Travel by Pullman: A Century of Service

by Joe Welsch

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.

156 pages, Hardcover

First published October 11, 2004

Reviews

[Cheri Stringer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting history of train travel in the latter part of 19th and first half of 20th centuries. Terrific pictures. Hard to read because is coffee table sized book.

[Rafeeq O. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joe Welsh and Bill Howes' 2004 Travel by Pullman: A Century of Service is a beautifully illustrated coffee-table book--large but not cumbersomely oversized--covering the heyday of passenger rail service in the United States under the services of "[o]ne of the longest-lived companies in American history, the Pullman Company, [which] served the North American travel market from 1867 to 1968" (2004 MBI hardcover, page 8).

The authors, of course, are experts, Welsh being a much-published authority on railroading and Howes having been a Director in the Pullman Company and a Vice President of the Baltimore & Ohio rail line. Clearly these fellows know what they're talking about.

After a brief Foreword and then a helpful Introduction, the book is organized in six chapters: "Beginnings and Prosperity--1867-1900," "Pullmans to Everywhere--1900-1935," "The Early Streamliner Era--1936-1945," "In Pullman Safety and Comfort," "Postwar Streamliners--1946-1968," and "Where Are They Now?" From technical innovations and legal difficulties, through various evolutions of the sleeping car, across organization and customer service and even race relations, to the final decline of passenger rail in the postwar years, accelerated by the creation of the interstate highway system and the expansion of passenger air travel, the text presents its story ably and entertainingly. The piece includes a handy index as well.

And the illustrations... Well, come on--this is why we buy coffee-table books, isn't it? The reader here will not be disappointed. Illustrations are copious and gorgeous: black-and-white and color photographs of sleeper car exteriors and interiors, along with contemporary promotional materials like flyers and booklets, which go on and on and on. Aside from the Index, there are no other pages in this 156-page excursion without pictures; indeed, most pages have more illustration than text. This is appropriate and laudable in a book that needs to convey not only the facts of a bygone era but the mood and feel of it as well.

For anyone interested in the long-vanished time of commonplace travel by rail, a time so different from today, when the experience was marked by impeccable service and elegant dining in well-maintained vehicles, Welsh and Howes' Travel by Pullman: A Century of Service will be a 5-star joy.