"The Pullman passenger-observation car Denali (Alaska Railroad equipment No. X-336) that was used by President Warren G. Harding and his party when he visited Alaska in 1923 had been purchased by the railroad earlier in the year from the Great- Northern Railroad.
Pullman cars, the rich man's "yachts on wheels" were first manufactured in 1865. The cars were ornamental, both inside and out. Interiors of the cars were finished in polished wood, well lighted, with plush, comfortable seats that converted into beds. A private bath and observation platform were standard features. Up to thirty people could : be accommodated. Fully equipped, a new Pullman Palace Car cost around $20,000.
The Denali was such a car. Inside, the seats were covered with red upholstery, the car was lighted by a nine-branch candelabra, and the panelling was dark cherry wood. The arched windows had stained glass at the top, the wood exterior painted was green, and the gaudy Tuscan Roman letters were hand-painted.
In 1945 the car was converted to an outfit car. Shortly after, the car was retired and left on a siding at Nenana. The car was refurbished by the railroad in 1959-1960 at a cost of $2,600 and donated, by request of the Pioneers of Alaska, Igloo No. 4, to the City of Fairbanks.
Restoration work included repainting the exterior green, the lettering yellow, and the original light fixtures and the railing on the observation platform bronze, the ceiling white, and cleaning the panelling. The main part of the car was left empty, but in the front the sleeper compartment seats were rebuilt. In August 1965, the car was moved to Fairbanks, and in 1967 became part of Alaskaland a. park established by the City of Fairbanks in connection with the 1967 Alaska Purchase Centennial.
This compartment-observation Pullman car was part of The Alaska Railroad's "Congressional
Special," the train that carried President Harding and his party from Seward to
Fairbanks and return during Harding's visit to Alaska in 1923. The primary purpose
of the Alaska trip was to drive the golden spike that signified completion of the
railroad owned and built by the Federal government, that connected the Interior of
Alaska (Fairbanks) with the year-round port (Seward) on the southern coast of the
Territory. Harding was the first United States President to visit Alaska. The car,
along with two others, the Yukon and the Seward, were actively used on the Alaska
Railroad during the 1920 f s and 1930's. The Denali was briefly used as an outfit car
in the 1940's, retired, then restored in 1959 and 1960 and donated to the City of
Fairbanks. Located at Alaskaland Park in Fairbanks, the Harding Car is owned and
operated by the City of Fairbanks as a visitor information center during the summer
months." - National Register Nomination form