My son builds handcars under the Kalamazoo Manufacturing Company that built handcars into the 1950s. The company got out of the railroad business back in the late 1950s and went out of business completely in the 1990s.
A month does not go by that my son doesn't receive an inquiry from someone looking to buy a handcar for outdoor display. As someone already mentioned a standard handcar left outside will fall apart quickly. However, last year my son built an architectural static display handcar that was designed to last 30+ years in the elements. Most don't follow through as they get sticker shock with the price beginning at $20,000, twice the price of a standard car. More if all the components need to be zinc plated for protection.
It was the most interesting car he has built. The customer was unconcerned with the cost as art displays was required for all new developments in Vancouver, BC where it was installed. I attached a photo of it under attachments. The car was built from exotic Ipe lumber from South America. The fasteners and tension rods are stainless steel, and the iron parts, including the wheels were all zinc plated and painted with polyurethane.
For longevity Ipe is great, but it is an awful wood to work with. It is expensive, I think the lumber for the handcar was around $3000. My son tried to cut it with a standard bandsaw blade and it dulled a brand new blade in the first inch of cut. He went through a pair of table saw blades on the Sawstop. Forget sanding this stuff, as it laughs at sandpaper. Countless drill bits went into the trash and it took a while to get the floor fastened down as he had to be careful not to break bits or screws.
While the lever arm is an iron casting made using a pattern that he fabricated from an original Kalamazoo handcar, the wheels are authentic Kalamazoo handcar wheels, circa 1900. We had bought these sight unseen about 6 years ago and when they arrived we learned they had been in a accident on the railroad and were bent up. We almost threw them away at one point, but when this project came in we straightened them. They still had a little wobbled in them, but good enough for a static display. After sandblasting, plating, and painting they came out beautiful. The car actually was usable, but the client welded it to some rails for display so it will never run. Only a trained eye would know it was built for display purposes.
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