After a long, miserable night-long train ride from Buffalo to Westfield, New York, George Pullman awoke with an aching back and a multimillion dollar idea. The discomfort of sleeping upright in his seat inspired him to design a more comfortable passenger rail car with sleeper berths for passengers.
Pullman's unique sleeping car design eventually contained enough sleeping berths for all the car's passengers. During the day, the berth could be folded up and hidden away. At nighttime, however, the bunk could be lowered over the two seats below it, which folded down. There were curtains for privacy and separate washrooms at each end for men and women.
These standard models, while certainly not luxurious, were an immense improvement over sleeping in an uncomfortable chair over a long journey.
After establishing his company in 1862, Pullman began producing a luxury line of sleeping cars. These were carpeted and featured comfortable, upholstered chairs. They included card tables and libraries.
Pullman Palace Cars also included fresh gourmet meals, which helped shorten trips because the train was no longer required to stop for meals. The dining cars were the picture of extravagance, with elaborate chandeliers, electric lighting, silk shades and leather seating. Heating and air conditioning, advanced for the time, made it increasingly desirable on long trips.
Pullman quickly became a household name. After its establishment in 1867, the Pullman Palace Car Company dominated market share and provided superb customer service. The ease and comfort with which one could travel from ocean to ocean was vastly impacted by Pullman's Palace Cars.
The Palace Car Company created sleeping cars, parlor cars and dining cars. It operated cars on about 125,000 miles of railroad, and was responsible for the manufacturing and repair of those cars.
Eventually, George Pullman established the town of Pullman, Illinois, as a community for company laborers. The Palace Car Company became fully responsible for the car and management of the town, which consisted of 300 acres of well designed open spaces, lakes, and buildings.
Now incorporated into Chicago, the town of Pullman, Illinois, was originally established for the sole benefit of Pullman Palace Car employees. The company purchased 4,000 acres of land near Lake Calumet in 1880. Renowned architect Solon Beman and landscape artist Nathan Barrett were hired to develop it. The city eventually held a manufacturing plant and employee accommodations, including homes, a hotel, churches, a library, a bank, a theater and many shops. There were large open spaces, lakes, and flowers.
Every building was made out of brick and was made to resemble a high-class English neighborhood. The commercial area was set apart from the residences, which appealed to the families of the workers. With regular garbage removal, the city was generally admired for its cleanliness.
Pullman believed that the success of the Pullman Palace Car Company hinged on the efficiency and quality of its employees. By providing this company maintained town, the hoped to attract and keep superior employees.
By 1893, the town was home to 12,000 people. More than half were Pullman employees; the rest were family members.
However, many residents were critical of the city and eventually moved away. There was a prohibition on alcohol for all city residents. Although a tavern existed inside the Florence Hotel, it was forbidden to sell alcohol to residents. Only visitors could enjoy a pint in Pullman. Even when employees visited another town's tavern, company spies were watching and reporting these activities.
The biggest upset resulted in the Pullman Strike of 1894, when the economy declined. To prevent drastic losses, Pullman cut productivity and reduced wages by one-third. Pullman residents suffered greatly, as the company refused to reduce rent, utility charges, or store prices. Rent was deducted before wages were paid, meaning that many workers were taking home little, if any, pay.
George Pullman was bitter when he died in 1897. At one time, he had been very proud of the success of his Palace Cars and the success of his paternalistic approach to labor. He refused to admit that his methods had eventually resulted in worker rebellion. He had been criticized, scorned, and boycotted by the time he died.
To prevent theft or desecration of his body, Pullman was buried in Chicago's Graceland Cemetery, in a special casket. The casket is lined with lead and covered in one inch of asphalt. It was laid to rest in an eight foot deep concrete pit with eight steel rails embedded above the casket.
Major changes to the Pullman company followed the death of its founder. In 1898, the Illinois Supreme Court determined that Pullman Company did not have the right to involve itself in non-manufacturing services, such as renting property to employees or maintaining the company town. Established structures began to deteriorate. Residents, finally able to purchase and own their homes, renovated and altered their appearance.
President Lincoln's son, Robert Todd Lincoln, assumed charge of the company and renamed it 'Pullman Company.' Lincoln preferred a simple elegance to Pullman's previous luxury cars, and began revising the way Pullman cars were created.
The company continued to produce quality train cars. It suffered immensely when automobile ownership began to eschew passenger train travel, but continued working with freight cars and other means. It acquired the competition and enjoyed much success. After World War II, however, the US Department of Justice ruled against the company in an antitrust case and required the company to sell one of its divisions.
Pullman's train cars became less and less popular over time. The company was eventually sold and closed in the 1980s, and most of its remaining assets were sold to Trinity Industries, a Dallas-based business.
