Uncommonwealth: Segregation-era rail car being restored in Kentucky for Smithsonian
STEARNS — In the corner of a chilly McCreary County railway shop sits a piece of American history that millions from around the world will tour: a restored Southern Railways "Jim Crow" car with separate sections for black and white passengers.
The 80-foot car includes separate restrooms for its segregated passengers; 22 of each race could ride, although white passengers got a tad more legroom between seats. The restrooms for blacks were hardly big enough to turn around in, while the restrooms for whites included lounges with sofas and, in the men's room, for cigar-smoking and spittoons.
The car probably was used from 1940 to 1960. Southern Railways operated in Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia and Florida.
"It depicts the realities of how segregation was," John Rimmasch, head of Wasatch Railroad Contractors, said while striding through the car, now painted sylvan green on the outside....
Read more here: http://www.kentucky.com/2013/11/10/2924097/uncommonwealth-segregation-era.html#storylink=cpy
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and it was miserable, even to a wide eye 7 year old. Fortunately, we were able to switch to a regular car in St. Louis, but all the colored were lumped together in the back of the car we were in.
In retrospect, that ride was exhilarating and humiliating at the same time. 
