Central of Georgia Railroad 906

This heavyweight coach was built in 1924 by the Pullman Company for the Central of Georgia Railroad. Originally numbered 528, it was used on passenger trains such as the Man ‘O War and the Seminole. It would have originally resembled coach 1683, having been built with adjustable windows that could be opened and a clerestory roof, before being modernized in 1937. It later served with the Central of Georgia Railroad’s successor, the Southern Railway, and was renumbered 906 at that time. 906 is unique among the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum’s collection due to the dividing wall in the middle of the coach, denoting it as a formerly segregated car, sometimes referred to as a “Jim Crow” car. The car included two sets of segregated restrooms, one set each for both ends of the car. The Central of Georgia Railroad continued to enforce segregation on the car until the end of that era on the railroads in the 1950s. Today, TVRM maintains this car in its original configuration as a reminder of a difficult time in our nation’s history. While unpleasant to remember, it is important to understand this past along with the other stories we preserve at TVRM. The 906 is believed to be the only formerly segregated car in operating condition with the segregating wall intact.