Yeserday the shop crew at the Western Railway Museum took 98-year old restored SN 1005 for a successful shakedown run in preparation for its grand unveiling in mid September. Here it is at Gum Grove on our Sacramento Northern main line, having the bearing temperatures checked and looking almost as it would have looked when running on the SN in 1934. (In 1934 there wouldn't have been any windmills and Dave Johnston, the shop superintendent, would have been wearing a suit.)

Great job on this old girl! Thanks for posting the photos.

This is spectacular… Congratulations are in order.

There are so many things right about this project… a car that arrived complete, running, “presentable” but in really worn shape has been brought up to really good condition. So many times we ignore the “OK” cars for the new restoration. The new order seems to be revisiting the older cars, and giving them the attention they deserve. This is a Sacramento Northern car at a museum located on the Sacramento Northern main line… a signature car for the collection. The project (which was huge… ) used a really nice synisis of paid expert (Glen Gierra) and volunteers.

Now, if we YOU ( :) ) can couple 1005 to the restored Hall Scott Trailer, restore the second Hall Scott as a motor, restore Bidwell… Staring off into the hot Sacramento Valley Sunset… (at this point ADM 3 should tell me how unrealistic I am being…)

Randy

Indeed, she looks great! But those green trucks! I imagine your research indicates that's what they were, but they do take some getting used to.

Still, how I would love to see additional SN cars made into a train--and a run over the 183 miles of line, including the city of Sacramento, and over the Bay Bridge again to the terminal that was shared with Key System cars. . .

Alas, that Key System terminal is being demolished as we speak for the new combined bus and California high-speed rail terminal in San Francisco, which will have the trains well underground and living with horrible curved approaches, including curved switches in the station fan at almost minimum radii. . .this decision was based on the idea that the terminal had to be as close as possible to the financial district, which is believed to be what will be a strong part of the line's patronage at the San Francisco end. . .it was also decided years ago that the rebuilt and strengthened Bay Bridge would never again carry rail service (I'm guessing that a part of that decision would have been influenced by people from the "car supremacy" generation, who even if they were strong transit supporters, couldn't imagine people in large numbers prefering rail service). . . you lose some, and maybe you gain some. . .

. . .and I am convinced I was born at the wrong time.

The green may look like pea soup, but it is historically accurate.

Would that we could run from San Francisco to Chico. Alas, our museum's track (one should consider it our largest artifact) is most of what is left of the Sacramento Northern.

Just took a look at your website--and it says you got 22 miles of right-of-way, presumably with track! That's quite a chunk!

I know it's probably long-range at best, but do you eventually plan, or at least hope, to get wire over all of that? It would be a great ride if you did.

Interurbans are the next best thing to steam. . .and that next best is pretty close for me!

To use a completely anachronistic expression: Dudes! I am so stoked! I've been following this project for years, and seeing this car in its "native habitat", looking as it did in days of yore, with all systems completely refurbished, and the scars of its years of use on the various railways removed "made my day". Regarding those light-green trucks--at least they'll show up better in b&w photos (and how about a sponsorship from Andersen's Split Pea Soup?) Well done!

folks,
I was in the car on Saturday and she is really looking wonderful. I was in the car the last time she ran; with a generator being towed behind her. This was soon after the WRM had purchased the 22 miles of SN rails. Yes, it does have track on it! It was the track that the museum purchased; the UP donated the right of way.

Anyway, the car had a ton of peach color paint on the inside the seats were a mess and pieces were falling off all the time she was running on the track. I think the event was to celebrate an anniversary of the Oakland, Antiock & Eastern.

I expect to see the car coupled to the O,A & E 1020 trailer in the near future. We have between 5 and 6 miles of wire up in the air. And there are more poles in the ground too. The current project is to get a sub-station for the line Remember that it was run with 1500 volts rather than the 600 that the museum is now using.

There is another SN project going this summer. The body of SN #602 freight motor is getting a cosmetic make over this summer. The car was built by w. L. Holeman at San Francisco in 1912 for the OA&E. The reason the Bay Area Electric Railroad Association acquired the car for the new museum at Rio vista is that it still has the Baldwin interurban trucks with the silly green paint on them.

After the end of passenger service the #602 became a MOW car with added doors and windows, Those will go away and the new primer paint already looks better than the faded freight car red that is on the car.

Thanks for the pictures guys!

Ted Miles

The old interior peach color in SN 1005 was authentic SP coach paint. Before the car was acqired by BAERA much of the interior mahogany paneling had been removed. Money was not available to replace the mahogany so available wood was used and then the interior was painted.

Part of the restoration involved replacing the missing mahogany wood, then staining and varnishing it like the original. Removing paint from the remaining mahogany was a lot of work.

Key System had removed the toilet compartment and replaced it with a seat. A toilet was not needed on runs between Berkekly and San Francisco. So a new toilet compartment with a water cooler had to be built and installed. Key even installed seats in the baggage compartment. Key needed to maximize seating capacity. Key owned the car after SN ended passenger service.

Holman Car Company that built the car was in San Francisco. Eastern car builders would have used oak or ash for the car frame. Holman used Douglas fir. An eastern builder would have used poplar for car sheathing. Holman used redwood.

Used lumber was purchased for the restoration and cut to size. These were old growth trees that were several hundred years old when they were harvested over one hundred years ago. This gave a wood quality that cannot be purchased today at any price.

Today SN 1005 is probably in better condition than the day it rolled out of the Holman shop in 1913.

Official dedication of SN 1005 will be September 18. Come to the Western Railway Museum for a public ride on the car.

What can you tell us about the seats? Original style? What was used on them?

Thanks.

Les

The Toll Bridge Authority got ownership of a 5 car train because they paid for the cab signal and train stop equipment on the Sacramento Northern fleet. After SN stopped passenger service, the authority sold the train, including 1005, to Key System, which stopped rail service in 1958. I heard that the car is back dated to 1934, so the complicated equipemt could be removed.

Actually there is a third SN restoration nearing completion at WRM - SN 1632, a wooden caboose (originally owned by Western Pacific, who built it by converting a box car).

WRM acquired SN 1632 in a trade with Portola several years ago.

In addition to the critical need for wartime seating, the toilet was a dry hopper, which would not have been acceptable for Key System's street running in Berkeley!

We need a dry hopper to complete the restoration - does anybody have an extra?

Les;

The seats are of the original type if not the original seats. They are Hale and Kilburn modle 199-EE high back walkover seats. The upholstery is red plush. The steel frames were generally in good condition. They were sandblasted and painted. The arm rests are mahogany and were refinihsed. The seat backs required new brass seat handles, side and top hardwood frame members, webbing, padding, and upholstery. The cushions required new hardwood frames, all new flat springs, 50% new coil springs, new webbing, padding, and upholstery. The fabric is 100% wool mohair in the color Bordeaux 61481 which was purchased from Arc-Con Fabrics.

Sacramento Northern 1005, which has been restored to its 1934 condition, had its formal debut this past weekend with trips for major donors on Friday, October 17, and trips for the association membership on Saturday, October 18.