Anyone know anything more about the car pictured below? As I understand it, it once was owned by the Salt Lake, Garfield & Western RR, and is now sitting abandoned in the middle of Utah somewhere.

Boyd

Another view of car

ddg14@attbi.com

> Anyone know anything more about the car
> pictured below? As I understand it, it once
> was owned by the Salt Lake, Garfield &
> Western RR, and is now sitting abandoned in
> the middle of Utah somewhere.

> Boyd

>>>> I remember passing that car many times on I-80. It is on the the shores of the Great Salt Lake. I know it is between Toole and Salt Lake, about a mile east of the Morten salt plant. It's been a year since I've drvien the route. so I might be off on the Morten salt plant reference. But I'd bet Dave833 would be able to tell you.

The building that I remember as the salt plant adjacent to I-80 has been gone for probably 10 years, but this SLG&W car's still where it's shown in the picture. I saw it last Thursday in fact. It's about a mile (or less) north of the Saltair "resort" on the shores of the Great Salt Lake, about 15 miles west of Salt Lake City.
There is an identical sister car sitting next to the Saltair building (in similar condition) along with two heavyweight passenger cars of unknown origin, one of which is used as a souvenir shop.

> Anyone know anything more about the car
> pictured below? As I understand it, it once
> was owned by the Salt Lake, Garfield &
> Western RR, and is now sitting abandoned in
> the middle of Utah somewhere.

> Boyd


davew833@yahoo.com

> Anyone know anything more about the car
> pictured below? As I understand it, it once
> was owned by the Salt Lake, Garfield &
> Western RR, and is now sitting abandoned in
> the middle of Utah somewhere.

The car was a baggage-passenger interuban combine about 52-55 foot long. Stripped of motors, etc. when the line dropped its wires and used as a trailer behind the 44-tonners for a few years. The body is now just a shell.

As stated above, the other combine body is at the Saltair Pavilion site. The two cars with it are ex-Pullmans. I looked all of these cars year and a half ago when the NG Convnetion was in SLC. The track was dropping away from the Pullmans and they were braced up to keep them level.

For more history see Ira Swett's Interurban Special on the Utah Interurbans.

Brian Norden


bnorden49@earthlink.net

Photo of the other one. Are these cars not worth saving? Or are there even any interested parties to save them?
Also, link is to photos of the heavyweights mentioned. (scroll down.)

Boyd

Saltaire cars

ddg14@attbi.com

The Interurban cars that are shown in the pictures are car numbers 500 and 501. These are the remaining two of six cars originally purchased from McGuire Cummings by the Salt lake Garfield and Western. These two cars were saved along with four open air trailers to be pulled behind diesel power on special occasions after the line quit passenger operations in 1952. The cars originally had clerestory roofs. Near the end of electric operations the roofs on 500 and 501 were cut down. In either the late 70’s or early 80’s the Salt Lake Garfield and Western was running one of its yearly fan trips and a gentleman from the FRA happened to show up. He immediately ordered the open-air trailers and the two demotorized interurbans removed from the train leaving only the caboose. The cars were condemned and the two demotorized cars were sold to a firm that had interest in giving helicopter tours of the Great Salt Lake. The helicopter tours never materialized and the company went bankrupt. One of the cars had been moved to the new Saltair Resort building to be used as a concessions stand and the other car was left to rot by the shell of the SLGW substation. A few years ago the Utah State Railroad Museum was able to acquire two of the open-air trailers and the next step is to get at least one of the motorcars. I would like to see a motor and a trailer cosmetically restored to tell the story of Utah Interurbans and their unique connection with Utah’s resort industry. Initial inquiries into the purchase of one of the cars was met with a $100,000 price tag as they are “very historic”. The only thing that is saving these cars from rusting away in the salty environment is the graffiti. The interiors of the cars are extensively rotted. I have been told that the seats for the cars are in a warehouse in Salt Lake City and are owned by a member of the Western Railway Museum. It would be a shame if at least one of these cars is not preserved as they are Utah’s last chance to assemble a motor and trailer from any one of the states great interurban lines.


Shays@aquaeng.com

Where are the Saltair open trailers now? Where they saved? I remember that one of them was at Heber Creeper? Can someone update and provide photos or links?

Wesley

There are four of the open-air trailers still in existence. The two that I previously mentioned are owned by the Utah State Railroad Museum and are stored off site. These two cars are in the best condition of the four. This is because the previous owners wrapped the roofs with sheet metal which helped slow down deterioration of the wooden roof and body. One of these cars was rear ended several years back and the coupler is destroyed but damage to the frame was only minor and local around the coupler. Each of the cars is missing a few seats. The goal at this time is to restore one car with seats off of the other car and then possibly fabricate new seats or see if it will be possible to get seats off of the car in Heber City after they have decided what they are doing with it.

The third car is in Heber City. This car is in the worst shape of all of them. This is no fault of the current owner, as the car sat uncared for many years before the current owner acquired it. This car is greatly rotted out and only a few pieces of seat hardware remain.

The fourth car is located at the Western Railway Museum out side of Rio Vista California. When I was last out there about eight years ago the car was covered. It is not in the best of shape but is definitely restorable. I have been told that they have a full set of seats for the car but that information comes third hand.

As I said in a previous post I am hoping that the Utah State Railroad Museum can get at least one of the remaining motor cars so that a motor and trailer can be paired up to represent at least half of a typical resort train. The trains during the summer season typically consisted of motor, trailer, trailer, motor. If I were made of money a full set would be restored.


Shays@aquaeng.com

IIRC, the two open air cars owned by the USRM are stored on the property of the old Ogden defense depot (DDO) at the north end of town. In recent years, large parts of DDO has been opened up for commercial development and it's possible to enter the base with few restrictions during business hours. The equipment storage tracks are on the east side of the base. You can't drive up to the equipment, but it's visible from a short distance away. There are other (non-SLG&W) cars there too, but I don't remember specifically what they are.

> There are four of the open-air trailers
> still in existence. The two that I
> previously mentioned are owned by the Utah
> State Railroad Museum and are stored off
> site. These two cars are in the best
> condition of the four. This is because the
> previous owners wrapped the roofs with sheet
> metal which helped slow down deterioration
> of the wooden roof and body. One of these
> cars was rear ended several years back and
> the coupler is destroyed but damage to the
> frame was only minor and local around the
> coupler. Each of the cars is missing a few
> seats. The goal at this time is to restore
> one car with seats off of the other car and
> then possibly fabricate new seats or see if
> it will be possible to get seats off of the
> car in Heber City after they have decided
> what they are doing with it.

> The third car is in Heber City. This car is
> in the worst shape of all of them. This is
> no fault of the current owner, as the car
> sat uncared for many years before the
> current owner acquired it. This car is
> greatly rotted out and only a few pieces of
> seat hardware remain.

> The fourth car is located at the Western
> Railway Museum out side of Rio Vista
> California. When I was last out there about
> eight years ago the car was covered. It is
> not in the best of shape but is definitely
> restorable. I have been told that they have
> a full set of seats for the car but that
> information comes third hand.

> As I said in a previous post I am hoping
> that the Utah State Railroad Museum can get
> at least one of the remaining motor cars so
> that a motor and trailer can be paired up to
> represent at least half of a typical resort
> train. The trains during the summer season
> typically consisted of motor, trailer,
> trailer, motor. If I were made of money a
> full set would be restored.


davew833@yahoo.com