B&O museum introduces restored ‘Washington’

Bob Lettenberger, Trains

BALTIMORE — The Washington — a 1949 Pullman-Standard observation-tavern car — has been cosmetically restored inside and out by the B&O Railroad Museum.

This is the museum’s first interior restoration project. The car will be unveiled on Saturday, Feb. 21.

“The No. 3316 is a showpiece both in terms of the incredible Art Deco interior featuring a beautiful bar and mural and the more significant story it conveys about Pullman porters,” says Kris Hoellen, B&O Museum executive director. “Our restoration staff are true craftsmen, and everyone who steps inside the car will feel they have been transported back in time.”

The Washington was assigned to some of the B&O’s top passenger trains — the Columbian (Jersey City, N.J.-Chicago), Ambassador (Baltimore-Detroit), and Capitol Limited (New York-Chicago via Washington).

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Service aboard the Washington was provided by Black Pullman porters, waiters, and stewards. Nearly 98% of Pullman’s on-board service staff were Black. Within the Black community, porters were highly regarded as they had gained steady employment, nationwide mobility, and access to income and information that allowed many to educate their children and invest in their communities. While such opportunities helped lead to a Black middle class, Pullman’s poor treatment of the porters inspired them to organize, forming the first minority labor union: The Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters. The brotherhood went on to play a critical role in advancing labor rights and the broader U.S. civil rights movement.

Keep reading about the museum opening and the history of Black pullmen.

More Black news.