Buffalo Bob's post raises some interesting questions.
To clarify C&S 8311's history, It was purchased from the WP&Y by Marcus Rail (Dan Quiat) in 1987 and brought to Central City along with the other car now in Breckenridge (C&S 8323). When purchased from the White Pass, it was a flatcar. The cars were leased to the Central City operation which built rider car bodies on them and used then to haul passengers. After that Central City operation folded in 1990, the cars were moved to Uhrich Locomotive Works in Strasburg, Colorado for storage. In 1996, Marcus Rail (Dan Quiat) paid Uhrich to build new boxcar bodies on the flatcar frames (both cars had originally been boxcars on the C&S, the White Pass cut them down to flatcars). Both cars initially went to Breckenridge (8311 did run on the Georgetown Loop for a bit in 1997 if I remember right) and in 1998, Marcus Rail/Dan Quiat sold 8311 to the Forest Service for display at the summit of Boreas Pass and the car was moved from Breckenridge on July 21, 1998.
As an interesting side note, Marcus Rail/Dan Quiat bought the two cars, along with the rotary snowplow now in Breckenridge, as a preliminary step in a plan to rebuild the line over Boreas, from Como to Breckenridge as a tourist railroad. To me it would seem a bit of a symbolic victory at least for Dan that one of the cars is now on rail in Como while the other (and the rotary) are on rail on the original right of way in Breckenridge.
A quick interlude to stop any ridiculous speculation before it even gets started, Neither the SPRS, DSP&PHS nor anyone else involved with the Como project is even thinking about thinking about building track over Boreas and/or creating another tourist railroad. The Como project is about rebuilding what was once in Como in an historically accurate manner and presenting visitors with an accurate window into the past, not a modern interpretation of the past and certainly not a modern tourist railroad and all of the infrastructure and changes that would be required to support it. (anyone who has even a passing acquaintance with what it would take to support a railroad over Boreas Pass in terms of wear and tear on equipment, track maintenance etc and the ridership numbers that would have to be generated to create the financial resources to cover said expenses can understand why this is neither feasible nor desirable). Not happening, no way no how, not why we started the Como project and not what anyone wants it to become. End of discussion.
Anyway, back to the topic at hand; is C&S 8311 really C&S 8311? As far as I know, the answer is, no one really knows. When the car was rebuilt, the number was a best guess based on what information Dan Quiat could find at the time. He felt reasonably positive about the number, but not absolutely sure. Would be neat to know for sure, but I doubt the White Pass kept track of the original C&S numbers of the cars they cutdown into flatcars. Are there any other differences between the 1909 and 1910 frames? (I can look closer at the car next time and see what there is to see if I know what I am looking for) Also, is there a difference in the bodies? As far as I know, the body on 8311 was built from original C&S plans for the 1910 cars.
Jason Midyette
