The Western Montana Chapter of the NRHS is helping the Historical Museum at Fort Missoula retruck a former Anaconda Forest Products (Big Blackfoot Railway) camp car that was set up as a library. One journal box lid from the two archbar trucks in the Museum's collection is missing and we are looking for a replacement.

This is a Jewett patent lid, which has ears designed to fit slots in the journal box itself, to prevent the lid from getting lost and attaching the box without hinges.

http://flic.kr/p/cHWv85

http://www.flickr.com/photos/14247080@N03/7694537420/

If somebody has one of these as a spare, please contact mikefrommontana via pm.

Thanks!

I think your talking about a "Hewitt" journal box lid. There is also a diagram of one of the 1877 pat. ones in John H. White's book The American Railroad Freight Car on page 487.

Last fall there was a somewhat rusty pitted 1877 one listed on Ebay that had a buy-it-now for $40 with free shipping. No one bid on it and i offered the lady $35 wich she accepted but i decided not to get it as it was like one of the 3 different types of Hewitt journal box lids i have in my jbc. collection of wich 2 are 1877 year pats. with different dates and another a no year pat. lid, all of wich i bought on Ebay over the past 7-8 years. There are also Kilby marked journal box lids the same style wich are just about identical to Hewitt lids.

It seems like most of the Hewitt lids listed on Ebay were found along abandoned RR grades in the western US while the Kilby ones i've seen on Ebay were found in the south like Florida and the Carolinas. A friend of mine also collects old jbcs. and has some Hewitt and Kilby lids.I'll ask him if he has any duplicate ones. If not i would think you could have a aluminum or cast copy one made up from one of your remaining ones if you have no luck finding one. There out there along old abandoned RR grades and do turn up from time to time. Most Ebay sellers have no idea what they are and list them as being just about anything!

Thanks for the clairification. Yes, I didn't read the casting properly. It would probably work better to have an actual lid, as the trucks are going to be left unpainted and a cast aluminum lid would stick out (though it could be painted black and put on the back side of the car where nobody is looking).

Thanks for your assistance.

Michael Seitz
Missoula MT