It's been a while since an update on the Colfax RR Museum's projects so I thought I would post current pictures on our 1884 Mail Car and Porter#5 2-6-2T.

The mail car is the Omaha route #301 built in their Hudson WI shops. It sat for more than 80 years in Altoona, WI as a house/shop. We have it back on wheels and are gradually finding parts and now have it looking like an actual car. We plan to finish repainting this summer and start to get the queenposts/truss rods/couplers on in the fall. This car is the only car we know still in existence that Owney the postal dog rode in. We've confirmed his riding this car through records at the Smithsonian.

The Porter is waiting for an order of Southern yellow pine for new end beams and cab flooring. The local high school wants to do a shop class project on the cab this coming school year.

Herb -

I wondered if you might have some photos of the CMStP&O mail car when it was a house/shop in Altoona, Wisconsin. I thought I would first check your museum website to see if any might be there, but I didn't see anything. One thing I did notice however, is that the car is listed there as number 305. So two questions; which number is correct (301 or 305) and, any photos of the car in Altoona?

Thanks.

Les

Every little bit helps, I see you've got the smokebox door back together and back on #5's smokebox !!! Excellent news on the woodwork, too, can't wait to see the new cab.

You can't keep a good lokie down.

I'm guessing those trucks are just a placeholder.

But otherwise, it looks a lot better then a chicken coop!

Actually, the trucks are Omaha route trucks. They would have been appropriate for the 1920's rebuild the car went through for the mandated Post Office update that included the reinforcement of the end walls with the rail inserts. The car body rides a little high due to a mismatch of the parts on the bolsters we used and the trucks.

Here's what the mail car looked like shortly after we got it on site.

Yes Les, the correct # is 301. Thanks for catching that typo on the website. We'll get that fixed.
Herb