| Placid series | |
| Service: | 1956–1984 |
| Manufacturer: | Pullman-Standard |
| Ordernumber: | Lot 6958 |
| Yearconstruction: | 1956 |
| Numberbuilt: | 10 |
| Diagram: | Plan 4198 |
| Capacity: | 11 double bedrooms |
| Carlength: | 85inchesft0inchesin (ftin) |
The Placid series was a fleet of ten lightweight streamlined sleeping cars built by Pullman-Standard for the Union Pacific Railroad in 1956. Each car contained eleven double bedrooms. Amtrak acquired all ten from the Union Pacific and operated them into the 1980s; it retired the last in 1996. Several cars remain in private use.
As with all cars built for the Union Pacific, save the Pacific series sleeping cars, the Placid series cars were smooth-sided, not corrugated.
The Union Pacific took delivery of all ten cars in 1956 and they saw service on a variety of trains, including the City of Portland and City of Los Angeles.
Amtrak acquired all ten cars from the Union Pacific in 1971 and operated them through the 1970s; all but one were retired by 1981. The remainder, Placid Scene, it converted from steam heating to head end power (HEP) in 1984 as part of its Heritage Fleet program, part of a pool of nine 11-bedroom sleeping cars. Amtrak assigned Placid Scene to the revived Auto Train. In 1996 Amtrak sold it to American Orient Express, who renamed it Grand Canyon. There it was reunited with three other of the Placid series: Berlin (ex-Placid Lake), Vienna (ex-Placid Waters), and Placid Bay.
| Placid Bay | 1501 | 2260 | ||
| Placid Harbor | 1502 | 2261 | ||
| Placid Haven | 1503 | 2262 | ||
| Placid Lake | 1504 | 2263 | Renamed "Berlin" during its time in the American Orient Express[1] | |
| Placid Meadow | 1505 | 2264 | ||
| Placid Scene | 1506 | 2265 | Renamed "Grand Canyon" during its time in the American Orient Express. After the dissolution of the AOE, it was renamed back to Placid Scene. Currently for sale as of Feb 2024 [2] | |
| Placid Sea | 1507 | 2266 | ||
| Placid Vale | 1508 | 2267 | ||
| Placid Valley | 1509 | 2268 | ||
| Placid Waters | 1510 | 2269 | Renamed "Vienna" during its time in the American Orient Express |