American Association of Private Railroad Car Owners, Inc.

12/22/2025

Wishing you and yours a very happy holiday season, from all of us here at AAPRCO!

12/15/2025

The world of private railcars is one of endless discovery and warm camaraderie. Give the gift of AAPRCO membership this holiday season!
Find out how you can join the AAPRCO family at AAPRCO.com.

12/08/2025

On the hunt for that over-the-top, one-of-a-kind amazing gift? Give family or friends the experience of a lifetime: a cross-country trip on a private railcar! Find out more at aaprco.com.

12/02/2025

Looking for a special gift? Open up the world of private railcar travel when you give the gift of AAPRCO membership this holiday season! Find out more at AAPRCO.com.

Photo: Kevin Burkholder, Steel Wheels Photography

11/26/2025

From all of us here at AAPRCO, we're wishing you a warm and happy Thanksgiving, with much to be thankful for.

11/20/2025

The Georgia 300 is a heavy-weight observation car built by Pullman Standard Co. in 1930, and has hosted whistlestop campaigns for U.S. Presidents Obama, Clinton, and George H. W. Bush. It still carries passengers in luxury to this day!
If you'd like to find out more about chartering a beautiful private railcar, please visit aaprco.com. We'd love to welcome you aboard!

11/10/2025

Private railcars travel behind regularly scheduled Amtrak trains. They are all 'Amtrak certified', which means that while they may be 75 to 100 years old or more, they undergo regular, mandatory inspections to ensure they meet the same running standards as the Amtrak fleet. They can go anywhere Amtrak goes, and are approved to travel at speeds up to 110 miles per hour!
To learn how you can charter a car, visit aaprco.com. All aboard!
(Dover Harbor photo by Monty Smith)

11/04/2025

All aboard the beautiful Promontory Point! Built by Pullman in 1953 as part of an order of sleeping cars for the Chicago & Eastern Illinois Railroad, the car was originally named 902 Loblolly Pine. In 1997, after several changes in ownership and use, the car was acquired by a private owner who renamed it Promontory Point. Over the next five years, the car was refurbished with period-correct fixtures and furnishings. It features a lounge, a secretary’s room, a formal dining room, full kitchen, two master bedrooms, a single bedroom, and an open-air platform. Explore a wide variety of private cars available for charter at aaprco.com.

11/02/2025

AAPRCO members take center stage with FACT TV and the AAPRCO American Autumn Explorer VI! (2025)

Join Bill Gray as he delves into the fascinating world of private railroad travel with the American Association of Private Railroad Car Owners. Discover the ...

11/01/2025

Wonderful video from an onboard guest of our 2024 convention train: The DeWitt Chapple Memorial Special Train.

We embark on a rare and extraordinary journey aboard some of the few privately-owned historic rail cars still riding the rails. But this time, it’s not just ...

10/27/2025

Explore a wide variety of private cars available for charter at aaprco.com. All aboard the beautiful Dover Harbor! This private railcar was constructed by the Pullman Company in July 1923 as a combination baggage-library car named the Maple Shade. The 81-foot car weighed 80 tons and featured eight sleeping berths, a 12-seat lounge, a 28-foot baggage area, and a barber shop. Painted in the Pennsylvania Railroad’s standard colors, the car operated in first-class Pullman service out of New York on the PRR’s Broadway Limited and Spirit of St. Louis.

In 1934, Maple Shade was reconfigured with six double bedrooms and a buffet lounge and repainted into the classic Pullman green and gold livery. The car, renamed Dover Harbor, was then assigned to the New York Central System and operated on the Lake Shore Limited, Commodore Vanderbilt, Knickerbocker and Cleveland Limited from New York’s Grand Central Terminal. The car’s last regular Pullman assignment was on the Montrealer/Washingtonian.

Dover Harbor was retired into storage in 1965, and after a series of private owners, it was purchased by the Washington, D.C., Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society in November 1979. Restored to its 1934 appearance, it is now the only heavy weight Pullman revenue car fully operational for private use on Amtrak passenger trains.

Photo credits: Dover Harbor lounge, Dennis Dame; Dover Harbor behind an Amtrak train, Monty Smith