The perfectly restored train coach is an important part of the project, managed by the Office of the Historian of Havana, to rescue the historical memory, to honor relevant figures and to commemorate the significant dates by the participation of the community. 

In 1900 the American Car and Foundry Company, the manufacturer of railroad rolling stock in the United States, was commissioned by the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, to manufacture three special wagons that the businessmen and the politicians would benefit in their long work trips. The provisional identification numbers of those wagons were 97, 98 and 99 respectively. 

The first one with the number 97 that was baptized with the name of Pennsylvania, was destined for the Pennsylvania Railroad itself, and currently it is on display in the Railway Museum of Pennsylvania. The second one with the number 98 was handed over to the company’s representatives in Mexico, and it was called El Dorado, as a tribute to Mexico’s struggle for independence. The third one with the number 99 was consigned to the American-owned Cuban Railroad Company and transferred on a board of a ferry from Florida to Cuba. It arrived in the island in 1912.

It received the name Wagon or Coche Mambí, in honor of Tomás Estrada Palma (1835-1908), the first President of the Republic from 1902 to 1906, and a hardy fighter of the Mambí Army. It was put also into service of the successive Presidents of the Republic. Even though it was known as the presidential coach in the community, its correct name is Coche Mambí. The name Mambí refers to the soldiers that fought in the Independence War at the end of the 19th century.

The excellence in comfort and safety of the Coche Mambí made it very appreciated by the successive Presidents that traveled the island, such as José Miguel Gómez (1909-1913), Mario García Menocal (1913-1921), Alfredo Zayas (1921-1925), Fulgencio Batista (1952-1959) and even Fidel Castro. After the revolution in 1959, it was parked on the platform “La Cochera” in the Central Railway Station (Estación Central del Ferrocarril). Since 1987 it is on the display at its current place.

The 80 tons coach is produced as a combination of iron and precious woods with an exclusive interior. The elegant mobile home consists of a protocol room, four bedrooms with foldaway beds and shower baths, a dark-wood dining room for eight persons and a kitchen with a refrigerator. Two of the four bedrooms were reserved for the use of the President and his wife. The original mahogany furniture and the lamps are preserved, as well as the tableware and the set of the silver cutlery with the inscription Mambí. Originally carbide lighting was used, and cooling of the space was accomplished by using dry ice.