06/15/2026
We have a new addition to the Family!!!!!
It’s a Cinderella story – with a train car.
A last-of-its-kind Pullman car called CYPRUS has been attached to a New Jersey restaurant for decades. When COVID hit, The Essex House in West Orange closed, and CYPRUS was left to the elements.
But this car, built in 1909, when Robert Lincoln, the son of President Abraham Lincoln, was president of Pullman Company, is about to start a new life.
This week, it will be lifted by crane and transported by truck to The Colebrookdale Railroad in Boyertown, Pennsylvania, where it will be restored to its original glory.
This car is particularly significant because it marks the transition from engineering and constructing Pullman cars with wood, to using steel. CYPRUS is unique in that it has a steel frame, but a body made of wood.
The Markouris family, former owners of the restaurant and car, are thrilled it will begin a new life at The Colebrookdale. While their beloved neighborhood restaurant will be demolished for new development, this piece of history that they salvaged and lovingly cared for will eventually carry families through The Secret Valley between Boyertown and Pottstown.
“Others reached out to us about this car,” says Tony Markouris, son of the owners, “but it was The Colebrookdale that gave us the confidence that it would be restored and put back in service. We’re proud of the fact that we could preserve it well enough that this will be its end; that we could be the bridge in preserving it between its past and future.”
Nathaniel Guest, founder of the Colebrookdale Railroad Preservation Trust, says full restoration may take a couple of years, but will be well worth it in the end. “Passengers will once again be able to ride in this beautiful Victorian car, enjoying a meal just as they would have in days gone by. It’s a reconnection to not only CYPRUS’ past, but to our own.”
Guest’s imagination and dedication have inspired donors like Suzanne Biesecker, a founder of a major Boyertown company. She’s funding the car’s new life on The Colebrookdale and has supported numerous other projects. “Nathaniel followed his dream. His brilliant mind continues to create magical experiences. I am full of admiration for him and his amazing team.”
Photo credit: Essex House & Colebrookdale Railroad