The interior of a Pullman car on the Chicago and Alton Railroad circa 1900Īs locomotive technology progressed in the mid-19th century, trains grew in length and weight. When not in use, the hook would swivel down against the side of the car to prevent it from catching obstacles. American RPOs, first appearing in the 1860s, also featured equipment to catch mail bags at speed, but the American design more closely resembled a large hook that would catch the mailbag in its crook. These cars resembled coaches in their short wheelbase and exterior design, but were equipped with nets on the sides of the cars to catch mail bags while the train was in motion. The cars were still too short to allow more than two or three beds to be positioned end to end.īritain's Royal Mail commissioned and built the first travelling post office cars in the late 1840s as well. Britain's early sleepers, when made up for sleeping, extended the foot of the bed into a boot section at the end of the carriage. They were short, often less than 10 ft (3.05 m) long and had two axles.īritish railways had a head start on American railroads, with the first "bed-carriage" (an early sleeping car) being built there as early as 1838 for use on the London and Birmingham Railway and the Grand Junction Railway. The first passenger cars in the United States resembled stagecoaches. The only problem with this design is that the passengers were expected to stand for their entire trip. It featured a roof and small holes in the floor for drainage when it rained, and had separate compartments for different classes of travel. One of the early coach designs was the "Stanhope". The first passenger trains did not travel very far, but they were able to haul many more passengers for a longer distance than wagons pulled by horses.Īs railways were first constructed in England, so too were the first passenger cars. Up until about the end of the 19th century, most passenger cars were constructed of wood. Restored clerestory cars on display at the Mid-Continent Railway Museum in North Freedom, Wisconsin History 19th century: First passenger cars and early development In some countries, such as the UK, coaching stock that is designed, converted or adapted to not carry passengers, is referred to as "NPCS" (non-passenger coaching stock) similarly, in the US, some maintenance (engineering) stock can be known as "MOW" (maintenance of way). Amenities for passengers have also improved over time, with developments such as lighting, heating, and air conditioning added for improved passenger comfort. Passenger cars have increased greatly in size from their earliest versions, with modern bi-level passenger cars capable of carrying over 100 passengers. Early passenger cars were constructed from wood in the 1900s construction shifted to steel and later aluminum for improved strength. The first passenger cars were built in the early 1800s with the advent of the first railroads, and were small and little more than converted freight cars. The term passenger car can also be associated with a sleeping car, a baggage car, a dining car, railway post office and prisoner transport cars. A passenger railroad car or passenger car ( American English), also called a passenger carriage, passenger coach ( British English and International Union of Railways), or passenger bogie ( Indian English) is a railroad car that is designed to carry passengers.
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