Re: Years of friendship

JP,
Thanks for posting these pictures.
A brief summary:
David Moffat's private car the "Marcia" was built by Pullman in 1906. Retired by the D&RGW in 1952 it was donated to the city of Craig Colorado the furthest west point reached by Moffat's Denver Northwestern and Pacific. That RR was re-organized as the Denver & Salt Lake and was eventually absorbed by the D&RGW.

In December of 1986 a fire started in a space heater the Chamber of Commerce was using to keep the car warm in the winter. The fire was discovered just as it was beginning to break through the roof. Very quick action by the volunteer fire department saved the car from complete destruction. The car was severely damaged above shoulder height but was remarkably undamaged from there down to the floor except for the burns and water damage to the carpet.

It took 3 years to restore the car and the job was finished on October 6, 1989 one week before i started as CMO at the Cumbres & Toltec.
Fred Oster who had helped me do the cosmetic restoration of D&RGW locomotive #168 and M&PP locomotive #2 helped me for the first two summers. JP helped me in 1989 and did a substantial amount of work that last summer helping bring the project to completion. We did manage to take one day off and using his Toyota Land Cruiser visible in the first picture we explored the Uintah, a railroad that is actually more believable before you see it than afterwards.

An article written by Tom Lell provides a more complete account of the restoration. It can be found in "Locomotive & Railway Preservation" issue #30 January-Ferbruary 1991.


John Bush