Dome cars - Definition and Overview

Configuration

A portion of the car, usually in the center of the car, is split between two levels, with stairs leading both up and down from the train's regular passenger car floor level. The lower level of the dome usually consisted of a small lounge area, while the upper portion was usually coach or lounge seating within a "bubble" of glass on the car's roof. Passengers in the upper portion of the dome were able to see in all directions from a vantage point above the train's roofline.

On some dome cars, the lower portion was built as a galley, where car attendants used dumbwaiters to transfer items between the galley and a dining area in the dome portion of the car.

History

The popular story is that the first dome cars in America were conceived by Western Pacific's President Harry Mitchell. Mr. Mitchell was riding in the cab of one of his railroad's diesel locomotives through the Rockies when he thought that every passenger should be able to see the scenery that is passing by on his railroad's passenger trains. His idea was to provide a full 360-degree view from above the train in newly built "vista-dome" cars. The idea really wasn't too radical as railroad cabooses were often built with a cupola above the car's roofline so the train crew could get a better view of the train. Vista-dome cars were introduced on the California Zephyr inauguration in 1949.

As dome cars became more common on American passenger trains, some railroads purchased or built "superdomes". These were dome cars where the upper level of the car extended for nearly the entire length of the car.

See also

• Passenger car

Example Usage of Dome