Southeastern Railway Museum welcomes the Marco Polo on November 14, 2020 as a historic donation from Norfolk Southern. NS 30 began it's life in 1927 as part of a six car Explorer Series built by Pullman. Each of the six cars were named for known world travelers. The Marco Polo served as a Presidential car under Herbert Hoover and Franklin D. Roosevelt from it's conception to late 1942. After a extensive wartime refit featuring extra armor, sister car Ferdinand Magellan was completed in late 1942. It took over the roll of Presidential duties which released the Marco Polo for sale in 1944 to Central of Georgia Railway, a Norfolk Southern predecessor where it became their business car "Savannah". From the mid 1970's to 1983 the car was on loan from Southern Railway as a historical display to the Chattanooga "Choo Choo" Hilton, it was then moved to Washington DC's Union Station where it served as "hospitality car" by Norfolk Southern. In 1989 the car regained it's historical name of Marco Polo. As a couple of interesting key sidenotes, in 1988 FDR's son stated the interior was just as he remembered during WWll. Also in the 1930's you could charter the Marco Polo or one of it's five sisters for only $105.00 a day including three car attendants plus railroad charges.
Not
just heritage schemes, not just commemorative schemes - this album is devoted to some of the world's most interesting paint schemes, past or present.
