Travel in Style, Parlor Cars

Parlor cars represented the height of luxury on the Illinois Traction System with their mahogany wood panels, narrow inlaid lines of white wood, polished brass, and green carpeting.

The first four parlor cars, "Urbana", "Monticello", "Cerro Gordo" and "Clinton", rolled off the Danville Car Company lines in July 1911. Parlor car "Lincoln" and "Granite City" were later added. 

Each parlor car featured four separate compartments with total seating for 35. You could reserve a leather and mahogany framed chair with access to the rear observation porch for a modest increase in the ticket price. There wer also compartments for smoking, letter writing, or card playing.