Dining Car 4006

Built in 1899 by the Wagner Palace Car Company in Buffalo, New York as a passenger train, this car was one of the final railcars completed before the company was acquired by the renowned Pullman Company of Chicago on January 1, 1900.

Car 4006 began its service with the Intercolonial Railway, transporting passengers between Halifax and the Grand Trunk Railway connection at Rivière-du-Loup on the St. Lawrence River. It later became part of the Canadian National Railways fleet. 

It was restored into a dining car in 1952 to serve as part of the Canadian National Railway Museum Train.

As you step into the dining area, look down and you’ll notice a circular brass plate embedded in the floor. This plate proudly displays the car’s builder and construction date. Just beneath it is the King-pin, the critical pivot point connecting the car body to its wheelsets, or "truck". These trucks allow it to turn smoothly on curved tracks.

The dining area features ten tables—five on each side of the central aisle—accommodating between 20 and 34 passengers, depending on how cozy they were willing to be. Overhead, the original lighting fixtures once burned kerosene or another clean fuel, illuminating meals served in motion. A long cord near the ceiling could be pulled by the Conductor to communicate with the Engineer.

The 1952 converted kitchen was originally equipped with charcoal stoves and iceboxes. Plates and utensils were stored in secure cabinets above the preparation counters. The centre aisle bustled with waitstaff, ferrying meals from the hardworking kitchen crew to hungry guests.

In November 2019, Dining Car 4006 was transferred from the Canada Science and Technology Museum in Ottawa to its new home at the Railway Museum of Eastern Ontario. The move was no small feat: two large forklifts lifted the car off its wheelsets and onto wooden cribbing. 
A specialized transporter—featuring steel beams and hydraulically operated bogies—was then positioned to carry the car’s underframe for the highway journey. The original wheelsets, now lost to time, were replaced with newer ones transported separately. Once on site, the replacement wheelsets were set on museum track and the dining car was carefully lowered into place.