#12 Passenger Car
Facts
Built |
1874 |
By |
J. G. Brill Mfg. |
Length | 47' |
Cost |
$1,500 |
Status |
Nevada State Railroad Museum, Carson City |
History
1874 | Built by J. G. Brill Mfg. of Philadelphia as #11. |
February 1874 | Arrived to Virginia & Truckee. |
1938 | Sold to Paramount for $500 and used in the movie Union Pacific. |
1971 | Back in Carson City. |
Today | In Nevada State Railroad Museum. |
Comments
February 1874
Four new passenger cars arrive from the east
(Brill coaches 11 & 12, Oxford Mail & Baggage 13
and Express 14).
The exterior of one of the coaches is painted a light
green, the other a shade darker.
Forgot that a primary reason that the V&T began buying rolling stock from the
east was the economic depression which swept the east in 1870's.
The Brill passenger cars were built on speculation by Brill which was
actually a horse car manufacturer and the V&T got a "bargain."
Incidentally, close
inspection reveals construction differences between the two cars.
Oxford Car Works
gave the V&T a real deal on baggage and baggage mail cars
13 and 14 and also on
the flat cars because they were trying to avoid closing by
meeting expenses
and keeping their shop crews gainfully employed.
August 7 1889 Nevada State Journal (Reno)
Passenger cars 11 and 12, of the V.& T. were built by J. G. Brill &Co., Philadelphia
in 1851.
With the exception of scow top, low roof and poor ventilation they
are still first-class.
Debra Brill in her new book on
"History of the J.G. Brill Company"
says that the
company wasn't founded until 1868.
Brill and his son worked for Murphy
& Allison, a car builder, up to that time.
Too bad she didn't cover these cars in more detail in the book.
John White in his big book on
passenger cars noted that the 11 & 12's
windows appear small for
being built in the 1870's.
The clerestory overhang is similar to the
Pennsylvania class BP coach
which was first built in 1867, a year
prior to the start of Brill and Sons.
One thing for certain is that
they are most likely the oldest Brill cars in existence.
Source of information: Charlie Siebenthal, Mike Collins, Dale Darney.