The Strata-Domes were a fleet of five streamlined dome cars operated by the

Baltimore and Ohio Railroad The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was the first common carrier railroad and the oldest railroad in the United States, with its first section opening in 1830. Merchants from Baltimore, which had benefited to some extent from the construction of ...

("B&O"). The term referred both to a pair of dome cars constructed by

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and three

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domes the B&O acquired from the

Chesapeake and Ohio Railway The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway was a Class I railroad formed in 1869 in Virginia from several smaller Virginia railroads begun in the 19th century. Led by industrialist Collis P. Huntington, it reached from Virginia's capital city of Richmond t ...

("C&O"). They were the first dome cars operated in the Eastern United States, following on the success of the

Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad was a railroad that operated in the Midwestern United States. Commonly referred to as the Burlington Route, the Burlington, or as the Q, it operated extensive trackage in the states of Colorado, Illin ...

's "Vista-Domes" in the west. The cars entered service in 1949 and were all out of regular service by 1981. Several have been preserved.

Design

built the two original Strata-Domes. The dome area seated 24, while the lower level contained two lounges and coach seating for 42. To accommodate the lower clearances on railroads in the Eastern United States the dome sat lower on the Strata Dome than on other dome cars, instead of the standard . These cars were numbered 5550 and 5551 and given the names ''High Dome'' and ''Sky Dome''. At the front of the car the B&O installed a

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, clock, altimeter, and barometer. In December 1950 the B&O acquired three dome-sleepers from the C&O. The

had built these cars for the ''

Chessie Chessie may refer to: *Chessie (sea monster), a legendary monster supposedly living in Chesapeake Bay, US *Chessie System, a former holding company of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (C&O) *Chessie (mascot), a kitten mascot of the C&O *Chessie (tr ...

'', a Washington, D.C.– Cincinnati, Ohio luxury streamliner which was cancelled before it entered service. Each of these had 24 dome seats, with 3 drawing rooms, 5 roomettes, 1 bedroom in the lower level. The B&O numbered these 7600–7602, with the names ''Moonlight Dome'', ''Starlight Dome'', and ''Sunlight Dome''. In 1952 the B&O mounted

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s on the Strata-Domes to enable viewing the passing scenery at night.

Service history

The two original Strata-Domes entered service on the new ''

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'', which debuted on May 5, 1949. They were the first domes in regular service on the East Coast. The B&O placed the acquired C&O dome-sleepers on the '' Capitol Limited'' and '' Shenandoah''. Contemporary advertising referred to "Strata-Dome" service on all three services, despite the mixed origin of the equipment. In the 1960s the B&O would occasionally lease the three Budd-built dome-sleepers to other railroads, including the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad,

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, and Seaboard Coast Line Railroad. The Atlantic Coast Line used the domes on its '' Florida Special'', although operation was limited to

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– Miami, Florida because of tunnel clearances in Washington. They were the first domes to operate on the Florida route. The Seaboard Coast Line, successor to the Atlantic Coast Line, purchased the three domes from the B&O (along with eight conventional sleeping cars) in September 1969. The domes returned to the ''Florida Special''. The B&O modified the two dome coaches to include a snack bar in one of the lower-level lounges. The two cars also operated on other B&O trains such as the '' Cincinnatian''. The ''High Dome'', painted blue and lettered "American Railroads 1869–1969", was part of the 1969

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to mark the centennial of the first transcontinental railroad in the U.S. Both cars later ran on the final '' Capitol Limited'' run April 30, 1971 when the train was discontinued at the start of Amtrak. Amtrak acquired all five domes and operated them on various services in the 1970s. ''High Dome'' was wrecked in 1975 and scrapped in 1980. Amtrak retired its last, ''Starlight Dome'', in October 1981. The four surviving domes are privately owned.

References

{{Pullman rolling stock Train-related introductions in 1949 Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Budd Company Pullman Company Rail passenger cars of the United States