By Railfan & Railroad Staff
The United Railroad Historical Society of New Jersey announced Tuesday that it had acquired a 1949 Budd-built Pullman sleeper-lounge that will join its growing fleet of New York Central passenger cars.
The Swift Stream will make its in-service debut this fall on the popular Hudson River Rail Excursions between New York and Albany. The acquisition is the largest single investment ever made by URHS.
“We are thrilled to bring this car home to URHS,” said Executive Director Kevin Phalon. “Together, the Hickory Creek, Tavern-Lounge 43, and Swift Stream will give our passengers a perfect representative sample of golden age rail travel–with these cars traveling on their original railroad no less.”
The new addition to the fleet will allow URHS to offer two new classes of service on its popular excursions. Reserved Tables for two or four will be available in the car’s lounge, and Private Suites for up to four will be available in the car’s Pullman bedrooms. Additional tickets for Hudson River Rail Excursions scheduled for this fall will go on sale at 10 a.m. Eastern on Tuesday, August 27.
The car will also be on display for the public at Railroad Museum [for a day] at URHS’s Boonton, N.J., yard on September 29, 2024.
The Swift Stream was constructed as part of the New York Central’s massive post-WWII improvement program. It was built in 1949 by the Budd company in their trademark all-stainless steel construction. In line with its branding as “The Water Level Route,” the New York Central named all its Pullman service cars after bodies of water. The Swift Stream was one of 11 matching cars that received the suffix “Stream.” These cars all contained six Pullman Double Bedrooms, as well as a 22-seat lounge and “buffet”—a kitchenette for drinks and light fare. Its lounge design was distinctive for its curved walls and curved sofas bookending the room.
The Swift Stream served the Central until the company’s final day in 1968. It was then conveyed to Penn Central and later Amtrak. The Steam cars were excluded from Amtrak’s mid-1970s rebuild program and were subsequently sold off to private owners. Many of them still exist and three are operational today. The Swift Stream has been cared for by several private owners since the mid-1970s. Most recently, the car was owned by Railexco, which briefly used the car for private charters before making it available to the URHS.
Under its private owners, the Swift Stream has some modern upgrades made. Most notably, the “buffet” kitchen was expanded to create a full-service kitchen. The lounge seating was also replaced with fixed banquettes. A shower was also added for the use of overnight guests. A remarkable amount of the car’s original character and material remains intact. Additionally, the car is totally rebuilt underneath, with modern utilities, and Amtrak-compatible hardware. URHS intends to retain some of these upgrades, but revert the lounge to its original, as-built configuration over the next several years.
For more information, visit HudsonRiverRail.com.
