The vehicle is called a hand car. There are many different variations in the general design. I'm not aware of any surviving drawings for the specific one shown in the 1869 Union Pacific photo, but there are plenty of other drawings for hand cars available. The California State Railroad Museum Library has copies of some. Also there were drawings published in the various Car Builders' Dictionaries over the years.
Its generally called a pump car, but also known as a hand car or a section car. A common nick name was the Irish Mail, for common Irish track workers.
The California State Railroad Museum library has plans for a Southern Pacific narrow gauge version. Some old catalogs survive, both in libraries, but also reprinted.
A number of railroad museums have them. Some are occasionally used for public rides. In the San Francisco Bay area the Society for the Preservation (Fremont, CA) uses its narrow gauge car regularly. We recently sold our standard gauge car to a volunteer group which intends to use it at El Portal at the entrance of Yosemite National Park.
The California State Railroad Museum has hosted hand car races using specially built steel cars.
From: kylewyatt@aol.com
ReplyDeleteThe vehicle is called a hand car. There are many different variations in the general design. I'm not aware of any surviving drawings for the specific one shown in the 1869 Union Pacific photo, but there are plenty of other drawings for hand cars available. The California State Railroad Museum Library has copies of some. Also there were drawings published in the various Car Builders' Dictionaries over the years.
—Kyle Wyatt
From: "Randy Hees" hees@astound.net
ReplyDeleteDate: April 23, 2008 10:11:01 PM EDT
Its generally called a pump car, but also known as a hand car or a section car. A common nick name was the Irish Mail, for common Irish track workers.
The California State Railroad Museum library has plans for a Southern Pacific narrow gauge version. Some old catalogs survive, both in libraries, but also reprinted.
A number of railroad museums have them. Some are occasionally used for public rides. In the San Francisco Bay area the Society for the Preservation (Fremont, CA) uses its narrow gauge car regularly. We recently sold our standard gauge car to a volunteer group which intends to use it at El Portal at the entrance of Yosemite National Park.
The California State Railroad Museum has hosted hand car races using specially built steel cars.
—Randy Hees
From: "Bill Anderson" bill@fedshra.org
ReplyDeletePlease visit our website, www.fedshra.org.
We may have information that you seek.
—Bill Anderson, FEDSHRA
See, Folsom Handcar Derby Races.