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George Pullman made his fortune by designing and building sleeping cars
but Pullman built many other types of train cars as well. Coaches,
streetcars, troop transports, boxcars, mail cars, commuter trains, and
other specialty cars, as well as private cars for wealthy clients were all
built during the Pullman Company's long history.
One of George Pullman's great strategies for his sleeping cars was the
fact that he did not sell his cars to train lines, he leased them. This
way he could control the distribution of his cars and as new innovations
or styles were developed, the lessees could upgrade to the latest Pullman
car. Pullman cars were carried on trains across the country as well as
England, France and other European countries.
The Town of Pullman had two train stations. One on the west side, across
from the Administration Building, served as the gateway to the Town and
Factory complex. It was an elaborate Queen Anne structure meant to be as
impressive as the vista that greeted visitors as they alighted at Pullman.
The second structure was a working depot on the east side of Pullman,
which served as the loading dock and shipping and express offices.
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