Car 57’s numbers and history
(Newsletter download below)
We now know the following information on our cars history….
- Our car was ordered in 1887 by Gen Grenville .M. Dodge, this is the same man that engineered the Union Pacific through Cheyenne.
- For his current project, the construction of the Denver, Texas and Fort Worth Railroad he as chief engineer placed orders for all the locomotives and rolling stock for the railroad, 12 engines, 1 baggage car, 75 stock cars, 38 box cars, 160 coal cars, 4 passenger cars, 1 mail car, and 20 refrigerated cars.
- Amongst the 4 passenger cars is ours. It was to be the first car built, DT&FW No. 45 costing $6,000.
- In 1890 it became Union Pacific Denver and Gulf number 371, then in 1899 became Colorado and Southern 57.
- Renumbering again took place in January 1907 when it emerged from overhaul as C&S no 513.
- In late 1927 it was retired from passenger service and converted to company service as a bunk car and renumbered C&S 99924.
- It was at this point that the windows were removed, all interior fittings scrapped and the interior painted for the first of 9 or 10 times! It was retired as a traveling bunk car in March 1943 and listed as scrapped at Denver.
- The car somehow made a final journey to Cheyenne and was placed on the ground at the C&S roundhouse here and used as crew layover facilities until 1954.
- Purchased from the C&S by Joseph Tamayo an employee and moved to Carlin avenue, it became a family home until 2008.
