Holland America Westours 1056 "Chulitna"

Ft. Lupton, CO. Feb. 25, 2004. Photo by Mike McGowen.

Notes: Named "Chulitna". Holland America 1054-1057 represent the completion of an eight car order for the largest dome cars ever built (at least as of early 2004.) The previous cars - HALX 1050-1053 - were delivered in the spring of 2003. This group was delivered on March 7, 2004.

HALX 1056 is an A coach, with a full kitchen, but no observation platform or lounge. The A cars have a slightly larger dining area, with 44 seats as opposed to 40 in the B cars. In design and decor, the new cars are almost indistinguishable from the earlier cars in the order. All eight cars are used in Holland America's luxury service on the Alaska Railroad, hauling cruise passengers behind the ARR's Denali Star passenger train between Anchorage and Fairbanks.

With the delivery of these four cars to Holland America, the majority of their fleet of vintage Budd domes will be retired, with several being stored for other service.

In November, 2003, I visited Colorado Railcar's plant in Ft. Lupton, CO and had the chance to tour the 1055 while it was under construction. You can see the photos here.

Pasco, WA. March 14, 2004. Photo by Jody Moore.

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