The Most Incredible Features Of The Only Presidential Railcar

Pullman really got to work by adding an additional 125,000 pounds worth of security features to the Ferdinand Magellan. First, it put 5/8-inch-thick bulletproof steel on all the areas (roof, floor, and sides) where the president stayed. It also installed 12-ply, 3-inch-thick laminated glass in many of the windows. Two escape hatches were installed in case the president needed to be extricated in an emergency. One was located in the bathroom where the window would have been and a second on the lounge’s roof, fashioned from a submarine (via Tom Scott’s Amazing Places).

The Ferdinand Magellan was the heaviest U.S. railcar ever built when it was presented to Roosevelt, even needing special trucks to accommodate the weight. Pullman had to keep the car at 285,000 pounds because that was the limit allowed on bridges and trestles at the time.

U.S. Car Number 1 traveled with other White House railcars, including ones for staff quarters, offices, medical, and communications. Even the Presidential Limousine and Secret Service Cadillacs hitched a ride inside a garage car (via Atlas Obscura). The entire string was so heavy it often needed two locomotives to get it up steeper track grades.

The president’s train car was never painted red, white, and blue, as it kept the original Pullman green. They even removed “Ferdinand Magellan” from the side of the car, which further helped to hide it in plain sight (via National Park Service).