Seaboard Air Line sought to replace all heavyweight equipment on the Silver fleet trains as early as 1947-49, however, due to material and car production shortages, it was not until 1955-1956 that Seaboard would finally take delivery of the final lightweight sleeping cars.
Larry Goolsby's
Seaboard Air Line Passenger Service The Streamlined Era expertly details the history of these select sleeping cars, "To cure the shortage of lightweight Pullman equipment, Seaboard went back to Budd and Pullman-Standard for 15 full sleepers in three configurations and three sleeper lounge cars. The railroad filled out the order with seven 52-seat coached from Pullman-Standard with 10-seat center lounge. RF&P also contributed two similar coaches, Nos. 861-862. The total SAL/RF&P group of 27 cars, delivered in late 1955 and early 1956, was an unusually large purchase this late in the post-war era - a time when a number of other railroads were already beginning to curtail their passenger train offerings... The new full sleeping cars were heavy on room accommodations. Pullman-Standard built six 11 double bedroom cars (the
Avon Park class, for the
Meteor) and three cars with five double bedrooms, two compartments, and two drawing rooms (the
Boca Grande class for the
Star). An interesting footnote to the 1955-56 Pullman Standard order was that Seaboard no longer demanded Budd-style corrugated roofs on the cars; problems with the P-S and ACF corrugated panels applied to the 1949 sleepers were quite evident by this time. These newest Pullman-Standard cars came both with the builder's standard flat roof panels. Both they and the Budd cars in the order were also delivered without full-width diaphragms that had been standard on the earlier post war equipment; they had proved difficult to maintain and were being removed from the older cars as they were shopped. The cars did retain their traditional side skirts, but Seaboard also later removed this trim from most lightweight coaches."
Seaboard Air Line ordered three Pullman-Standard Plan 4201 5-2-2 sleepers for use on the Seaboard Air Line Silver series trains. The sleepers were constructed by Pullman-Standard in January 1956 and were classified as 5- Double Bedroom - 2 Compartment - 2 Drawing Room sleeping cars built in Lot 6969. The cars were numbered as SAL 60 (Boca Grande), SAL 61 (Clearwater) and SAL 62 (Ft. Lauderdale).
In 1967, the series was renumbered as Seaboard Coast Line 6520 - 6522 and retained their car names respectively. On May 1st, 1971, the sleepers were transferred to Amtrak and were renumbered as AMT 2310 - 2312 where they reconfigured as 7 bedroom - 2 drawing room sleepers.
I have long wanted to construct this model and finally had the opportunity to order Union Station Products car sides and core kits. The Boca Grande will built without skirting to accurately model a prototype photograph of the car. Since this will be my first endeavor into this kit line, I will document the build from the outset for a planned article.
