Ron, I am still wondering about the flat car because it is lettered #01283 in photos and your plan published in your RGS Modeling Guide V 2.1. I would think this was counted in the MOW car count. I know you have some documentation that shows number 1283 but your list description was “coal” car not flat. BTW there is a good photo available of this car that does show the toolbox end when used with the #030 ditcher available from the California State RR Museum (Darrell collection) negative # 5062.
Grant, in Ron’s RGS Modrlers Guide book on p. 26 he lists 10 ex C & S boxcars (including 8607) that were retained by the RGS MOW department. I suspect many of these made it to the end of operations (and beyond) some converted to flats by the scrapper.
I find it hard to believe that Victor Miller for all he did for the RGS and being a very astute businessman and lawyer would not have had some type of formal contract regarding use of his cars, especially after he was booted in late 1938. The fact that the “Property of Victor Miller” plates were not removed by the RGS and they don’t account for them in the equipment register adds fuel to his continued ownership. It would be interesting to see the contract that the Defense Supplies Corporation used to purchase the RGS equipment in 1942. Since the Feds purchased all the RGS equipment there should have been an itemized list of the equipment assets. Government agencies are usually pretty anal about their paper trails so this might shed some light on who owned the cars at that point in time. Bottom line, I don’t think Victor Miller just “gave” the RGS narrow gauge cars out of the kindness of his heart. Maybe his wife got them as “alimony”.
