(An unofficial mirrored version of information removed from the official Golden Spike Chapter R&LHS web site; pages removed after August 2013; recovered via Archive.org's Wayback Machine.)
U.S. ARMY HOSPITAL CAR
This car is example of the type of car used to move wounded by rail once they arrived back from overseas. It was basically a hospital ward on wheels and could provide all needed services. This particular car was rescued from the back lot of the Smith & Edwards Surplus Store in Willard, Utah, Sept 2001. It has been restored by the Golden Spike Chapter of the Railway & Locomotive Historical Society to what it would have looked like during WWII. An access ramp and signage has been added so museum visitors can tour inside the car.
UNION PACIFIC #5819 POSTAL MAIL STORAGE CAR
U.P .#5819 is an example of the type of car pulled in passenger trains that served the Post Office. When the U.S. Mail moved by rail, the car contained a complete post office, and the mail was sorted in route. Mail could be picked up or dropped off while the train was at speed. The American Car & Foundry Co. built the car in September 1949. It was originality painted in the U .P. passenger colors of Armour Yellow and Harbor Mist Gray and did service on the Oregon Short Line to deliver mail through southern Idaho. It was moved to maintenance of way service in the 1960's when the railroads lost the mail contracts to the airlines and trucking. It was repainted into maintenance of way Green and renumbered. It has now been restored by the museum to the original yellow and gray livery with original number.
Below is a photo of 5819 when in service.....photo from the Joe Shine collection
UNION PACIFIC CHAIR CAR
This car was built in 1942 as a coach and reworked in 1969 as the "GOLDEN SPIKE CENTENNIAL EXPO " car for use with the Golden Spike Centennial celebration. It still has the 1969 paint job even though it is faded. It also unusual in that it still has the original as build trucks. The car contains custom built display cases from the Expo.
MOON GLOW
The Moon Glow is probably the most historic piece of equipment in the collection. It is the last remaining car of the 4 car General Motors demonstration Train of Tomorrow built in the late 1940's. The train toured the U.S. during 1947 stopping in Ogden in November of that year. Union Pacific bought the trainset including the E7 locomotive and ran it first as a section of the City of Los Angeles then it was transferred to the Northwest doing service between Seattle and Portland. The cars were eventually scrapped with the Moon Glow ending up in a scrap yard in Pocatello, Idaho. It was recognized for its historic value by a member of the NRHS who was passing through Pocatello. The Promontory Chapter of the NRHS was able to obtain the car through a donation by the scrap yard owner and in turn donated it to the Utah State Railroad Museum. Efforts have been made over the years to restore it but lack of funds have halted work. For some time it was being kept in a protective building at the BDO but the building was torn down to make room for another business. It now sits in open air exposed to the elements with no current plans for restoration, though some avenues are being explored.
U.S.A.F. TARGET/BAGGAGE CAR
Originally a Baltimore and Ohio baggage car. it was converted for use as a scoring crew support car for the Strategic Air Command (SAC). The scoring crew evaluated the performance of the B-52 bombing crew as they "bombed" the target car .It was once filled with electronic monitoring equipment.
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