Passenger Day Coach No. 8177
Why it's listed
Built in 1896 at the Juniata Shops of the Pennsylvania Railroad, Passenger Day Coach #8177 is a wooden beam car of the PH class. It has a body length of 30 feet, a wheelbase of 19 feet 11 inches, and seats 48 passengers. Its semi-closed vestibule marks a step in the development of enclosed passageways between cars. Railroad engineers had tried covered connections since patents were first granted in 1852, and canvas curtains proved impractical in 1857. The Pullman Company's narrow vestibule, patented in 1887 and first tested on the Illinois Central Railroad in April of that year, provided a closed passage between cars while trains were in motion. The PH class sits between the open-ended car and that later design. The car is one of several Pennsylvania Railroad rolling stock examples nominated together as a thematic group, and the nomination states that all the cars are genuine rather than replicas.
Significance in brief: The nomination presents the car as a transitional design between the open-ended passenger car and the enclosed vestibule that allowed passengers to walk between cars without exposure on an open platform. It seats 48 and has a semi-closed vestibule described as the forerunner of the closed type. The nomination ties the car to the wider development of safe covered passageways between railroad cars, which it dates to Pullman's 1887 vestibule patent.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 79002271, listed December 17, 1979. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | E of Strasburg, Strasburg |
|---|---|
| County | Lancaster County |
| Listed | December 17, 1979 |
| Reference number | 79002271 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Period of significance | 1896 |
| Architect / builder | Pennsylvania Railroad Juniata Shops |
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Transportation, Invention |
| Level of significance | National |
| Acreage | 0.1 |
| Coordinates | 39.98242, -76.16077 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary: it recognises significance and does not restrict what a private owner may do without federal money or permits. It unlocks the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit for income-producing buildings, state credits in many states, and Section 106 review when federal agencies are involved. See what listing means in practice.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 79002271.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.