Pullman cars
Luxury train carriages
Pullman cars are luxurious railroad passenger cars, especially sleeping cars with private compartments and convertible berths.
Named after their designer George Pullman, they represented the height of rail travel comfort in the late 19th and early 20th centuries: They traveled cross-country in a Pullman car.
The term evokes an era of elegant long-distance train journeys.
Sleeping space on transport
- upper berthHigher sleeping platform
- lower berthTrain's ground-level sleeping space
- roometteSmall train sleeping quarters
- drawing roomFormal reception space
overnight travel · bedding · foldaway bed · privacy curtain · washbasin · dressing room · bedtime · turndown service
Ornate hanging light fixtures
- fine diningElegant restaurant experience
- silver serviceFormal tableside food presentation
- observation deckElevated platform for sightseeing
- ornateElaborately decorated
opulent · first class · smoking lounge · parlor car · gilded · exclusive · elegance · stained glass
Late 1800s American prosperity
- company townEmployer-owned settlement
- labor strikeOrganized cessation of work
- railroad tycoonWealthy railway business owner
- 19th centuryThe eighteen hundreds
transcontinental railroad · railroad expansion · unionization · Great Migration · civil rights · African American history · tipping culture · service industry
Enclosed space between doors
- couplerDevice linking two things
- truckHeavy freight vehicle
- bogieVehicle wheel assembly
- air brakePressure-powered stopping mechanism
wooden construction · steel construction · standard gauge · articulated · corridor · underframe · ventilation · lighting
berth
Sleeping space on transport
- upper berthHigher sleeping platform
- lower berthTrain's ground-level sleeping space
- roometteSmall train sleeping quarters
drawing room · overnight travel · bedding · foldaway bed · privacy curtain · washbasin · dressing room · bedtime · turndown service · linens
chandeliers
Ornate hanging light fixtures
- fine diningElegant restaurant experience
- silver serviceFormal tableside food presentation
- observation deckElevated platform for sightseeing
ornate · opulent · first class · smoking lounge · parlor car · gilded · exclusive · elegance · stained glass
Gilded Age
Late 1800s American prosperity
- company townEmployer-owned settlement
- labor strikeOrganized cessation of work
- railroad tycoonWealthy railway business owner
19th century · transcontinental railroad · railroad expansion · unionization · Great Migration · civil rights · African American history · tipping culture · service industry · segregation
vestibule
Enclosed space between doors
air brake · wooden construction · steel construction · standard gauge · articulated · corridor · underframe · ventilation · lighting · window
Pullman carscoach class
Standard airplane seating tier
economy class · standard class · second class · third class · hard class