Sunshine Special was built by American Car & Foundry in 1953 as 44-seat coach #5480, configured with coach seating for 44 passengers and public restrooms at both ends.
Named Sunshine Special in 1989 after the passenger train ran by Missouri Pacific
lines and the Texas and Pacific Railway between St. Louis and Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, Galveston and San Antonio, Texas. The Sunshine Special was replaced by the Texas Eagle on Aug. 15, 1948, and was last listed in the December 1961 timetable.
In April 2022, Union Pacific officials announced that the company would donate Sunshine Special to RRHMA, which plans to restore it to operating condition. Read the complete article on the Union Pacific donation here.
