Society for the Preservation of Carter Railroad Resources
Encyclopedia
The Society for the Preservation of Carter Railroad Resources is a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of railroad artifacts created by the Carter Brothers of California. The society operates a museum The Railroad Museum at Ardenwood which is a heritage railroad
located at Ardenwood Historic Farm
Regional Park in Fremont, California
.
The Society's permanent collection consists of 6 flatcar
s, 1 caboose
, 3 combination car
s, 5 boxcar
s, 1 ballast car, a horse drawn street car
, and an assortment of other small cars. In addition, the Society has a 1927 7-ton Plymouth switch locomotive in its collection and a 1972 5-ton Plymouth switch locomotive used for MOW operations.
(the original SPCRR). The Carter Brother's business lasted until 1902 during which time they built over 5,000 railroad cars mainly for narrow gauge lines. They also built cable cars and in later years standard gauge equipment. Their rolling stock was used on railroads all over the western United States, Hawaii, and Latin and South America.
The society's headquarters are in Ardenwood Historic Farm Regional Park, Fremont, California. A one mile (1.6 km)-long track is laid along three sides of the park and the society's collection of Carter Brother's rolling stock is kept here. For most of the year passenger trains are hauled by one of two Belgian draft horse
s. Once a year, the society holds a Rail Fair at which trains are usually hauled by a loaned steam locomotive for the weekend.
Ardenwood Historic Farm Regional Park is 210 acre (0.8498406 km²) farm operated by the East Bay Regional Park District. The outer part of the farm is a modern organic farm and the inner historic core is operated using the farming methods of the 1880s to 1920s.
Heritage railway
thumb|right|the Historical [[Khyber train safari|Khyber Railway]] goes through the [[Khyber Pass]], [[Pakistan]]A heritage railway , preserved railway , tourist railway , or tourist railroad is a railway that is run as a tourist attraction, in some cases by volunteers, and...
located at Ardenwood Historic Farm
Ardenwood Historic Farm
Ardenwood Historic Farm is a Regional Historic Landmark in Fremont, California.-Description:Officially opened to the public on July 28, 1985, the entire park includes a farm, a large forest and a mansion now called the Patterson House which was first constructed in 1857 by the farm's original...
Regional Park in Fremont, California
Fremont, California
Fremont is a city in Alameda County, California. It was incorporated on January 23, 1956, from the merger of five smaller communities: Centerville, Niles, Irvington, Mission San Jose, and Warm Springs...
.
The Society's permanent collection consists of 6 flatcar
Flatcar
A flatcar is a piece of railroad or railway rolling stock that consists of an open, flat deck on four or six wheels or a pair of trucks or bogies . The deck of the car can be wood or steel, and the sides of the deck can include pockets for stakes or tie-down points to secure loads...
s, 1 caboose
Caboose
A caboose is a manned North American rail transport vehicle coupled at the end of a freight train. Although cabooses were once used on nearly every freight train, their use has declined and they are seldom seen on trains, except on locals and smaller railroads.-Function:The caboose provided the...
, 3 combination car
Combine car
A combine car in North American parlance, most often referred to simply as a combine, is a type of railroad car which combines sections for both passengers and freight....
s, 5 boxcar
Boxcar
A boxcar is a railroad car that is enclosed and generally used to carry general freight. The boxcar, while not the simplest freight car design, is probably the most versatile, since it can carry most loads...
s, 1 ballast car, a horse drawn street car
Horsecar
A horsecar or horse-drawn tram is an animal-powered streetcar or tram.These early forms of public transport developed out of industrial haulage routes that had long been in existence, and from the omnibus routes that first ran on public streets in the 1820s, using the newly improved iron or steel...
, and an assortment of other small cars. In addition, the Society has a 1927 7-ton Plymouth switch locomotive in its collection and a 1972 5-ton Plymouth switch locomotive used for MOW operations.
Carter Brothers
Thomas and Martin Carter were Irish immigrants who began making railroad equipment in 1874, mainly building wooden cars for the South Pacific Coast RailroadSouth Pacific Coast Railroad
The South Pacific Coast Railroad was a narrow gauge steam railroad running between Santa Cruz, California and Alameda, with a ferry connection in Alameda to San Francisco. The railroad was created as the Santa Clara Valley Railroad, founded by local strawberry growers as a way to get their crops...
(the original SPCRR). The Carter Brother's business lasted until 1902 during which time they built over 5,000 railroad cars mainly for narrow gauge lines. They also built cable cars and in later years standard gauge equipment. Their rolling stock was used on railroads all over the western United States, Hawaii, and Latin and South America.
Ardenwood Historic Farm Regional Park
Draft horse
A draft horse , draught horse or dray horse , less often called a work horse or heavy horse, is a large horse bred for hard, heavy tasks such as ploughing and farm labour...
s. Once a year, the society holds a Rail Fair at which trains are usually hauled by a loaned steam locomotive for the weekend.
Ardenwood Historic Farm Regional Park is 210 acre (0.8498406 km²) farm operated by the East Bay Regional Park District. The outer part of the farm is a modern organic farm and the inner historic core is operated using the farming methods of the 1880s to 1920s.