Perhaps of equal importance to the products that rolled off the assembly floors of Budd, Pullman, and ACF 50 years ago, the so-called "Ultradome" cars built by Colorado Railcar and its predecessors are destined to become a part of luxury railroading lore. Welcome to my site covering these unique products, their construction, history, and use. In addition to the dual level cars, Colorado Railcar offers a single level dome car, which we will also give extensive coverage to, as well as a new diesel-powered commuter car. As things progress, we will be adding a complete roster of every car built, accompanied by exterior and interior photos, and a finder so you can plan your own vacation ride of a lifetime under the glass.
My own experience with Colorado Railcar's products has been quite short. Like some, I had seen photos without being entirely convinced that they weren't something more than a passing fad. But when I first stepped inside one of Holland America's new cars while on display in April, 2003, I knew I was on something special. Since then, I've had the chance to view Rocky Mountaineer's Goldleaf dome fleet, and single level domes on VIA's Skeena.
Suffice it to say that from that first encounter, I was hooked. Sitting underneath an all glass ceiling with the world presented unobstructed is something special indeed! So I embarked on this project as a way of presenting the cars, sharing my enthusiasm toward them, and hopefully influencing riders to buy tickets and operators to buy cars.
In order to make this happen, I'll need your help! If you have photos, diagrams or other information that you would like to share, I'd sure appreciate it. Efforts like this are rarely possible without the support of the readers. And please enjoy!
Please note that this site is not affiliated with Colorado Railcar or any of its clients. It is my own fan site dedicated to their products, and is intended to serve as a modern companion to the information contained in WebLurker's DomeMain, THE site for historical dome car information.
Also, the term Ultradome belongs to Princess Cruises, though I've frequently used in reference to all of the Colorado Railcar domes for lack of a better term. Frankly, the term has ring to it. It's kind of the way people universally refer to all gelatin as jello. It just makes sense, right? But keep in mind that Ultradome is a registered trademark of Princess.
It is also worth noting that no venture of this magnitude is possible solely on my own effort, and I owe a debt of gratitude to a large number of people, including Dan Ainsworth, Dan Barker, Steve Peck, John Combs, Michael McGowen, John Crews, James Miller, David Beagle, Robert Krol, PJ Cadieux, Michel Robichaud, Andy Nelson, Pat Durand, Nate Holmes, Ben Wang, Steve Wintermeier, Chip Sherman and Patrick Flynn. There's also the fine employees and managers of Colorado Railcar, specifically Tom Janaky and Christina Rader, and the employees of Alaska Railroad, Rocky Mountaineer Railtours, Royal Celebrity Tours, Princess Tours and VIA Rail. Thanks to all of you, and to anybody else that I missed.
Please note that this website is the private creation of Jody Moore, and is not affiliated with Colorado Railcar in any way. The information contained within this site is to be considered unofficial, and is for recreational purposes only. For official Colorado Railcar information, please contact the company directly via its website at http://www.coloradorailcar.com. Thank you.
Last updated Sept. 3, 2006. Check the news section for information on recent updates.
Questions? Contact me via e-mail at potb101@netscape.net
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