PULLMAN CARS REMODELED

2202 Westchester Avenue, Baltimore, Md. 21228

A visitor to Hagerstown, Md., up in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains some 75 miles west of Baltimore, might suspect that he was in the Chicago suburb of Pullman, III. Spotted in sidings all around town are cars, which made the name Pullman synonomous with luxurious railroad travel in the United States. It would be even more perplexing to learn that the last passenger train drew into Hagerstown over five years ago. Investigation would show however, that the cars are tangible evidence of a booming new industry in town. They are the property of Reuben Upton Darby II, whose Darby Wood Products Co. is in the forefront of what is fast becoming a big business the renovating, remodeling, and refurbishing of old railroad cars. The work is not confined to Pullmans alone. Currently, passenger coaches, work cars, and even a caboose are in various stages of rejuvenation.

Darby got into the business more or less by accident. After World War II, in nearby Clear Spring, Md., he started in the lumbering business and built up extensive facilities for processing lumber from logs to finished millwork. This led to the construction of houses. While one of his crews was erecting a home in New York state, the foreman was asked to do some minor repair work to a railroad car in private hands. When this was completed, he was asked about the possibility of doing a complete renovation of another car. Darby decided that the job could be handled on a profitable basis, and thus was launched a phase of his operations which soon threatened to eclipse both the mill and house construction.

Sensing the potential, he began to acquire cars of his own, which, after they are reworked, can be put to various uses. Much of the work so far has been refurbishing. All of the cars are structurally sound when purchased. Any repairs necessary to the running gear are performed by the railroads before the cars are deadheaded to Hagerstown. Not much work is required on the exterior of the cars except a fresh paint job, which includes fancy striping on the trucks. The interiors are also completely repainted after any repairs necessary to restore them to the glory of their halcyon days are made.

These cars are then available for, besides the obvious excursion business, such purposes as restaurants. For this, they are set on parallel tracks, interconnected, and provide a unique eating establishment. Another unusual use is for traintels. These are similar to motels, except that they consist of from three to seven converted Pullman cars. A complete traintel can be set up for about $20,000, which would cover the cost of only about two units of a typical motel. The cars wouldn't be as spacious, but they would allow for much more reasonable rates. There is also the novelty aspect to consider. In addition to this, they have the advantage of being mobile. This would make it quite feasible to use them in, say, Maine during the summer months, then moving the operation to Florida for the winter season. Another rental use is to colleges where they serve as dormitories. Remodeling work is the portion of the activity stressed in the company's current advertising, slanted to 'a man and a business who desire status sales, economy, captive audience, and confidential meetings anywhere'. The decor of these business cars can cover the gamut from a Wall Street office effect to the rococco ornamentation which would have delighted the nabobs of half a century ago. At the moment the company is renovating an ex-B&O car, circa 1912. The initial procedure was to practically gut the interior, leaving only a few items such as washroom facilities, which were to be retained much as they originally were (Darby has acquired a varied stock of antique accessories to draw from). The remainder of the car is being rebuilt to suit its business purposes with modern trappings. Also included are a bedroom with built-in four-poster bed; air conditioning (with the machinery hidden away off the rear vestibule); and a handsome mahogany bar, which hides such necessary accoutrements as sink and refrigerator.