History
The railroads played a supporting role in many presidential inaugurations in addition to carrying people into and out of . Spare Pullman sleepers were used as overflow lodging since Washington, DC never has had enough lodging – hotels, motels, or motor-inns – to handle the expected inaugural crowds, and they were used for overflow lodging at least up through 1953 when President Eisenhower was inaugurated for his first term; I am not sure if that was the last year when the sleepers were used for overflow lodging. A few sleepers might have been parked in Union Station, but most of the sleepers were parked on the B&O’s Eckington team tracks, on the ’s team tracks at the foot of , and possibly in the coach yard although I am not sure about the last one. The sleepers that were parked on the team tracks were heated by steam from stationary steam locomotives owned by the B&O and the Pennsylvania Railroads.
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Pullman sleepers were used as overflow lodging for the presidential inaugurations because ,