Scottsdale, Arizona-based designer Wendy Rodgers had been working with Rob Menzies, a railway owner and private railcar enthusiast, for years on both residential and railcar projects before landing her biggest challenge yet. Menzies presented Rodgers with a third railcar project: a 1954 Union Pacific vessel originally built as an observation bar and lounge car that he envisioned as his next luxurious home on the rails. The problem was, the car had been completely stripped down. Rodgers says that the car was practically nothing inside but steel, and though she knew she had her work cut out for her, the designer couldn’t wait to give this project a new life.

“Rob really gave me the confidence to do something as unique as a railcar the first time and by this project, I knew the ins and outs, so I felt I could take it on even though it was completely stripped,” says Rodgers. “There was a staircase in the center but there were no floorboards or anything. I was starting entirely from the basics.”

Though the railcar had been built in the mid-20th century, Rodgers felt that the car’s sleek lines lended best to the Art Deco era and sourced inspiration from a trip on the famed Orient Express from Paris to Venice, which she says is the ultimate example of Art Deco railcar design. She also quickly realized that nearly every piece of furniture would have to be designed custom, as the railcar measured 90’ x 10’ and every item needed to be able to withstand speeds up to…