Our sleeping car, Hunters Point, was one of 19 identical cars completed in 1941 for a new train called the Streamliner City of San Francisco – the train was a joint venture of the Union Pacific, Southern Pacific and Chicago & North Western railroads, running between Chicago and San Francisco. The sleeping cars in the train were originally owned and operated by the famous Pullman Company, but ownership was divided up amongst the participating railroads in 1945 as result of a Federal anti-trust ruling. Ownership of the Hunters Point went to the C&NW, which leased the car back to Pullman for operation. In 1955, C&NW ended its participation in “City” trains partnership and the car was removed from City of San Francisco service. Pullman continued to operate the car as part of its “pool” service which included assignment between Chicago and New Orleans as part of the Illinois Central Railroad’s Panama Limited from 1957 to 1960. C&NW ended the Pullman lease that year and sold the car for scrap. But the story continues….
Please be a friend to the Trains!
Consider making a donation to help our museum volunteers restore the trains and improve your Travel Town experience!
Before the car could be cut up by the scrap dealer, an adventurous gentleman named Verl Thomson purchased the Hunters Point and several other retired cars, moving them to Sioux Falls, South Dakota to create his novel Sioux Chief Traintel – a roadside motel where highway travelers could stop and spend the night in an actual railroad sleeping car! The Traintel remained in business until 1975 and the cars were moved to storage in St. Louis in 1990. Travel Town welcomed the Hunters Point for preservation in 1992 as part of an artifacts trade with Railroads of Hawaii. The historic car is now undergoing a complete cosmetic restoration by Travel Town Museum Foundation and its volunteers!