I know you don’t do Facebook. Steamtown posted this story today…
The first sleeping car to operate on an American railroad was a car known as the Chambersburg. The coach was placed into service on the Cumberland Valley Railroad during the spring of 1838.
The Cumberland Valley Railroad (CVRR) began operations between Chambersburg and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania in 1837. At this time, travel between Pittsburgh and Chambersburg by stagecoach took 36 hours. To get to Harrisburg, travelers would have to arrive in Chambersburg at midnight to catch the CVRR train east at 1 a.m. Then, after arriving in Harrisburg around 5 a.m., a traveler could take the Harrisburg, Portsmouth, Mount Joy and Lancaster Railroad to travel another six hours to Philadelphia.
To accommodate weary travelers on the long trip from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia, Phillip Berlin designed a sleeping car called the “Chambersburg” for use on the CVRR leg of the trip. This was was the first car of its kind to operate on a railroad in the United States.
The Chambersburg sleeper car was divided into two sections. The first section seated up to forty passengers, and the second section was divided into three areas for sleeping berths: two for men, one for women. The berths were upholstered boards suspended by leather straps and folded against the car walls for daytime travel. Men’s berths were three tiers high while the ladies’ berths were a single level and of double width (2x19”).
Tallow candles provided light at night, and a wood stove provided heat.
Given the success of the Chambersburg, the CVRR had its carpenter, Jacob Shaffer, convert a day coach into its second sleeping car, called the “Carlisle”. Many other builders and railroads soon followed the example set by the Cumberland Valley Railroad.
Images:
-
Drawing of the interior of the Chambersburg.
-
Historic marker recognizing Philip Berlin for inventing the first sleeping car in the U.S.
-
Map of the Cumberland Valley Railroad, dated 1919.
