Original Turquoise Room train car to be restored

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The Winslow Arts Trust is very excited to announce that we have purchased an original Turquoise Room train car, and will soon be moving it to Winslow for the Route 66 Art Museum!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In 1950 the Santa Fe Railway decided to create a super-deluxe private dining car. They contracted with the Pullman Company for six ‘Pleasure Domes' - based on the Samuel Coleridge poem Kubla Khan: “In Xanada did Kubla Khan a stately pleasure dome decree'. These beautiful streamline moderne stainless steel sided cars were the first domes owned by the Santa Fe. There would be a lounge on one end, a step up observation dome with swivel chairs on top, a step down bar in the middle, and a private dining room for 12 – the Turquoise Room – on the other end. The pleasure domes were used on the Super Chief and traveled between Los Angeles and Chicago. Mary Colter's beautiful Mimbreno China was used in the Turquoise Room. Made in America reproductions of the china are now available at La Posada.

Our car is the Santa Fe #502. When AMTRAK took over passenger service this became AMTRAK #9352. The Pleasure Domes were all retired and sold off in 1981. We found the #502 in Lamy New Mexico, where it was parked unused on a siding for the Lamy Railroad and History Museum.

 

After a few months of investigation (could it be restored? could it be moved to Winslow?) the Winslow Arts Trust purchased the #502 thanks to generous donations from the Candelaria Fund and Allan Affeldt. The BNSF Railway then agreed to move the car to Winslow for $1!

 

Meanwhile we have been finishing plans to restore the Winslow Depot as the Route 66 Art Museum. That project will go to bid for construction this summer and should open to the public next spring. The $1 million first phase of the museum is being funded by the Winslow Arts Trust and the National Transportation Enhancement program in cooperation with the City of Winslow. The #502 will be open to the public as part of the museum and will be located immediately east of the Winslow Depot on the private train track owned by La Posada. La Posada is now preparing the site, bringing power etc.

 

The first phase of #502 restoration will consist of some new windows and gaskets, replacing some flooring, recreating the lounge and bar murals, and repairing the infrastructure (plumbing, electrical, heating and cooling). We need to raise $50,000 - $100,000 depending on how much donated labor we can find. We would be very grateful for donations of any size! The Winslow Arts Trust is a 501-c3 public benefit corporation so donations are tax deductible. Please call Allan Affeldt at 928-587-3268 for more information.

 

Thanks for helping us to save this remarkable and beautiful piece of railroad history. We look forward to welcoming you aboard the #502!