Norfolk Southern’s Business Train - Sleeper Cars

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As I mentioned in my previous article about Norfolk Southern observation cars, the value that the CEO sees in their business car equipment can directly impact their usage. Wick Moorman definitely valued and used the Norfolk Southern equipment as is evident by the rebuilding of the Norfolk Southern sleeper car fleet. Before 2015 most of the sleepers in the fleet contained eight bedrooms with a shared bathroom. Norfolk Southern raised the bar by rebuilding most of them to six bedroom (or less) cars with private bathrooms. Many of the cars had their exterior window arrangements changed and when viewed in the right light, show the scars of their former configurations.

With seven dedicated sleeper cars on the roster, Norfolk Southern makes traveling on and sleeping on the train easy. And don’t forget that most of the office cars also have sleeping accommodations, so the capacity for those staying overnight is quite substantial.

Norfolk Southern 2 “Carolina” - 4 Bedroom Sleeper

HERITAGE - SOUTHERN

AMTRAK # - 800737

Staying in Norfolk Southern 2 “Carolina” is like scoring a top floor suite a classy hotel. The car has 4 massive bedrooms for the ultimate comfort of those lucky enough to stay on the car. This car differs from the more standard 8 bedroom car, like Conrail 8, found on other railroads back in the 1990s. Technically, the car has 5 bedrooms, the fifth used as a much smaller crew room. The space provided in this car is unlike the cramped room of an Amtrak roomette. First class accommodations come standard on this former Southern Railway sleeper.

History as provided by Norfolk Southern:

“The Virginia (NS 1) and the Carolina (NS 2) have been paired since construction by the Pullman Company for Southern Railway in 1928. The Virginia, a dining-observation car, is the perfect traveling complement to the four-bedroom sleeper Carolina.

Southern Railway first numbered the Virginia SOU 16 and the Carolina SOU 17. In 1979, car 16 became SOU 1, and car 17 was renumbered SOU 1A. Six years after the creation of Norfolk Southern in 1982, the cars were given their current names and were renumbered NS 1 and NS 2.

Historically, the Virginia/ Carolina set has been reserved for the railroad's president or chairman of the board. Today, Norfolk Southern Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Wick Moorman enjoys hosting guests on the cars. Over the years, many of the cars fixtures have been carefully preserved, and attention to detail is apparent. In the Virginia, metal walls are painted to appear as wood.

The Carolina was refurbished in early 2013 to a four-bedroom executive sleeper with private bathrooms and a crew room. The car interior is designed with wallpaper and wood trim with a cherry finish. The bathrooms are fitted with granite countertops and ceramic-tile floors and showers. A satellite track-vision system was installed with televisions in all five rooms.”

Norfolk Southern 4 “Michigan” - 4 Bedroom Sleeper

HERITAGE - CONRAIL / SOUTHERN

AMTRAK # - 800356

Norfolk Southern 4 “Michigan” is a former Conrail office car and is covered extensively on the Conrail 4 page. NS 4 “Michigan” used to a Southern Railway office car but was rebuilt by NS and is now a sleeper.

Norfolk Southern 9 “Alabama” - 6 Bedroom Sleeper

HERITAGE - SOUTHERN

AMTRAK # - 800769

I will add to the NS history provided below to note that both Norfolk Southern 9 “Alabama” and Norfolk Southern 11 “Illinois” have been converted to six bedroom sleepers with private bathrooms in 2015. To reflect these changes, the window arrangements on the bedroom side of the cars have been changed from 8 windows to 6.

History as provided by Norfolk Southern:

“The Alabama, now an eight-bedroom sleeper, was built in January 1918 as Elmbank, a 16-section sleeper. In September 1932, Pullman rebuilt it as Moon Brook Club, an eight-section restaurant lounge sleeper that provided meal, lounge, and sleeping service in the same car. The car was rebuilt as coach 1044 among a group of 15 cars converted at the same time at Southern Railway's Hayne Shop

The car was used in Southern Railway's steam excursion program and passenger train service during the 1960s. In the late 1970s, it was given the name Alabama and assigned the number 15. It was renumbered NS 9 in 1986.”

Norfolk Southern 11 “Illinois” - 6 Bedroom Sleeper

HERITAGE - SOUTHERN

AMTRAK # - 800782

I will add to the NS history provided below to note that both Norfolk Southern 9 “Alabama” and Norfolk Southern 11 “Illinois” have been converted to six bedroom sleepers with private bathrooms in 2015. To reflect these changes, the window arrangements on the bedroom side of the cars have been changed from 8 windows to 6.

History as provided by Norfolk Southern:

“Pullman built the Illinois in 1917 as the 12-section, one-drawing-room sleeper Osceola. In January 1941, it was numbered 1708 and began service as a 13-section tourist sleeper. Tourist sleepers differed from regular sleeping cars in that they had no drawing room and the sections were smaller.

Southern Railway bought the car in 1947 and converted it the following year into a dinette-coach numbered 3101. For several years, it served on Southern's Skyland Special passenger train between Asheville, N.C., and Jacksonville, Fla.

The car was converted at Hayne Shop in 1962 to business car SOU 11. It was renumbered SOU 6 in 1972 and SOU 16 in 1980. It was renumbered NS 11 in 1986.

Norfolk Southern 12 “Indiana” - 8 Bedroom Sleeper

HERITAGE - NORFOLK & WESTERN

AMTRAK # - 800772

Norfolk Southern 12 “Indiana” is another 8 bedroom sleeper that has gone through some modifications around 2015. While, I have not been able to confirm this yet, the car appears to have been modified and may be a 6 bedroom sleeper like NS 9 and NS 11. The hallway side of the car now has an additional two windows, a change that likely was made when reconfiguring the rest of the car.

History as provided by Norfolk Southern:

“Pullman built NS 12 as a dining car in late 1949 for an NW passenger train called the Powhatan Arrow, a postwar streamliner.

The Powhatan Arrow began service between Norfolk, Va., and Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1946. A contest to name the train resulted in 100,000 entries. A retired NW employee submitted the winner and collected a $500 first prize. His entry honored Native American Chief Powhatan, a member of the tribe of the same name. According to the famous story, Powhatan was about to order the beheading of captured colonist John Smith when the chief's daughter, Pocahontas, pleaded with her father to spare Smith's life. (She later married another colonist, John Rolfe.)

The car originally was a 33-seat diner numbered NW 491. It later was converted at the Roanoke Car Shops to an NW staff car and renumbered NW 450. NS assigned it No. 12 in 1985. Today, it is an eight-bedroom sleeper, refurbished in 1989. Names of employees involved in the 1989 refurbishment are inscribed on a brass plate inside the car.”

Norfolk Southern 13 “Georgia” - 4 Bedroom Sleeper / Exercise Car

HERITAGE - SOUTHERN

AMTRAK # - 800784

Another former SOU sleeper, NS 13 is unique in that it contains an area for guests to exercise while out on the road, especially useful when staying on the train for multiple days.

History as provided by Norfolk Southern:

“The Georgia began its life as Southern Railway office car No. 18.

In 1968, Southern's Hayne Shop converted the car to an eight-bedroom, four-bathroom sleeper with eight upper berths. In 2006, the car was renumbered NS 13 and redesigned and renovated to have four bedrooms with private baths and an adjacent exercise room equipped with elliptical machines, exercise bikes, and satellite televisions.”

Norfolk Southern 14 "Missouri" - 4 Bedroom Sleeper

HERITAGE - UNION PACIFIC

AMTRAK # - 800740

NS 14 “Missouri” joined the Norfolk Southern business car fleet in 2014. The car was significantly modified in 2015 to become another 4 bedroom sleeper.

Explore my Norfolk Southern business car series:

An Interview with Casey Thomason, NS Company Photographer

Norfolk Southern Business Train Series Introduction

Norfolk Southern Observation Cars

Norfolk Southern Diners, Power Car, and Exhibit Car

If you have stories from your time riding or maintaining the train, business train booklets, or other collectibles from the NS business train, please contact me as I begin researching the train in more depth for a possible new book.