Is the standard guage rail all this stuff is sitting on connected to the outside world?

Scott

These cars are not on live rail. The nearest rail connection is an embargoed MRL branch ending at Alder Montana. As they are now, they would not be suited for operation anyway. If a person wanted one, it would be simpler to truck them out, but I imagine they are very fragile. However, they did come out to Montana on their own wheels and were trucked from Alder to Nevada City.

Michael Seitz
Missoula MT

Mike, the Friends of the C&TS had two week long work sessions at Alder Gulch this Aug. This year our primary focus was to re-roof the F&CC box cars and to repair and replace the broken and missing siding as well as move them off the UTLX trucks they were sort of sitting on. Other jobs were to repair damaged sills on a couple of the cars, and to re-coat the roof on the #222 standard gauge business car there.

Our agreement with the Montana folks is to come out for two more years and to do what we can to stabilize the standard gauge cars that are in your photos. We have come up with several ideas, and have passed them on to the Montana people for review and approval. Hope this helps. John

The Alder Gulch Short Line looks like it was a pretty interesting operation back in the 1960s. Motive power was a pair of 0-4-0Ts and several converted dump cars; it was known as the "Work Train." All the photos I've seen show that the wood cars were in bad shape from the beginning. Here are a few photos taken in the summer of 1967:

Wow! Our CMO was a fireman on these locomotives when he was a teenager. In the engine barn office the sides of the original cars make up our wall tables. Thank you for posting these!

As the crow flies I am not that far away from these cars. As the road goes I am about two hours away. If the some one would like more photos I can get over there and take some as long as winter stays away.

Steve

not a bad idea, take some real study shots of the cars and their condition, lookd like a set of steps was almost literally falling off one.

Friends of friends sent me photos taken recently at the 30" gauge Alder Gulch Railway in Nevada City, MT. I knew they had a ride using equipment suitable for an amusement park, but was surprised by the derelict (but mostly intact?) standard-gauge wood baggage car, combines, and coaches on "display" next to the depot. Build dates are 1880-1908.

If the owner (State of Montana?) could be convinced to sell one or more of these cars, they could at least become parts donors for other SG or NG restoration efforts, or maybe even be saved from disintegration.

- Doug Debs
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Background into from a posting by Dennis Storzek at http://www.rypn.org/forums/viewtopic.php?

Here's a little more background on the Soo Line cars.

In 1964 Charlie Bovey purchased a bunch of retired equipment from the Soo Line, apparently to equip the Alder Gulch Railroad he was building as a tourist attraction in Nevada City, MT. Here is a list of cars I know went there:

309 Wood baggage smoker combine, Barney & Smith 1907, converted to Cook-Dining X-1431 2/43.

311 Wood baggage smoker combine, Barney & Smith 1908, converted to Shower-Power X-1432, 5/45.

1602 Wood baggage, originally Wisconsin Central 14, B&S 1882, converted to B&B Bunk W-329, 4/39.

1902 Wood coach, originally Wisconsin Central 19, Watson 1880, converted to Teleg. Dept. Bunk W-327, 1/36.

Is there shine on the rails? I thought the line had been out of service for over a decade.

Alder Gulch #12 (outside frame 2-8-0) has been out of service since 2010. The ride now uses a "steam outline" locomotive. Not much of a historic experience compared to what they used to operate.

The website schedule has trips May 28 thru Sept 5, 2022. https://virginiacitymt.com/Experience-The-Old-West/Train-Rides-and-Schedule.

I've never been near the place, but those 1880-1908 standard-gauge wooden passenger cars clearly are not being cared for. Sooner or later someone will be tempted to bulldoze or burn them to "clean up the property".

- Doug Debs

Looks like four-wheel trucks, there are members of the board looking for such trucks. Dealing with the state won't be fun though.

folks,
I am aware of two other Baptist Chapel Cars. The Messenger of Peace is beautifully restored at the Northwest Railroad Museum at Snoqualmie, Washington. and there is a second Chapel Car Grace at a Baptist summer camp in Green Lake, Wisconsin. Those dozen cars were a little known part of Western History.

Ted Miles, retired but still interested.

PS The chapel cars are featured in at least one book; but I do not have the details.

You can see a list of the cars here: http://www.rypn.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=11258 . Most of the non-30 inch gauge equipment was sold off in 2010. I don't know what is left now.

I don't recall hearing that any of the Soo Line wood cars were moved in the past dozen years. Scrapping could be a different story.

I just ran into a published photo of Soo 308, sister to the 309 at Nevada City, in service in the forties. These are tiny cars.

Combine 309, B&S 1907, is 57'-6" over all
Combine 311, B&S 1908, is 61'-4" over all
Both have open platforms.

Baggage 1602, B&S 1882, is 47'-7" over all
Coach 1902, Wason 1880, is 55'-11" over all
Being this short, all obviously have four wheel trucks.