Sleeper Lounge Cars

SLEEPER LOUNGE CARS

Lightweight

Florida trains offered some of the finest first class service in the country. Our top trains provided first class lounge sections available for sleeper and first class patrons with quiet viewing areas, writing tables, and spacious seating, all with your own porter complete with bar and light food services. The two examples I’ve chosen are ACL’s Ponte Vedra, and Seaboards famous sun lounge Hollywood Beach. These cars were custom built, in HO, by SouthEast ScaleModels of Jacksonville.

In 1949 (6) ACL, (1) RF&P, & (2) FEC bought at total of 9 –6 bedroom, buffet lounge cars from ACF while Seaboard purchased 3-5 bedroom buffet sun lounge cars for Silver Meteor Service in 1956 from Pullman, Seaboard also owned 3- 6 bedroom buffet lounge cars of the Mountain series built in 1949 by ACF for Meteor service. These cars were displaced by the Sun Cars and reassigned to the Silver Star.

While the Seaboard cars were assigned to the Silver Service, the ACL, FEC, & RF&P cars saw both East and West Coast Champions and Florida Special winter service.

ACL cars names: Myrtle Beach, Pass-a-Grille Beach, and Ponte Vera Beach, Sea Island Beach, Virginia Beach, Wrightsville Beach.

RF&P car name was Colonial Beach

FEC cars were the Magnolia & Oleander

Seaboard Sun Cars: Miami Beach, Hollywood Beach, West Palm Beach, also, not illustrated, Red Mountain, Stone Mountain & Kennesaw Mountain.

Southern owned (4) 2 Bedroom 1 Master Bedroom Buffet Lounge cars built by Pullman in1949. These cars were dedicated Crescent service. Car names in Crescent series; City, Harbor, Moon, & Shores. 1 car was destroyed in 1971 others continued until 1979 when Amtrak took over the Southern Crescent

Southern and FEC joint ordered SOU (2),CNO&TP (1) & FEC (1) 5 Bedroom Buffet Lounge Observation Cars from Pullman in 1950 for Crescent & New Royal Palm / Royal Palm service. The Southern car names were in the Royal series; Arch, Court, & Palm. The FEC car is the Azalea, in 1960 it became their Office Car. The 2 Southern and 1 CNO&TP cars were rebuilt into 11 Bedroom Sleepers in 1958, 1 car destroyed in 1974. Cars used until 1979, Southern Crescent went to Amtrak.