Back when rail was king, each railroad had one or more "business cars" that were used by company executives to travel around.  These cars were custom-fitted with top-quality furnishings, and often had kitchens staffed by private chefs. 

The New Orleans Public Belt Railroad came under scrutiny last summer for what have been characterized as extravagent expenditures by its management. NOPB is responsible for about 100 miles of track along the New Orleans riverfront, including the Huey P. Long Bridge.

The daylight shone on the NOPB also put the railroad's business cars in the spotlight. NOPB owns three ex-Pullman cars. Two were refurbished and were used until last summer as meeting facilities, and to hold private events. The third is in storage, its restoration only partially complete. NOPB would donate use of the cars to various charities. The non-profit charity group would cover catering costs for their event, and NOPB would take them from Esplanade and the river (near the NORTA's French Market streetcar terminal), up and over the Huey P. Long Bridge, then back. In addition to charity events, NOPB used the cars to entertain prospective customers of the railroad.

The scrutiny of the railroad's finances forced NOPB to suspend use of these cars. In terms of railroad preservation, they're a wonderful thing to have, and we hope that NOPB can work out a way the business cars can return to operation, for Louisianians to enjoy.

New look at CanalStreetCar (dot com)

OK, I've finally settled on a template for the site. Feel free to comment on the layout and color scheme.