Parlor Car No. 64 began life as luxury ride for OR&L founder

By Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Feb 19, 2012

~~<p>Ben Dillingham, founder of Oahu Railway & Land Co., built Parlor Car No. 64 in 1900 for his personal use. With a price tag of nearly $4,400, it was the company’s showpiece. Fluted awnings and ornate iron grillwork adorned the double-size rear observation platform. The interior was constructed of gleaming oak, mahogany and bird’s-eye maple.</p>
<p>Amenities included a galley, lavatory and cushioned chairs. Among the dignitaries who rode in the car were Secretary of War William Taft and Alice Roosevelt, the eldest child of President Theodore Roosevelt. They were Dillingham’s guests in July 1905, five years before Taft was elected president.</p>
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Ben Dillingham, founder of Oahu Railway & Land Co., built Parlor Car No. 64 in 1900 for his personal use. With a price tag of nearly $4,400, it was the company’s showpiece. Fluted awnings and ornate iron grillwork adorned the double-size rear observation platform. The interior was constructed of gleaming oak, mahogany and bird’s-eye maple.

Amenities included a galley, lavatory and cushioned chairs. Among the dignitaries who rode in the car were Secretary of War William Taft and Alice Roosevelt, the eldest child of President Theodore Roosevelt. They were Dillingham’s guests in July 1905, five years before Taft was elected president. Login for more...