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Oregon-Washingtom Railroad & Navigation Business
Car #184
Two-and-a-half years from the original announcement, a historic railcar
has become part of the static displays of the Edward Peterman Museum
of Railroad History at the Santa Clara Depot. The car is a former business
car from Union Pacific heritage railroads. It was built in December 1912
by the Pullman Car & Manufacturing Company as Cafe Parlor Observation
car No. 496 for the Oregon-Washington Railroad & Navigation (OWR&N)
Company. The car is on loan from Ralph Domenici.
The car is 9-feet, 10-inches wide and measures 83-feet, 8-inches over
the buffers. The car rides on six-axle trucks. A three-foot observation
platform rounds out the car.
 Since 2002, the car has been stored at the
Port of Redwood City, along with a number of other private cars of historic
significance. Over the past seven-plus years, Domenici and several supporting
persons have slowly worked to restore the car to its appearance after
the OWR&N had converted the car to a business
car, No. 184, in 1922. This included painting the car’s exterior
Pullman green, the truck side frames, underside and roof in black, and
adding gold lettering on the car’s letter board above the windows,
as well as the car numbers on either side.
 The
railcar arrived at the Santa Clara Depot on Friday afternoon, 26 June
2009 following an all-day effort. Heavy lifting equipment and a professional
crew from Taylor
Heavy Hauling in Sacramento arrived at the Port of Redwood City around
9 a.m. and began the task of loading the car onto a heavy lifting truck
with bogiewheels at the rear to support the car. With pilot vehicles
guiding the way down El Camino Real, the car was moved to the Santa
Clara Depot which took about an hour and 45 minutes. After
the crew backed into the south parking lot of the Santa Clara Depot and
had a dinner break, work started placing the car on the siding adjacent
to the depot. The car was in place by 5:00am on Saturday, just in time
for the start of the daily Caltrain commute.
 Now that it is in place adjacent to the freight dock of the depot, further
restoration work — specifically the interior — will be undertaken
by members of the SBHRS. This work includes restoration and paneling
of the walls, restoration of several cabinets, and the installation of
carpeting. In addition, installations for electrical, plumbing and possibly
air conditioning must be completed, as well as the acquisition of appropriate
furniture. Dinnerware, flatware and glassware also must be purchased
or acquired by donation for display and use in the car. Once the interior
is completed, it is planned to rent the car for on-board events, including
catered dinners in the dining area, and cocktail parties in the observation
lounge.
It is estimated that at least two years will be required to restore
the car’s
interior. The primary goal is to have the car completed by 2012, in time
to celebrate the its 100th anniversary.
OWRN Business Car No. 184 History
- December 1912 — Pullman Company delivers Cafe
Parlor Observation Car No. 496 to the Oregon-Washington Railroad & Navigation
(OWR&N) Company.
- December 1915 — Car continues as
a OWR&N
Cafe Parlor Observation Car No. 1589.
- December 1922 — Car is rebuilt as
OWR&N
Business Car No. 184.
- October 1932 — Car is sold to the
Oregon Shortline (OSL) Railroad, which continues to operate it as a
business car (No. 157).
- Mid-World War II — Union Pacific
Railroad, which had acquired the OSL, loaned the car to the American
Red Cross for service in the acquisition of blood donations for American
servicemen.
- October 1953 — Car number changed
to No. 124.
- September 1965 — UP changed the
Car number to 125 (1st).
- July 1966 — UP sold car to Stockton
Terminal and Eastern Railroad. Later (date unknown) car was donated
to the Golden Gate Railroad Museum at Hunters Point.
- 2002 — Ralph Domenici acquires car
from GGRM and begins the restoration of the car.
- June 2009 — Restored exteriorly
to OWR&N
Business Car No. 184, the car is placed on loan by Domenici to the
South Bay Historical Railroad Society at historic Santa Clara Depot.
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