The Fernley Preservation Society has collected a number of freight cars and cabooses over the years, but recently the city has decided that all of this equipment has to disappear. The cars are a varied lot. From my own personal perspective, the most interesting items are two wooden boxcar bodies, the only surviving freight cars built by the Hicks Locomotive and Car Works. I have a longer note about this situation here:

http://hickscarworks.blogspot.com/2012/ ... xcars.html

The society's website: http://www.fernleydepot.com/

It would be nice if at least one of these could be saved, but I realize it's a long shot. Groups that have already been contacted and aren't interested include Nevada State, Portola, and Rio Vista. Now if only Nevada had its own Mike Pannell, there might be some hope! If anybody knows of someone who might be interested, please let me know.

Anyhow, it's just another example that shows there's no substitute for owning your own land.

Some of the cars should be saved. They got the wooden box cars w/o trucks, etc. several years ago. At least one of the cars is ex-Tonopah & Goldfield and when I looked through the fence several years ago it showed an early style of T&G lettering.

Last week I was in that part of the state going to and from Reno to visit UN-R Special Collections. I drove by the depot/museum twice this last week -- once on Sunday about noon and then Thursday morning. No signage out front as to hours/days or the indefinite closure. Wanted to get a better view of the box cars.

Randall - Two thoughts:

1. Laws (the Carson & Colorado connected with the T&G)

2. Virginia & Truckee (built and owned the C&C before SP)

Les

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I am surprised there is nothing on either their Home page or News page about the situation change at the depot. Last entries talk about upcoming restoration work this summer.

Rich C.

Les: Thanks for the advice. I'll try to contact them.

Josh: I don't remember exactly, I didn't write it down. I believe it was the drover caboose, and I think maybe it was a Scout group or something, not a regular railroad museum. I will try to find out next time I talk to my contact.

Randall

An interested third party (involved with a society taking a horse drawn freight wagon from the Fernley Preservation Society) has provided me with the name and contact information for "one of the long time mainstays and driving forces the organization."

If anyone is interested in pursuing the railroad equipment send me a PM and I can forward you this contact information.

Can anyone here provide more history about NCB #2 or NCB #503 and 504 (T&G originally), currently at the Fernley Preservation Society in Nevada?

http://www.fernleydepot.com/photo_galle ... allery.htm

As has been discussed in this thread, the FPS is being evicted and we in Nevada are working to save this and the two Hick's Tonopah & Goldfield boxcars (NCB 503 and 504).

We hope to move the T&G cars to the Central Nevada Museum (Tonopah) and Goldfield Historical Society (Goldfield), but we need as much information as possible to support this effort and the placement of NCB #2.

We also need under-car components (truss rods, trucks, etc), as this equipment was recovered sitting on the ground...we understand that suitable components may be available at the North Coast Logging Association. I would appreciate contact information for the Association or any other potential source so that we can get the necessary parts to restore this equipment.

As was previously noted, time is of the essence because of this unexpected eviction. Tom Gray at the V&T has graciously offered his heavy-duty loader and support to the effort. You can post here or contact me directly via email. Thanks for any information or assistance that you can provide.

Craig Brinkman
www.arpcp.org

Here is an interesting photo that I found that I had. Back in 2006 I prepared the PowerPoint for a presentation that Dave Garcia gave about the five railroads that served Tonopah, Goldfield and Rhyolite, Nevada, at the Nevada State RR Museum sponsored history symposium. This is one of the photos used in the PowerPoint. It is from Dave's collection, but I do not know what his source was.

The box cars would have had this style of lettering. Notice the Nicks flatcar coupled to it.

I am pleased to advise that the Fernley Preservation Society and the Central Nevada Museum have agreed that CMN will be the new home for the two NCB/T&G boxcars in Fernley.

We need all of the car system components (truss rods, arch-bar trucks, couplers, etc), as this equipment was recovered sitting on the ground...If you know of the location of any suitable equipment, please send me an email as soon as possible (See Brian Norden's photo of a similar T&G box car on this thread...Thanks, Brian!)

Thanks

Craig Brinkman
www.arpcp.org

Well, there appears to be six or eight sets of KC brake equipment available from the cars being discussed in this thread:

Old boxcars at Indian Head, MD Navy Base
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=33033

Also couplers with slotted knuckles... can't tell from the pix if they are D's or E's with custom knuckles. The T&G cars would have had link and pin when built, and who knows what they were upgraded with, but the slotted knuckles would be a nice touch.

Someone should really pick up the rest of the KC equipments, also the couplers, yokes, draft gear and draft lugs from whoever scraps the equipment, as there are certainly more non-equipped bodies in captivity.

T&G was converted from narrow gauge in August 1905 and being flushed from the mining traffic seemed to be buying equipment comparable to mainline railroads. I doubt that it bought new equipment with link and pin couplers.

In John White's book about freight cars there is a Pullman builder's photo of a T&G 4-wheel caboose. It has automatic knuckle couplers -- small size typical of the era but knuckle. These 6 cars were ordered and delivered in 1907.

Railway Age in its December 28, 1906, issue listed the orders placed in that year. The T&G is listed as having ordered these freight cars:

15 flat cars from Hicks
15 box cars from Hicks
115 gondola from Pullman
50 ore cars from Pressed Steel

Erick Neubauer's CD with Pullman order information lists the 115 gondola as being delivered 100 to T&G and 15 to the affiliated Bullfrog-Goldfield. Ordered in 1906 and delivered May-June 1907.

I didn't realize these cars were so modern... I thought we were talking 1880 era. I agree they would have come with some sort of pre-ARA knuckle coupler... Which is going to be a problem, since these have been not suitable for interchange service for so long that there are basically none left. Best source would be one of the narrow gauge outfits, D&S, CATS, WP&Y. These operations used full sized couplers of the early form.

While any Hicks information is long gone, the Pullman Library at IRM may have drawings of the gondolas, which would provide some info on coupler and draft attachments, which were likely the same on the boxcars.

I have word that some services of a lawyer are requested such that the F.P.S. can properly distribute its collections per its bylaws, and a few other outstanding issues. If one from this board is willing to engage them either pro bono (preferably) or at fair pricing, they would be interested. P.M. me and I can relay a contact to the principal in charge, or others who have mentioned here that they are in contact. Or just utilize the website.
http://www.fernleydepot.com/

With regard to availability of B&G and T&G freight equipment information from the IRM Pullman Library, if the recipients or affiliated interested individuals are interested in getting documentation, I show the following from our CD of Eric Neubauer's Pullman Companies Freight Car orders.
Lot 5173 (1907) type GS gondolas:
B&G 15 #'s 400 - 414
T&G 100 #'s 100 - 199
Lot 5178 (1907) T&G type NM caboose #'s A6 - A11
Our files for the 500-alpha-numerical series start around that period of time so there is an off chance we might have drawings. We need the lot number for the drawing journal search, followed by going through the archival drawing tubes for the related drawings.
Please contact us with your name, address, e-mail and phone number and we will be glad to make a search for them.
Sincerely and on behalf of our co-volunteers Bob Webber and Al Johanson, Ted Anderson, Pullman Library curator