Oval Pullman stained-glass window

Pullman window display, front view [image info]

Pullman window display, angle view [image info]

A display box/stand used by the 5BEL Trust to display a distinctive oval Pullman stained-glass car window, for display on the Trust's stand at Brighton Modelworld 2014.

Display

It was felt necessary to create this "dummy panel" in order to be able to display the window in context, the panel has Pullman cream front face and Pullman brown edging and sides. The box is also a "lightbox" – it is fitted with internal lighting to show off the stained glass.

Use

The display panel was used to show off the Pullman craftsmanship at Brighton Modelworld, where the 5BEL Trust had a regular stand to publicise the project and meet the public (and fundraise).

Pullman and stained glass

These single oval windows placed at one end of the carriage became a signature feature of the European Pullman cars, with the decorative curves and sumptuous stained glass helping to lift the perception of these cars as being a level above normal "mundane" railway rolling stock – who on Earth goes to the trouble of putting decorative stained glass windows on a railway carriage?

This extravagance becomes only marginally less impressive when one realises that the windows weren't actually visible form inside the main body of the railway carriage, and were functional - they were the toilet windows, using stained glass for privacy, and with a central opening section for fresh air. The main lighting in the toilets was electrical, the windows meant that in case of an electrical failure the occupant wasn't left in the dark. But still ... where other companies might have used a small rectangular window with frosted glass, Pullman understood that here was an opportunity to do something special.