At the time of their construction their dome areas featured the largest individual glass panes ever installed in a railcar.

Four were rebuilt by American Car and Foundry (ACF) and placed into service in 1983 as the Midnight Sun Express.

The service expanded in 1984 to include Princess Cruises and Rader's old employer the Holland America Line.

Using the proceeds from the sale, he founded Rader Railcar to produce new dome cars for service in Alaska and elsewhere.

Princess Tours acquired ten Ultra Domes between 1988–1999 at a cost of US$14.3 million.