Nevada City, MT coaches

FLO · **Joined:** Tue Jan 25, 2011 2:07 am **Posts:** 328

Two really great, old, turn-of-the-century wood coaches. I wonder what will become of them?
Can someone from Alder Gulch Shortline comment?

1902, Montana Western RR coach #108
1894, Butte, Anaconda & Pacific Coach #11

I see that Mid-Continent Ry Museum has a Montana Western gas-electric. From the amazing work they did on
Copper Range Railroad no. 25 (passenger-baggage car) they would be one shop capable of restoring these.
Who else could possibly take these on?

Looks like someone filmed a walk-around video of the cars last year.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUM0-aXvxPU

Ghost Train, Nevada City, MT by E.L. Malvaney, on Flickr

car57 · **Posted:** Mon Oct 07, 2013 7:41 pm

Oh surprise surprise they are still there.......we were warned off one of those by a group saying they had plans to move them both......makes me mad when I see we had been strung along with bull....we had the money to move it too.....

Mike Pannell

Les Beckman · **Joined:** Tue Aug 02, 2005 1:25 pm **Posts:** 6482

Mike -

Not sure which is the Montana Western coach and which one the BA&P car, but I wonder if the one closest to the camera in the top photo might have been a "Jim Crow" coach or combine.

Les

Dave · **Posted:** Mon Oct 07, 2013 11:49 pm

Sometimes a center baggage compartment seperates a "smoking section" from the more genteel section where ladies could also ride. If this was in the South, Jim Crow would have been probable, and it would certainly not be impossible anywhere.

This car would have been right at home on a Southern shortline right up through the 1950s.

dave

FLO · **Joined:** Tue Jan 25, 2011 2:07 am **Posts:** 328

According to the auction website from 3 years ago, the car with the center baggage door is the Montana Western car.

Guys, my gut tells me these cars are scrapped. Someone please tell me I'm wrong.

Alexander D. Mitchell IV · **Posted:** Tue Oct 08, 2013 1:07 am

2004 thread on these cars (and about a dozen total) at this isolated-yet-roadside "ghost town":

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=11258

2009:
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=28391

More info from the 1990s:
http://www.virginiacitymt.com/aldergulch.asp

FLO · **Joined:** Tue Jan 25, 2011 2:07 am **Posts:** 328

ADM found the info on the cars in his first link.

mikefrommontana wrote:

The following is abstracted from an equipment summary which was in a preservation assessment I prepared for the MHC in 2002. Please note that this is not 100% accurate, but it will get you started.
...
Montana Western/Great Northern 545

This is probably the most interesting and enigmatic car of the collection. Originally Great Northern 202, a Barney and Smith product built in January 17, 1902. The car was built as a coach, then renumbered and assigned as 1st class coach 4037 on January 30th, 1908. It was reassigned as Smoker 603 on April 30th, 1926 and then to P + B service (parlor + baggage?) 545 on October 3, 1928. Records do not indicate when the car was sold to the Montana Western, but it is known that the car was used to protect passenger service when the Montana Western's motorcar (acquired in 1941) was out to service. The car was acquired by C.A. Bovey in 1965.

Butte Anaconda and Pacific Coach #11

This car is what appears to be an 1890's wooden coach that was grafted onto a steel frame (from a freight car?) after the original underframe was deemed unsafe. The last service the car was in was as a mixed train that ran from Butte to Anaconda. It would be picked up at Butte by a freight train and carried at the end of train to Anaconda. The stronger underframe was likely required in the event the car was in a collision.
...

Taylor Rush · **Joined:** Tue Sep 21, 2004 1:32 pm **Posts:** 114

I actually owned one of the cars for a very short period of time when both were purchased by scrappers who planned to tip them on their sides and burn them for the metal. They were saved from that fate, then subsequently traded to a railroad in Colorado that is looking into options for moving them. Last time I was there the owners indicated that the other coaches at Nevada City might be looking for new homes.

Taylor

Bobharbison · **Joined:** Fri Dec 03, 2004 9:42 pm **Posts:** 3010

I've read the past threads but I'm not clear on what cars remain on site. I see mentions of an auction, and that some were traded for the steamer etc. Obviously the two shown the photos are still there, but how many others are left?

Anyone have a roster of what was there originally and the disposition of them all?

eze240 · **Joined:** Sat Feb 06, 2010 9:29 am **Posts:** 319

If you look up " Alder gulch RR" on Bing or google, you'll see some pictures of them.
Just guessing, but in the pictures there appears to be a buissness car- probably steel over wood, but not sure....and a baggage, perhaps bag/RPO? and at least one, maybe two combines (coach/bag).....oh yeah, theres a caboose as well.

FLO · **Joined:** Tue Jan 25, 2011 2:07 am **Posts:** 328

When coaches like these are demolished, you hope that someone saves the parts and hardware. I was just watching a video on Youtube of the rescue of an 1892 baggage car by the Northwestern Pacific RR HS that had been converted to a house (I love what these guys do!). The video ends with a plea for any period replacement parts, such as...

Attachment:

Untitled.jpg

NWP RR HS website

Les Beckman · **Joined:** Tue Aug 02, 2005 1:25 pm **Posts:** 6482

FLO wrote:

When coaches like these are demolished, you hope that someone saves the parts and hardware. I was just watching a video on Youtube of the rescue of an 1892 baggage car by the Northwestern Pacific RR HS that had been converted to a house (I love what these guys do!). The video ends with a plea for any period replacement parts, such as...

Attachment:

Untitled.jpg

NWP RR HS website

Looks like video was posted in 2010. Wonder what progress since then?

Les