NNG - CRRM - Do You Know This Handcar?

(Photo shamelessly ripped from Ebay; listing is here)

Recently at CRRM we've been trying to piece back together something of a puzzle. In 2017, we started to notice that scattered around the grounds (squirreled away in random sheds/boxcars) were parts for a handcar. Over the years, we gathered whatever parts we found in the shop; wheels, a drive gear, the cast rocker arm, a complete frame (brand new with no holes drilled in it or identifying marks), and the rest. As of Jan 2022, the car is *almost* complete and well on its way to restoration. We just have one problem...

Because we've pieced this car back together from bits, and it has no identifying marks besides the manufacturer (it's a Buda #1 as far as we can tell), we're not sure where it came from. This slide is the only photo we can find of the car, and the museum's library has no record of museum equipment rosters from that point in history. Slide decks from the library have also yielded no clues.

Does anyone know anything about this car? Maybe have a picture of it? It was on display at the museum in the 70s, and presumably disassembled for repairs to the frame sometime in the late 70s/early 80s. Because we found a brand new frame for it in an abandoned shed (it had been flipped over and used as a table for painting), we assumed there was an effort to restore the car in the past that never came together, and ultimately saw the parts being scattered to the wind. While the car will make a great addition to the museum in the future regardless of its prominence, it'd be great if we could learn more about it; where it came from, what its life was like, and maybe even how to paint it properly

- Brett W