Pioneer III

The Pioneer III was a lightweight stainless steel passenger railcar that the Budd Company completed in 1956 as a short and medium distance coach, with weight saving as its main aim. Electric heat and air conditioning, air suspension trucks, an airline style bathroom and a thin corrugated stainless body brought the single prototype down to 53,000 pounds and 88 seats, at the cost of legroom and a bouncier ride. When declining passenger traffic brought no orders, Budd redesigned it as an electric multiple unit, and the Pennsylvania Railroad ordered six in 1958 for long-distance commuter and short intercity service in the Northeast. These were the first all-stainless-steel electric multiple unit cars built in North America and the lightest. The design led directly to the Silverliner, the cars were later called Silverliner I, and they were retired on April 1, 1990.