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"Green Bank", car number 1177, was originally one of twenty cars delivered by Pullman-Standard to Canadian National in April of 1954. The 20 cars were ordered in October of 1952 as Lot 6923, and built to Plan 4183-A. This order from CN were some of the last Pullmans built to the 6 Section, 6 Roomette, and 4 Bedroom design. CN leased most of this series to Pullman, but were withdrawn from Pullman lease between 1965 and 1966. "Green Bank" was never leased to Pullman, but was always operated by CN. The 6-4-6’s were immediately assigned to upgrade sleeping car service on CN through trains such as the Ocean Limited, The Montrealer, and The Washingtonian. This series also saw service on the Grand Trunk Western from Chicago to Toronto on the International Limited, to Montreal on the Maple Leaf, and also to Detroit and Lansing. The 19 surviving cars in this series was conveyed to Via Rail Canada in March of 1978. Via Rail used these cars on the same routes that the CN did, however, they were more frequent visitors to the Maritime Provinces. The car was withdrawn from VIA service, and sold to a private individual in the United States in the early 1990’s. The car was then moved to Ohio, and saw very limited use. In 1949, a joint mechanical committee from the C&O, NKP, Pere Marquette and Pullman originally designed the interior of the Roomettes and Bedrooms in Green Bank. This design was eventually to become standard for many Pullmans constructed by Pullman - Standard. The major change was to locate the Bedrooms in the center of the car, as this gave the highest paying patrons the best ride/ The most striking design improvement was to the Bedrooms. Each Bedroom was equipped with a three-mirror vanity, and an enclosed toilet annex. In response to complaints by patrons who sometimes had to ride backwards in most Pullman cars constructed before 1949, the bench seat was eliminated in the bedrooms in the new design. The bench seat was replaced with two folding chairs in each room. This enabled the passengers to position their chairs any way they liked. The portion of the car containing the 6 Sections would appeal to the more budget minded traveler. Tables could be fitted on request to the Porter in the Sections and Roomettes. The exterior of Green Bank very closely resembles the window configuration of the two Erie 10/5’s which were delivered by Pullman to the Erie in June of 1954, just two months after Green Bank was completed and delivered. Green Bank has the same Roomette and Bedroom furnishings as the Erie 10/5’s. This because the two Erie cars were tagged onto a CN order for 6 10/5‘s, and with the exception of the interior and exterior colors, were the same cars. Of course, the major difference being the Erie cars did not contain Sections. Green Bank and Pride and Spirit of Youngstown also have the very unique recessed grab irons on the blind end of the car. John and Karen Boehner purchased Green Bank in April of 2002. After an air brake rebuild, the car was moved to the Ozark Mountain Railcar shop in Hollister, MO. Restoration on the car has begun with work on removing and resealing the windows. Outer plate glass will be replaced with FRA Type II glazing. It is our intention to have the car painted in Erie colors, and lettered “Erie”. The car will be used along with Diner 741, working towards our recreation of an EL thru passenger train. We have also decided to rename Green Bank to American Way II. American Way was a Pullman built 6-6-4, delivered in 1942 for service on all Erie thru trains. The cars were eventually purchased by the Erie, and conveyed to EL ownership. The four EL American series cars last saw regular service on the Lake Cities during the summer of 1962. They were then withdrawn from regular service, disappearing from the July 1, 1962 timetable. They were retained by EL for lease or emergency use. American Way was one of the two 6-6-4’s repainted in EL gray, maroon, and yellow, with the other two cars keeping their Erie colors until sold in 1970. American Way was retired and scrapped by EL in the late 1960’s. American Way II will proudly wear Erie colors into the future! |