Club Car History
The City of New Orleans club cars were made immortal in the second verse of Steve Goodman's eponymous song: "Dealing cards with the old men in the club car, penny a point there ain't no one keepin' score...." Enjoy this classic piece of American history.
The Rio Grande Scenic Railroad is proud to bring a piece of passenger train history to southern Colorado. In 2011, we will welcome the artfully restored Mardi Gras and Calumet club cars from the historic City of New Orleans train - the very train on which Steve Goodman's folk masterpiece was written. The only rail line in America with these cars all the way from the famous Illinois Central line is right in Colorado's backyard.
Passengers on the club cars will enjoy live music in an exclusive private setting. Only 22 seats are available per ride in the Mardi Gras Club out of Alamosa and the Calumet Club out of La Veta. Tickets on the club cars include breakfast, lunch and a gift bag which includes a Steve Goodman ad, drink ticket, sleeve of pennies and Rio Grande branded playing cards.
Don't miss this once-in-a-lifetime chance to bid America a "good morning" and become a part of the story.
Mardi Gras Club
This car is a sister to the Calumet Club. It also started life as a coach for the Illinois Central around 1918. Built by Pullman, the original car number was IC 2188. In the late 1940's IC converted a series of coaches into Club & Lounge cars. This car was converted to a "round end" observation/club car when it was rebuilt in 1947. The car was renumbered to IC 3305 and named Mardi Gras.
The Mardi Gras was regularly assigned to IC Train No’s 1 & 2, the famous "City of New Orleans". It will begin its run in 2011 as SLRG 3305 and will be painted and lettered in original IC color scheme and lettered Illinois Central.
Calumet Club
The Calumet Club was built by Pullman in 1918 as a coach for the Illinois Central Railway. After Amtrak took over the IC’s passenger trains in 1971, the car was sold and eventually ended up on the Wisconsin and Calumet Railroad, where it was named "Calumet Club." Its first duty in the Iowa Pacific family was on the Orlando and Mt. Dora RR in Florida. After that operation passed to new owners, it was stored in Florida until IPH moved it to Colorado.
