
maintenance and repairs, and all of Pullman's porters, mechanics,
cleaners, electricians, cooks, barbers, shoeshiners, and more.
Illustrated with both black-and-white and color period views depicting
Pullman interiors and facilities, as well as memorabilia and sales
literature.
