Thanks for the lead... email sent to the City Manager... it would be a good add to our collection.

Randy

Yeah, just look at all that rusty wood. I don't think it looks any worse than the steam locomotive. Oh oh...

Whatever the condition, it looks like an opportunity for one museum to benefit from the lack of interest of another. My guess would be a group of locals can't see anything beyond "a boxcar", and wouldn't know a significant artifact if it fell on them.

Notice how they're going straight for "it's junk to us, therefore it's junk to everyone... and therefore that excuses us from making an effort to find it a new home". Everybody does that.

Randy has already stepped up, so there's a good home in the offing. It's interesting to contrast this thread with the one about the inherited collection that needs to be disposed of, starting with the headlight. Some amount of specialized subject knowledge is necessary to responsibly deal with railroad aritfacts - the individual asked for it while the Lomita professionals didn't. Interesting.......

Anybody have an idea as to the original Union Pacific road number for the car? Looks like its present lettering may not be an authentic U.P. lettering scheme.

Les

Beyond repair ??? The wheels and journals may be worn, but I don't think this qualifies for the "Biggest Basket Cases Reborn" discussion. Matter of fact, my engine was built the same year, wish she looked as bad as that boxcar does. Lomita must be a nice, dry climate.

My knowledge of Union Pacific boxcars is not exhaustive, so take this for what it is, but I do know that excepting a few 50' cars, UP strongly favored double-sheathed boxcars.

However, the two angled pieces of U-channel that form part of the bracing on the car ends were a subtle hallmark of car construction on the Southern Pacific, which did own a sizeable fleet of single-sheathed cars. The placement of the door stops, and a few other subtle details like unique-looking car bolster end above the truck and the full top-to-bottom flat reinforcers in the far left side panel, are consistent with such details on the SP's B-50-13/14 classes of cars, of which there were a bit more than 7200 built for the SP and its subsidiaries.

If the side ladders are composed of angle stock for the side rails with one web of the angle facing the car side and the rungs bored directly through the other, outward-pointing web (as opposed to bolted to the flat, outwardly-oriented faces of the side rails according to more typical practice), then it is almost unmistakably one of the SP/T&NO/Pacific Electric cars.

See this link: http://sunshinekits.com/flyersbyroad.html and scroll down to the Southern Pacific section for various B-50-13/14 flyers detailing the history and detail variations of these cars.

My guess is that this is in fact a SP car with somewhat more recent Union Pacific lettering. This could be entirely fanciful, or, even if applied incorrectly, may or may not be legitimately based on some existing paint evidence that was still present showing UP ownership (such as through a one-off equipment trade, a post-merger donation from the MOW department, or a wreck salvage).

Would be interesting to know for sure.

Best,
David A. Vago

Hi,

I love the comment at the newspaper web site

"How is that "beyond repair"? Looks to be in good shape to me....My guess is there's an ulterior motive in play here....What do they want to put there?"

Doug vV

The lettering font looks very modern, IMHO not appropriate for a 1914 car (at least when built).

The front page of the Museum's website says that they have a 1913 Southern Pacific box car.

Lomita Railroad Museum

It says:
So it seems like the car has an identity problem. If it is a car from 1913 it may have been in MW service before coming to the Museum.

A railfan review found on line says that the car is UP 51406, and was in service at US Naval Weapons Depot, Seal Beach before coming to the museum.

A quick review of a 1917 Official Railway Equipment Register does not show a UP car by that number, nor a Los Angeles and Salt Lake car... UP was renumbering cars in 1917, so the car, if from the LA&SL may have been renumbered when that line was merged into UP... also noted... UP and SP were briefly merged after the Harriman take over, then in 1912 forced to divorce... So it could be a car to an SP common standard design ordered for UP...

A quick report on possible preservation. I have spoken to the head of Parks and Recreation, and they are open to a donation to the Nevada State Railroad Museum. I have started the process of a review by the Collections Committee, and will be making a quick trip to Lomita to inspect the car. Assuming we proceed with the acquisition we will ask our "Friends" group to fund the move. The head of Parks and Recreation noted that the wood was very rotten... For our crew replacing car siding will be easy, but for a Parks department it might prove expensive via a outside contractor.

We continue to work to add interpretive museum displays to our existing operation, which is tourist train centric. We currently only have a single box car on what was historically a freight oriented branch line. This would be a nice addition.

Randy

Win-win

Randy,

I've been following the discussion about this car over on the Steam Era Freightcars Yahoogroup, but maybe ought to point out here a few things every freightcarologist knows... If you could gain entrance to the interior of the car, you will likely find the reporting marks stenciled somewhere; on the wall plate near the door was a common spot. Also on the doors, and truck bolsters, also, so if these parts became separated in a wreck they could all be reunited. Some roads also stenciled the underframe near the brake cylinder. These are often painted over in later years, but are sometimes visible in strong light.

Any chance on making arrangements for someone local to take a look?