Super Dome (railcar)
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Ex-Milwaukee Road Super Dome #53 at Winona, Minnesota, in 2010
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The lower-level lounge area in 1952.
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| Manufacturer | Pullman-Standard |
| Constructed | 1952 |
| Entered service | 1952–present |
| Number built | 10 |
| Capacity | 68 dome seats 28 lounge seats |
| Operator(s) |
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The Super Dome was a dome lounge built by Pullman-Standard for the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad ("Milwaukee Road") in 1952. The ten Super Domes were the first full-length dome cars in revenue service, first operating on the Olympian Hiawatha and Twin Cities Hiawatha in late 1952. Although a mixed blessing in passenger use, the cars garnered much publicity for the Milwaukee Road and several remain in operation.
The first successful dome design in the United States was the "Vista Dome." The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad ("CB&Q") rebuilt a stainless steel Budd-built coach in their shops in Aurora, Illinois, with the Vista Dome design imagined and sketched by Cyrus Osborn. The dome area featured seats positioned lengthwise in the cabin facing double-pane windows which were designed to improve insulation. On July 23, 1945, the car was tested in the consist of the Twin Cities Zephyr. No fewer than five Budd-built domes would be found in each equipment set of the new California Zephyr when it debuted in 1949. Not to be outdone, Pullman delivered its first four domes, which it dubbed "Astra Liners", in 1947 for use on the Union Pacific Railroad.
The dome seating area in the Vista Dome was comparatively limited: 24, with an additional 46 standard seats on the lower level. In the early 1950s Pullman developed a "full-length" design, with the dome seating area stretching the length of the car. This design posed several challenges. The full-length glass roof (625-square-foot (58.1 m2)) necessitated a new, powerful air-conditioning system from a dedicated diesel motor. The massive weight of the car, 224,000 pounds (102,000 kg), required reinforced three-axle trucks from General Steel Castings. Much of this weight was concentrated in the glass dome, which meant new framing techniques to support the second level above the first. The result was an 80-foot (24 m)-long dome level which could seat 68, nearly three times that of the Vista Dome. The lounge area beneath seated 28 in booths.
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