South Pacific Coast 47

South Pacific Coast 47

This is the car that started it all. 47 was built by Carter Brothers in their Newark shop in 1881. While 47 looks like a passenger car, it was considered to be a caboose and was used as such. As a caboose, the car was equipped with link and pin couplers instead of Miller Couplers like the passenger cars. Like many other SPC cars, 47 was sent to the N&C in 1907 after the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake and the subsequent standard gauging of the SPC. On the N&C the car was renumbered 455. The car was set aside in 1915 in Keeler, California. The body of the car was brought back to Newark in 1975. The car is currently stored in the carbarn. It is being surveyed and cleaned to determine what the next steps are with this car.

SPC 47

Under restoration, body only

Caboose

Carter Brothers

1881

N&C 455

Wood, steel frame

No previous restoration attempts

1975