Officially Built 2/13/1909 with 3 sisters, T-14, T-18, T-20. I estimate the original cost to the Southern Pacific to be around $2400 each. The Car was built of the standard pattern, with a Railway Post Office in one end, and Baggage in the other. The car weighed around 27225Lbs, was built with the upgraded twin truck design, as opposed to the Bobber Style Rigid 2 axle truck design of earlier cars.

Southern Pacific a few years after purchase decided to put Silverleaf Numbers on the end of the car. These numbers have survived to today on the car.

No known photos survive of T-16 on the Southern Pacific, at least none where we can read the lettering to confirm it’s #16.

The car was restored by the Sacramento Shops around 1927 and sold to San Francisco, Napa & Calistoga Railway, to become car #55, but appears to have never been numbered or lettered. The car would be considered scrap in 1938 when the railroad decided to close.

The Car body was cut from the frame, and sold to a Wyatt Ensminger in St. Helena to be used as a shed. There is sat at 963 Pope Street, St. Helena until we received an email that the car was available if we were to move it. We agreed to take the car, and on February 5th, 6th, and 7th 2025, we lifted the car, built a wood frame inside, and lifted the car onto a trailer to transport to Ramona, Ca.

Please support the Transportation, Stabilization, and Study of this car here.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/rescue-a-southern-pacific-rr-mckeen-railcar

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