Passenger Trains > Sterling Hayden's Pullmand Car

My cousin's husband is a nephew of actor Sterling Hayden (star of the railroad movie Kansas Pacific)and he said when he was younger Mr. Hayden's office in Saucelito, CA was an elaborately restored Pullman car on a siding. Also Mr. Hayden took my cousin's husband to a section of the wooden sheds in the Sierra's when he was small. Anyone out there have any information on that Pullman car? He estimated this was about 35 years ago and guessed it was his office until he passed away over 25 years ago.

Is this the same Sterling Hayden who was in "Dr. Strangelove, or How I Learned to Love the Bomb"? Please don't tell me he died over 25 years ago. I didn't think he passed away that long ago. Hayden was a very good actor.

Sterling Hayden died in 1986. He was 70. One of the finest character actors ever.

The car was totally trashed by hippies. The last time I saw it about 10-15 yeara ago, it was in the hills above Geln Ellen (or someplace like that). Allow mne to quote a railway museum member from Texas: "there's something about a stationary railroad car which loosens a man's bowels." This, obviously, was a Texan with brains and a sense of humor, unlike . . .

That is depressing, coincidently much of our family discussion this weekend revolved around much of both of our family's history missing or destroyed. I'll have to pass along this news to my cousin. Do you know if the Pullman car still exists and if so who owns it? Is it beyond restoration? Thank you for the information.
smvrrfan

The town in California is Sausalito, and it is at the northern end of the Golden Gate Bridge. The railroad tracks into Sausailto are gone, although there has been talk of restoring excursion train service between there and Napa and Sonoma, or even commuter trains to the ferries at Larkspur or Sausalito. There is an about-to-fall down railroad trestle near Larkspur which a Marin County historical association is trying to preserve. It looks like a old coal trestle to me, certainly not the thing I would feel safe riding on, even restored, in a passenger train.

Didn't Sterling Hayden have a big sailboat as well?

You might write the Sausalito public library at:
http://www.ci.sausalito.ca.us/library/default.htm

or try the Sausailto historical society at:
http://www.ci.sausalito.ca.us/shs/
they post an email address, and have a link page to railroads in Sausalito.

My recollection is that Sterling Hayden lived on his boat in Sausalito----------there are many houseboats in the marina, as well as ocean-going yachts that people live aboard.
C.

A member of the OSS that parachuted into German-held Yugoslavia during WWII and emerged both alive and neither pro-Commie nor a Cold Warrior ... an interesting actor who was never quite lucky enough to get a script or director to match his talents until too near the end of his acting career ... a darn good novelist, when he finally got around to putting pen to paper, who authentically featured both railways and sailing ships in his writing ... a raconteur, yet one who always seemed classy and dignified ...

Johnny Carson had him on the Tonight Show in what was probably the most intelligent and truthful interview I've ever listened to ...

He did live on a large sailboat in Sausalito, CA (sorry about butchering the spelling) he was a sea captain and during World War II was wrangled into doing some war propaganda movies. Paramount Pictures immediately signed him, he was not an actor by trade. His nephew said that he rowed his boat every morning to his Pullman car, it was his office, he did not live in the Pullman car.

Hayden's sea exploits are well documented but his nephew was just pointing out that he had more than just a passing interest with railroads. (Starred in Kansas Pacific and the Denver and Rio Grande also).