Henry Ford's Private Railroad Car "Fair Lane," 1921

By 1920 Henry Ford's fame was such that he could no longer travel with any degree of privacy. The Fair Lane, Henry Ford's private railcar, was his solution. Private railcars, originally developed for railroad officials as business cars, offered wealthy individuals customized access to the vast railroad systems of The United States and beyond. Fair Lane was ordered from The Pullman Company in 1920 to Henry and Clara Ford's specifications. It was designed to accommodate eight passengers in four private rooms and included an observation lounge (with platform), a dining room seating eight, and a fully-equipped kitchen with adjoining accommodation for the cook and porter. Between 1921 and 1942 the Fords and their family used the Fair Lane for over 400 trips, many of them business related, but also including regular journeys to their winter home in Florida (and later Georgia), and their summer home in northern Michigan. Clara was particularly fond of using Fair Lane for taking family and friends on visits to New York City. Wartime restrictions on private car use finally prompted the sale of the car. It was acquired and fully modernized by the St. Louis Southwestern Railway Lines for their Executive Department (including president H. J. McKenzie). In 1973 the Fair Lane was in turn sold to the Cherokee Nation and was ultimately used as a tourist office.