Join the discussion on the following article:
Smithsonian to pursue restoration of ‘Jim Crow’ coach
About time!
Gold Coast Railway Museum in Miami has a similar car that has been restored. Baggage/Coach Combine, Seaboard Airline Railway 259.
Though it’s a painful chapter of our history to recall, what a beautiful exhibit this will be to tell an important part of the story.
I recall when Trains published a story about Jim Crow and it attracted comments from closet racists, these stories always bring them out, something like “I want to talk about railroads, put political stories like this somewhere else” even though it IS about trains.
I don,t think this qualifies as an American Treasure. How can anyone be proud of something that was as ugly as this period in our history!
Just Curious, but what ever happened to the “Jim Crow’ Combined that was campaigned with the restored steam engine " The General” in the 1960’s. It was beautifully done and was used as the rolling exhibit car as the L&N Campaigned the train around the country?
for some strange reason, the steam railway loop at fort edmonton park, edmonton AB canada possesses a genuine wood-sheathed open pltform jim crow combine with the baggage section in the center. it would make a nice companion to this car; the smithsonian should work out a trade.
Total silliness! Is this your ‘Michael King’ thingie?
I need a “Jim Crow 101” lesson. If the coach was segregated, was it the last car on the train and the only coach available to blacks? If not, could whites walk through the segregated black portion of the car to reach other cars? I assume that blacks would not have been allowed to walk away from their segregated area.
Not all American history was pleasant, and it’s good to see that the restoration of this car will present the whole picture of our past to future American.
My first reaction was horror and revulsion that this disdainful period in our nation’s history would be revisited. Then I realized it is important that this disdainful period in our nation’s history br revisited. With all due respect to my Jewish friends, "“Never again”.