Never before had such a car been seen ; never had
the wildest flights of fancy imagined such mag-
nificence. Up to the building of the "Pioneer"
$5,000 had represented the maximum that had ever
been spent on a single railroad coach. It was unbe-
lievable that this $18,000 investment could yield a
remunerative return. The "Pioneer" had improved
trucks with springs reinforced by blocks of solid rub-
ber; it was a foot wider and two and a half feet
higher than any car then in service, the additional
height being necessary to accommodate the hinged
upper berth of Mr. Pullman^s invention. Com-
bined with its unusual strength, weight, and solidity,
its beauty and the artistic character of its furnishing
and decoration were unprecedented. At one stride
an advance of fifty years had been effected.
A further proof of Mr. Pullman's faith in the
success of the "Pioneer" type of car is illustrated
by the fact that due to its increased height and

[33]



THE STORY OF THE PULLMAN CAR

breadth the dimensions of station platforms and
bridges at the time of its construction would not per-
mit its passage over any existing railroad. It is said
that these necessary changes were hastened in the
spring of 1865 by the demand that the new
"Pioneer" be attached to the funeral train which
conveyed the body of President Lincoln from Chi-
cago to Springfield. In this way one railroad was
quickly adapted to the new requirements, and a few
years later when the *' Pioneer" was engaged to take
General Grant on a trip from Detroit to his home
town of Galena, Illinois, another route was opened
to its passage.
