Known Railroad Cars built by the Carter Brothers
Many of us have debated how many (and what) cars the Carter’s built over the years. I have started a list of references, rumors and on rare occasions facts. From it I plan on developing the best (incomplete) production list by year and type. I am looking for any help you can give...
At this point the list contains more questions than answers. It begins with a body of more or less “hard” references to Carter built cars. Hard references include newspaper reports, (most frequently in the Oakland Trib under “Newark Items”) but also including reports from customers end, well researched rosters of a railroad’s equipment, and the occasional random paper survival such as specification sheets and invoices. At the end of the “Known...” list are a series of less certain or so far undated orders.
Throughout the list are cars described as being in production in various newpaper articles, (example Jan 22, 1884, “box cars for Mexico”) but we don’t know for whom, or how many, so more information is needed. Also, some of the cars are probably listed twice (or more) as the newspapers would list an order recieved, the work in progress and later the shipment of the car, while the same order may appear in another publication, or we may hold an invoice.... And I have noted occasional problems with the name listed... (for example, I suspect that the “Sept 13, 1882, (Oakland Trib) Goodall & Perkins” cars are being purchased for the Pacific Coast RR.)
I am asking for the following (or as much as you can find for any reference); Date, purchaser, car type and count, and the source... (I am willing to accept rumor, or ???) As I receive information I will update the list and redistribute the results. And, we are primaraly after the original owner, but will gather info on later owners as a way to locate the orginal purchaser.
On to the List
June-Oct, 1874, Montery & Salinas Valley
40 Flatcars, 8 Boxcars & 2 combines, 2 handcars (all to Nevada Central in 1878)
starting July 1874, active in Saucilto for NPC
1875, Santa Cruz and Felton
24 flat car kits (24’ 8 ton cars) (I assume 30 kits total when you take
the boxcars into account)
6 boxcars (24’ 8 ton cars, built on flatcar frames by railroad)
2 passenger cars, one first class, one second class (one later sold to A&MR?)
Aug. 1875, Nevada County Narrow Gauge (built in San Francisco?)(from Best)
7, 8-ton flatcars
15, 8-ton Box cars
Nov 6 1875, contract with Santa Clara Valley for delivery by December 23 for:
2 first class passenger cars
2 baggage cars
10 boxcars
10 flatcars
1 hand car
2 iron cars
March 1880, Drawing for Pedestal & Journal box (CSRM collection, 538, 327)
1880, Oregonian Railroad thought to be 175 cars
70 10 ton, combination box cars
30 10 ton, regular box cars
70 10 ton flat cars
5 passenger cars
May 30, 1881, build 12 duckbill coaches for SPC (nos. 34-46) (Oakland Trib)
Nov. 12, 1881 The Reno "Gazette" says that ten freight cars have arrived for the Nevada &
Oregon, and part of them have been set up. A passenger car is also nearly
completed. The cars are made at Newark, Alameda county, California. The
company is now arranging for a construction train which will be made as
follows: four flat cars, sleeping accomodations for forty-eight men, dining
car, kitchen, and blacksmith shop. This train will move along one or two
miles each day, as may be necessary. The railroad iron is beginning to
arrive. (Truckee Republican, Saturday, Nov. 12, 1881 -Kyle)
Jan. 23, 1882, building 3 passenger coaches and 3 cabooses for California Southern RR, shipping to San Diego (Oakland Trib)
Feb 19, 1882, have run out several new passenger cars (Oakland Trib)
Feb. 23, 1882, just completed 2 broad gauge passenger cars for the California Southern (Oakland Trib)
April 3, 1882, 4 cabooses for the SPC (44-48) also repainting passenger cars (Oakland Trib)
June 14, 1882, Carter Brothers has an order for 50 freight cars (Oakland Trib)
Aug. 19, 1882, building 50 flats, 5 box cars for SJ&SN (note, they only built 47 flats), just finished 50 flats for San Luis Obisbo and Santa Maria RR (Oakland Trib)
Sept 13, 1882, (Oakland Trib) Goodall & Perkins, 2 first class passenger coaches, one caboose car, ten boxcars, San Jouquin & Sierra Nevada, one caboose, Oregon & ...... Railroad, twenty flats, one caboose, ..... (unreadable)
1882, 3 coaches for Pacific Coast RR (Nos. 101-103)(Best)
1882 35 Flat & ? Box cars for Pacific Coast RR (from Best)
Dec. 1883, 16 standard gauge disconnect trucks, and 1 hand car for Renton Holmes (Port Blakely) (invoice)
Dec 1883, Drawing for “Castings for Kemble (sic? Kimball?) Log trucks for California Redwood Co “ (CSRM collection, 532)
1883, Drawing for Truss rods for narrow gauge turntable (CSRM collection, 535)
Jan 22 1884, Building box cars for Mexico, Flat cars for “parties in San Francisco”, Coaches for SPC (Oakland Trib)
Feb. 4, 1884, building 10 new passenger cars, (Oakland Trib)
February 9, 1884, Mining & Scientific Press, castings for 120 new logging cars being built by Carter Bros. for the California Redwood Co., of Humboldt county at Golden State & Miners foundry.
3-29-84, Oakland Trib, "Newark Items" now building several cars for the S.P.C.R.R. Co. which are a decided improvment on those now in use. They are much wider, and the seats get the benifit, which will give more comfort to passengers. They are also building more logging-cars. They have an order from Kimball Brothers for a caboose
May 26, 1884, “Carter Brothers have a large order of flat cars under construction” (Oakland Trib)
Oct 4, 1884, 2 cars for the Ell River RR (Oakland Trib,)
1884, Drawing for Brake head & shoe, for Elk River RR (CSRM collection, 536)
1884, build coach for SJ&SN (Eddie) (later owners, SPC, NPC, WP&Y)
Jan 1886, Drawing for pedestal & oil box, standard gauge, for logging car (CSRM collection, 535)
May 1887, for Korbel & Sons, 10 22’ x 6’3” flat cars (invoice)
1887, 5 passenger cars for Pacific Coast RR (from Best)
3 coaches (105-107)
1 Baggage (200)
1 Combine (caboose?)(300)
date? 9, single ended horse cars , 5 of which were double deck, owned by Highland Park and Fruitvale RR Co., converted to electric. (Hansen, Early Day Trolleys of the East Bay, p 20)
date? 25, standard gauge cable cars for the Market Street Railway (Hilton, Cable-Cars in America, p207)
Aug. 1889, two passenger cars (nos. 2 & 3 ) Renton Holmes (Port Blakely) (invoice)
1890, 100, 4-wheel 2 1/2 ton beet cars for Pajaro Valley Consolidated (Nos. 1-100
1890, 8, 10-ton flat cars for Pajaro Valley Consolidated (Nos. 101-108)
1890, 5, 10-ton box cars for Pajaro Valley Consolidated (Nos. 201-206)
1890, 2, cabooses, 10 ton, for Pajaro Valley Consolidated
1891, 16, 15-ton flat cars for Pajaro Valley Consolidated (Nos. 109- 124)
1892, 6, standard gauge single truck electric cars, For the East Oakland Street Railroad Co. numbered 1-6, california type, painted yellow trimed with red, two WP 30 motors, K type controlers, Taylor trucks.(Hansen, Early Day Trolleys of the East Bay, p 11)
1892, (April-June) 30 electric narrow gauge strretcars for the Oakland, San Leandro & Haywards Electric Railway. (Hansen, Oakland, San Leandro & Haywards Electric Railway, p 2)
July 22, 1893 Mining & Scientific Press The Metropolitan Railway Co. has received the first four electric-cars of an instalment of ten which the Carter Bros. Car Works of Newark are building. The new cars are of the double-ender pattern,with the front and rear dummy both open and capable of seating eight persons
on each. The cars are much larger than those now in use on the Metropolitan system running from Powell and Eddy streets to the park.
1893, 6 narrow gauge (3'6") single truck electric cars, for the Central Avenue Street Railway Co., Oakland Ca. , numbered 11-16, painted red with gold trim, two WP 30 motors, J type controlers, brill trucks. (Hansen, Early Day Trolleys of the East Bay, p 9)
Dec 1893/January 1894, San Francisco “Powell Street” Cable Cars
July 1894, for the San Francisco and San Mateo Electric Railway, 6 cars, numbered 28-33, single truck electric street cars, California type, Brill 21-E truck, K controller (railroad also recieved funeral car 1st used Aug 27,1894, builder unknown) (RR had express motor #32, may have been built from wrecked car) (Echeverria)
1896, 4 standard gauge single truck electric cars, For the East Oakland Street Railroad Co., two were california type, painted yellow trimed with red, two WP 30 motors, K type controlers, Taylor trucks, the other two were single truck double deck. (Hansen, Early Day Trolleys of the East Bay, p12)
1897, 4 standard gauge single truck electric cars, For the East Oakland Street Railroad Co., two were california type, painted yellow trimed with red, two WP 30 motors, K type controlers, Taylor trucks, the other two were single truck double deck. (Hansen, Early Day Trolleys of the East Bay, p12)
July 1894, for the San Francisco and San Mateo Electric Railway, 4 cars, numbered 34-37, single truck electric street cars, California type, Brill 21-Atruck, K-10 controller (Echeverria)
1895, for the California Railway, Combine (no 11, later to Tonapah & Tidewater) and 2 coaches (Nos 20 & 21) all to Key System, No 21 converted to line car 1201, now at BAERM, (the Key Route,)
1899, West Side Flume & Lumber Co., 80 disconnect trucks (Ferrell)
March 1899, West Side Flume & Lumber Co., 6 24’ 15 ton flats (Ferrell)
Fall 1899, West Side Flume & Lumber Co., 10 24’ 10 ton flats (Ferrell)
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Undated and / or unconfirmed Orders
For Brazil, 35 1st class passenger cars, 1 private car (Bruce MacGregor, South Pacific Coast)
Sonoma Valley RR (owned 2 box, 24 flat, 4 Passenger cars)
Sierra Valley RR
San Gabriel Valley Rapid Transit
Los Angeles & Redondo
Oahu RR
Arcata & Mad River (Shorenson’s car)
Spreckles San Joaquin Valley Standard Gauge (later Santa Fe)
Stewarts Point
NPC passenger cars (late, including car 34)
Central American equipment (Kyle?)
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Copyright Randy Hees, 1996
Changes last made on: Wed Aug 5 20:50:34 1998