National Railway Historical Society, D.c. Chapter

About National Railway Historical Society, D.c. Chapter

History

The Washington, D.C. Chapter (DCNRHS) belongs to the National Railway Historical Society, a non-profit founded in Baltimore on August 18, 1935, when railfan clubs from Lancaster, Philadelphia, Trenton, and New York merged during a farewell excursion over the soon-to-be-abandoned Washington, Baltimore and Annapolis Electric Railway. The parent society, a 501(c)(3) historical preservation charity, grew to roughly 170 local chapters. The D.C. chapter's signature preservation story began in November 1979, when it bought the 1923 Pullman car Dover Harbor after the car had passed through four private owners following its 1968 sale by the Pullman Company. Chapter volunteers and contractors returned the car to its 1934 configuration, and after a round of safety upgrades it earned Amtrak certification in May 1986. The chapter has since run the car on public excursions and private charters out of Washington Union Station, and it also documents the capital region's railroad history.

The Trains

The chapter's flagship piece of equipment is Dover Harbor, one of the oldest Pullman passenger cars still operating in the United States. Pullman built the heavyweight car in July 1923 as the Maple Shade, a combine with four sleeping sections, a lounge, a barber shop, and a baggage room, and it ran on Pennsylvania Railroad name trains such as the Broadway Limited and the Spirit of St. Louis. In March 1934 Pullman rebuilt and renamed it as a sleeper-buffet-lounge with six double bedrooms, a buffet kitchen, and a 14-seat lounge; with air conditioning added, the car weighed 87 tons. It later served New York Central and Boston & Maine trains before retirement in 1965. Today it wears Pullman green with a period 1934-style interior and remains Amtrak-certified for excursions and charters from Washington Union Station.