The Pullman Car Company took rail travel to the next level of opulence at a time when rail travel was already a premium experience. The Pullman services as operated by the PCC lasted almost a century with the first service operating in 1874 and the last in 1972.
Pullman services, with very few exceptions, were made up of the PCC's own rolling stock. This stock consisted of American-style coaches that were unique to the UK, made of wood and painted in the umber and cream livery. Every coach was named, even the third-class coaches although in this case, the name was usually its car number. This name adorned the side of each coach in a painted panel akin to a locomotive nameplate.
Pullman services operated on each of the Big Four’s rails and on the later nationalised rail network. The operator most opposed to the notion of the service was the GWR, who saw their own coaches as being luxurious enough and saw little point in operating Pullman trains. Eventually, they did commission some services. Many Pullman coaches have been preserved around the world, with several finding their way over to the United States.
This elegant Pullman coach is painted in the classic Pullman umber and cream livery and continues the Greek naming convention by being called ‘Medusa’. Attention to detail is shown with curtains printed on the inside of the windows and an opulent crest emblazoned on the body side.