A tour of Holland America 1058 and 1059

For the 2005 season, Holland America rouded out is fleet with two new and radically different cars. Designated C cars, the 1058 and 1059 differ from the other cars in the HALX fleet mainly in that they are designed to run independantly, rather than in A-B pairs. During their delivery from Ft. Lupton to Seattle, I was fortunate enough to take an up-close look at the pair.

Looking at the 1059 at Denver Union Station, the most obvious sign that the cars are different from the others is the grouping of the five dining room windows, which are in one room rather than being divided by the HVAC ducts as most other cars are. The cars also feature the small window in the galley that was used on the 1054 and 1056.

As seen on the 1058 at DUS, the cars still feature the unique canted end windows that were intended to invoke the memory of the Budd full dome cars that the CRM cars displaced. As single use cars, the 1058 and 1059 feature not only a kitchen and dining area but a small observation platform and a gift area inside the end doors. Like the other Holland America cars, the C cars carry names of Alaskan locations. The 1058 is named Kashwitna, while the 1059 is named Teklanika.

The observation platform of the 1059 isn't huge, but it's ample enough to afford views like this one of Bozeman Pass in Montana. (Granted, this is one view you won't get on the Alaska tour...) One major difference between the C cars and their predicessors is the gate on the pass-through rather than a swinging door. This was a late design change, and may be retro-fitted onto the other cars as well.

The dining room of the 1058 is decorated similarly to the other HALX cars, though it just felt a little lighter. The effect might have been an illusion caused by the lack of a division in the middle of the room by the HVAC ducting as is common on other CRM cars. Though I was sure that the valances over the windows were different, looking at photos of the other cars proved me wrong.

Don't worry about missing the sights. As you dine in the 1058, you might not get to see the Clark Fork River in western Montana, but you'll still get a visual treat through the big picture windows in the dining area. I know I have said it before, but I still love the lighting fixtures in the Holland America cars, like the sconce lights shown here.

Looking toward the dining area of the 1058, you can see the well appointed galley, including the grill, stove top, steam tables and small wait station.

Looking the other direction in the 1059 shows the convection oven, reach in refridgerator and freezer on the right. The area behind the stainless steel divider on the left is the prep sinks and dishwashing station.

Aaah, but you were wondering about that million dollar view out the upstairs windows, right? Well, here's a teaser out the 1058 in central Montana. We'll take a closer look at the upper level of the cars, and some highlights from delivery in page two of this tour.

Click here to continue on to page two of our tour, or use the back button on your browser to return to the page that you came from.