Hiawatha Rail Observation Car

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The Milwaukee Road has long been noted for its awesome scenery; particularly on the Pacific Extension, which traverses several mountain ranges. When the road's premiere western train, the "Olympian" was reequipped and renamed the Olympian Hiawatha, they naturally wanted a distinctive observation car for scenic viewing.

The Pullman Company, with noted Industrial Designer Brooks Stevens, came up with a stunning variation of their standard boat tail observation car. The lower part of the rear end, up to just below the window line, is standard in all respects. Above that, an open framework wraps around to create a bubble. The areas between the frame members are fitted with glass, resulting in a lounge that is nearly 90% transparent. There were six identical cars ordered in 1946 and delivered in late 1948 and early 1949 for the Olympian Hiawatha Route between Chicago and Tacoma, Washington. These cars were Eight Bedroom - SkyTop Observation Cars. The six cars were named "Adler Creek," "Arrow Creek," "Coffee Creek," "Gold Creek," "Marble Creek" and "Spanish Creek." Four more Milwaukee-built cars (with a shorter Skytop bubble end and a Parlor configuration) were made for use on other trains. These were the only ten cars built to this unique Brooks Stevens design and are believed to be the only cars to be completely designed by an industrial designer.

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