The Pullman Company provided outstanding service and luxury on rail routes, both in the US and UK, where the familiar umber and cream carriages started on the London, Brighton & South Coast Railway in 1818 until nationalization in 1948, and has coachworks in Brighton. In the 1920's, Pullman's fleet of over 8,000 cars carried up to 39 million passengers a year - almost one-third of the population of the USA in those days - and employed 12,000 porters and 28,000 conductors. This illustrated history examines Pullman's diverse cars, form it's spectacular custom-built wooden cars of the Ninteenth Century to steel cars in the pre-war years, and into the streamlined era, covering a host of famous names: Formosa, Parlour First Coach, Kitchen Coach in it's many varieties, Observation Lounge Car 'Coconino', and many more. Packed with period photographs, many rare colour ones, as well as car diagrams and advertisements that trace the sleeper, parlour and restaurant cars, and show the luxury that Pullman aspired to, which has never again been done successfully on such a wide scale.

Author Biography

Joe Welsh is a regular contributor to Trains and Classic Trains magazines and has appeared on the History Channel. He is the author of 12 books including the critically acclaimed Travel by Pullman, co-authored with William F. Howes, Jr. He resides in Auburn, Washington. Kevin J. Holland is a freelance writer, editor, and publications designer based in Burlington, Ontario. He has written and produced more than 15 books and is a regular contributor to Classic Trains. Bill Howes is the former director of The Pullman Company and a former vice-president of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. Mr. Howes is the co-author of Travel by Pullman and vice-president of the Railway & Locomotive Historical Society. He lives in Florida.