CARSON CITY, Nev. — The Nevada State Railroad Museum has acquired a 1907 Virginia & Truckee Passenger car from the Southern California Railroad Museum, with the car arriving at the museum in Carson City last week.
Coach-Smoker-Baggage car No. 20 was the last new passenger car acquired by the Virginia & Truckee, the museum said in a Facebook post announcing the acquisition, and is one of a handful of surviving cars built by the Hicks Locomotive & Car Works in Chicago Heights, Ill. Transported by truck from its prior home in Perris, Calif., it arrived in Carson City on Thursday, Dec. 9, and was moved into the museum annex by the museum’s Virginia & Truckee 4-6-0 No. 25, built by Baldwin in 1905. The Ten-Wheeler was being prepared for weekend Santa Train operations.
Acquisition of the car was supported by the Friends of the Nevada State Railroad Museum and the Nevada Board of Museums and History. Delong Heavy Haul of Las Vegas transported the car from California.
I am amazed a wooden open platform passenger car was commercially built as late as 1907. By that year, passenger cars were built with full-width enclosed vestibules and diaphragms. Passenger cars constructed entirely of steel followed in the next decade.
On the other side of the coin, could someone more expert than I comment on those trucks? Even with friction bearings, they look more modern in design than 1907.
Short answer: With wooden pax cars there’s not likely anything original on the car except maybe the frame.
Penelope, here is a wooden combine from the long ago defunct Mascot & Western RR that claims to be (vaguely?) 1915. I first encountered this open air displayed wood combine when I came to Southern AZ for my SPRR Telecom job in 1984. One truck was, and still is missing to this day. The combine is on display across the street, (now sheltered) from the restored Willcox, AZ, SP depot, which was moved back 40′ from the SP/UP mainline and made into the Willcox, AZ municipal office, with a small museum inside, where one can here Willcox’ favorite son, Rex Allen’s rendition of the Railroad Corral. My MW and VHF radio room, which supplied Tucson PBX dial phone, TOPS data, and disp radio, to the nearby roadmaster’s (MTM) office, was in the old redwood depot location and had to be moved to a prefab just outside the newly restored redwood depot when it was moved those 40′ away from the Sunset mainline for safety sake.
And just around the corner is a vintage steel passenger car made into a steak house, which was moved from Phoenix to Willcox about 25-30 years ago. I once had breakfast in that steel coach when visiting in Phx over 45 years ago, and I always stop(ped) in at the new Willcox location while on the job and after my 2010 retirement, when driving by on I10.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/sminor/28789040992/
https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/food/arizona/az-train-car-restaurant
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YA0g45t94j0