Soo Line 1227 "Valhalla"

The "Valhalla" is one of eight Soo Line sleepers built in February 1907 by the Barney & Smith Company of Dayton, Ohio. They were known as the "V" series, since each car name began with the letter V. Using the car diagram and various AFE's, we know the following about each car's number, name, disposition date and the points at which they were off-loaded from the rails.

Viking, Venturia, Vergas, Velva and Venlo were named for stations along the rail line.

A Soo Line publicity department document refers to the sleepers' interiors as "Eastern India style" although this term is not defined. Upholstery was tufted green plush. (The exception would be the seats in the men's smoking room, which were upholstered to look like black leather). The paneling was mahogany with intricate inlay work throughout the car.

The linen for the V series sleepers shows a 12 + 1 floor plan, meaning the cars were 12 section sleepers with one stateroom. The car body was 18' 8" long on six-wheel trucks, 40" steel tires, and 4¼" x 8" journals. Each car weighed 124,500 pounds.

V series cars were the first Soo Line sleepers to be fully electric, using an axle-driven system designed by the Consolidated Car Heating & Lighting Company. Light fixtures included 9 4-lamp, center-pendant chandeliers, 4 1-lamp, center-pendant ceiling lights, 26 berth lights, 10 1-lamp, wall mounted lights, 2 vestibule and 4 step lights.

The water system was air pressure, with tanks located under the car. The cars were steam heated, provided by a coal-fired unit in the car. This system is called "Gold" built by Barney & Smith, but may be a copy of a heater patented by the Baker Company. Fans were located in berths 1 and 12.

These cars had art-glass half domes in the ceilings at each end of the sleeping section. A settee was located beneath each dome, where passengers could sit while their berths were made up by the porter. They also had gothic, art-glass sashes above the side windows. These were replaced and steel letter boards applied as follows:

On one end of the car was a men's smoking room, toilet and saloon. On the other was the women's toilet and saloon. The stateroom had a private toilet.

A Pullman plate is visible on one of the Valhalla's vestibules. This is the result of the Pullman Company holding the patent on the vestibule design, for which Barney & Smith paid a royalty. Consequently the plate was attached to show Pullman's patented rights.

The publicity department's statement describes all the Soo Line's sleepers up to the 1940's. From this document we know that the "V" series sleepers operated between the Twin Cities and Portland, Oregon via the Soo, Canadian Pacific, Spokane International, and the Oregon, Washington Railroad & Navigation Company (part of the Union Pacific). They were the last of the wooden sleepers built for the Soo by Barney & Smith.

The first set of four sleepers were built with the advent of the "Atlantic Limited" (1889), with service from Minneapolis to Boston. Car names were Minnehaha, Mississippi, Minnesota and Wisconsin. A transcontinental link was established in 1893, when the Soo expanded its tracks west to Portal, North Dakota, and connected with the Canadian Pacific for service to the west coast. This created a demand for new sleepers and in 1902 four more were purchased from Barney & Smith; Gladstone, Rhinelander, Glenwood and Enderlin. These were the Soo's first twelve section sleepers. The Rhinelander is privately owned and currently located at the Mid-Continent Railway Museum, North Freedom, WI.

In 1903 four 12+1 sleepers were added; Ingram, Glen Flora, Fairmont and Anamoose. In 1906 the "O" series sleepers were built, with car names Oslo, Oakes, Orleans, and Omemee. The "V" series in 1907 was the last and "finest" of the wooden cars. Beginning with the 1902 cars, all are said to have followed a similar body plan and interior design.

1227 Valhalla

The Valhalla was located on a lot in the Twin Cities western suburbs. The museum was notified by the owner that he had purchased the lot, which contained a railroad car, and would the museum be interested in it if donated. The car's previous owner had used it as a personal residence until his death.

At some point in the car's history, the owner had attached a peaked roof to it, which subsequently protected the car from the type of water damage usually suffered by cars sitting outside, unprotected. Other modifications by the owner include the installation of relatively more modern commodes and sinks, plus a shower in the heater cabinet. Plywood partitions were installed to create "rooms" where the berths use to be.

On the other hand, the car's mahogany interior is currently covered over by paint and wallpaper. Some of the inlay work is discernible, even through the layers of paint. The car's number is visible on the header above one of the doors to the vestibule, and the name is visible on the outside of anther door. So it's identification is fairly certain.

All of the hardware has been removed from under the car. It is setting on a concrete block foundation. A kitchen was attached, with an access door cut into the car's sidewall at a point where the window seats should be in the men's smoking room.. Most of the upper bunks have been removed, as has all but one set of seat frames. Three wall-mounted electric light fixtures are still in the car, as are most of the berth lamps and a few mirrors mounted to the window posts. The ceiling lamps are gone.

A drop ceiling was installed, covering up the car's true ceiling, built in what is known as an empire style. The art glass, dome near the stateroom is clearly visible. But even when some ceiling tiles and insulation were removed, the other dome could not be seen.