Guests aboard the Shasta Sunset Dinner Train experience the elegant luxury of our vintage dining cars with their raised mahogany paneling, antique brass fittings, and rich carpeting and upholstery. Indeed, meticulous attention to detail marks these "heavyweight" cars, as they appear today. But while their deep "Pullman Green" and gold exteriors have been carefully restored to their original appearance, the interiors have been "recreated" into something more than they actually were. Originally built for the Illinois Central Railroad in 1916, they were standard 72-seat chair cars with "walkover" seats. It is likely that, in later years, they saw service in IC's substantial Chicago suburban service. Retired in the 1970s, the cars wound up as part of the Purple Martin Train, a static display, at Atlantic City, Iowa. It was from this operation that the McCloud Railway purchased a total of seven cars at auction in 1995.
Once in McCloud, the process of carefully rebuilding the cars was begun by the McCloud Railway's shops. Running gear was given a once over and brake systems, wheels and bearings lubricated and renewed. New plumbing and air conditioning systems were installed. After much study, all traces of a 1950s remodeling were stripped out and skilled local craftsmen were brought in to create an entirely new vintage look in exotic woods. Period brass light fixtures were installed throughout as well as high-powered exterior lights for night viewing.
Our first car "Shasta", No. 2838, was completed early in 1996. The Shasta includes a kitchen and has a capacity of up to 60 guests. This was followed shortly by the "Siskiyou", No. 2819, with a capacity of 70, including a 10-guest private dining area. The following year, our shops released the "Lassen", No. 2900, with a capacity of 40 guests, which includes a kitchen and is wheelchair accessible. Car No. 2801, the "Trinity", is the latest to join the roster. The most flexible of the fleet, the interior furnishings of our Trinity car allow for table and chair seminars and chair-only lectures for up to 70 people.
In effect, the dining cars of the Shasta Sunset Dinner Train recreate the luxurious private rail cars of another era, with all the modern amenities of today.
