Burlington Silver Dome Railroad Car Replica
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A replica of the first Vista Dome car that Mr Moore boarded to return home after serving in the army in 1945. Eager to fulfill the public's expectation for post-war innovation, Burlington took the GM designers' idea to Aurora workshops to produce the first Silver Dome car. Remodeled from a stainless-steel coach the car used only flat sheets glass; wartime production did not allow for the curved glass GM designers projected. The car made its debut on the Burlington railroad in July 1945 and became very popular: for the first time twenty-four lucky passengers could enjoy terrific natural vistas from the top of the car as the train crossed the Great Plains. The Astra Dome, Silver Terrace, and other modifications retained their popularity through the twilight of the American passenger train service despite heaviness and higher seat cost.
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Sources:
John H.White, Jr., The American Railroad Passenger Car (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1978), 197-200.
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