The McKeen Motor Car Website

The “Cuyamaca” arrived in Ramona safe and sound Sunday, March 20th all the way from Anchorage, Alaska. That’s quiet a feat as it is. We’d like to thank everyone who has donated to the cause for their help, we couldn’t have gotten this far without your help. We are just starting the project however, and we are going to need money for Phase 2, the documentation, stabilization, and research stage. This should take no longer than 6 months and in that time, we may start pulling apart the car to preserve what’s left of the body panels. We will take measurements of the body as it sits, and then the first addition to the new frame work, the new Knife-Edge nose and to replace the beam that outlines the frame. It has taken a beating from the weather of Alaska and needs to replaced. The nose will be rebuilt in place, while the rear end of the car is reworked using the original material. This will require a major amount of work. This is the first step in rebuilding the car, and we need your help to complete. The cost will be in replicating the missing framework, so we can use your help in the form of donations or time to rebuild the car from the ground up. Thank you for your help. – Madison Kirkman

We would first like to thank the 180 new people who have recently liked our page, as well as the 21,000 post views in the past week. That is quite an amazing jump from our previous numbers. We have hit a small snag though, the dimensions used for estimating the shipping cost were slightly less then the actual dimensions, this has resulted in an additional shipping cost of $2000. I am putting out an all call for help to cover this difference, as it exceeds what we had budgeted for contingency. Anything you can send to help with this would be greatly appreciated. Click on the link below to visit the GoFundMe page or donations can be made out to the M.M.C.C.H.S. and sent to P.O.Box. 2166 Ramona, California 92065.

Yesterday was an amazing day, although I was not up in Alaska for the move, we had the owner, the loader, and a photographer up there to capture the event and to get the Cuyamaca ready for shipment down to California. If all goes to plan, the car should be in the San Diego by the 20th of March. I really can’t say how much I thank you all of you who have helped with this project. There is still a lot to do. Just getting to this step was quite a challenge and I am glad everything worked out the way it has. We would again like to thank the Anchorage Historical Properties group for the donation of this car, I can guarantee that this car will be taken care of down here in San Diego. Below are a few photos of the Cuyamaca yesterday, being loaded onto the truck. Signing off for now — Madison Kirkman

The car that has been awaiting to move since last October is almost ready, and almost have all the quotes aligned to have the car move as soon as the last bit of work is ready.  I would personally like to thank Mr. Jong of San Diego for donating a gracious donation of $2500 to the cause.  Once the car is moving we will post more photos on here of and after the move.  Again, thank you to all of you who have donated and supported this project along the way.

Here is a rendering that I made of what the Cuyamaca may one day look like.  This is not based on any paint samplings or historic material on the car, but instead only off of photos and the historical analysis preformed by the Nevada State Railroad Museum.

From all of us here at the M.M.C.C.H.S., we wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!