Prevalence of private cars?

[CLamb]

I've heard of private cars for such folks as the U.S. President and railroad executives in the golden era but does anyone know how common it was for non-railroad people to own private cars?

[CarterB]

Visit http://www.aaprco.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; or https://www.railserve.com/Private_Railcars/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; to see.
Back in the day, also many private citizens had their own PV. Lucius Beebe, Henry Ford, Woolworth, Marjorie Merriweather Post, Barbara Hutton, Darius O Mills, JP Morgan, Andrew Carnegie, Henry Frick, James Duke, Charles Schwab, Andrew Mellon, PT Barnum, John Ringling, Jay Gould, MGM and other studios and stars. Pullman also had a fleet of "explorer series" private luxury cars that famous people rented.

[Cowford]

CLamb, are you referring to today or back 60+ years ago?

[CLamb]

CLamb, are you referring to today or back 60+ years ago?

Back 60+ years ago.

[John_Perkowski]

PV before the 707 were common, as was leasing non PV from Pullman and or host railroads.

[Rick A]

It's coming back, in a way. I know someone who works in the Amtrak repair shed in NY and they just finished restoring an old car someone with a lot of $$$$$ owned. The man has contracted with Amtrak to take the car around the USA. It's nice to see.

https://www.amtrak.com/privately-owned-rail-cars

https://www.luxurytrainclub.com/trains/ ... rail-cars/

http://www.aaprco.com/

[Arlington]

Private Cars (then) == Private Jets (now)

Including that Private jets are either fully-owned or time-shared.

[ExCon90]

I believe that back in those days anyone could charter a Pullman car for the price of 18 first-class fares (for up to 18 passengers) between any points where Pullman operated; additional passengers were charged for correspondingly. Much like chartering a plane today, except that in the days of rate regulation there had to be something in a published tariff to provide for it.

[CarterB]

I believe Pullman built and outfitted the original "explorer series" car specifically for charter to the fatcat bigwigs of the day. Very specially configured and equipped.Lot 6037 and Lot 6246, Plan 3972B There were dozens of other less ostentatious cars also in charter service.

Amundsen, Peary, Livingstone, Stanley, Magellank, Polo.
the Magellan became the specially armored car of FDR.

Here are other special pullman cars of the era.
https://www.curbed.com/2018/2/1/1694321 ... car-histor