The Railroad Museum at Ardenwood

Southern Pacific 1010

Item

Dublin Core

Title

Southern Pacific 1010

Subject

Southern Pacific 1010

Format

Railcar

Railcar Item Type Metadata

Location

SPCRR Carbarn

Objectives

Restore to 1904 condition

Physical Dimensions

28' Length

Builder / Manufacturer

San Joaquin & Sierra Nevada RR

Build Date

1882

Ownership / Custodial History

Built by SJSNRR
    1992
Renumbered Northern Railway # 1010 as part of SJSN sale
    1888
Leased to and transferred to the SP owned SPC as Car # 1010
    1904
Leased to Nevada & California RR 
    190X
Sold to NCRR and renumbered #16
    July 17, 1907
NCRR becomes Central Pacfic RR
    March 1, 1912
Retired and used as crew shed in Mina, NV
    December 23, 1913
Sold to ??? as sheepherder's cabin near Mina, NV
    19XX
Sold to Carl Kubler of Pullen's Antiques Wadsworth, NV
    1960
Sold to Richard Datin
    August 19, 1966
Solid to Laws RR Museum
    March 14, 1969
Sold to SPCRR
    October 7, 1990

Road Number

Southern Pacific Railroad 1010

Historical Road Numbers

SJSN 2?
    (1882)
NR 1010
    (1888)
SPC 1010
    (1904)
NC 16
    (1907)
CP 16?
    (1912)

Car Type

Combine

Capacity

~20 passengers

Dimensions

28'

Restoration History

Repaired by V&T shop in Carson City, NV. Restored as SP combine # 1010 as it appeared in 1904 during it's operation on the SPC 1904-1905. In storage on substitute trucks awaiting restoration.

Date Acquired

October 7, 1990

Restoration / Conservation Notes

In active restoration - external finish and maintenance on trucks

Status

Under restoration

Online Description

Originally constructed in 1882 by the San Joaquin & Sierra Nevada Railroad in their Woodbridge, California shops as a full passenger coach (possibly numbered #2), this 36-inch gauge car cost approximately $1,425.00 to build, though one source suggests $2,250.00. It was later converted to a combination baggage and passenger car at the SP facility in Lodi, California at an unknown date. When Southern Pacific acquired the SJ&SN on May 15, 1888, the car became Northern Railway #1010.

A major operational change occurred on August 31, 1904 when the narrow gauge was replaced with standard gauge on the Northern Railway. The car was then leased and transferred to the SP-owned South Pacific Coast as car #1010, necessitating its movement from San Jose to Mound House, Nevada. The transfer involved mounting the car on standard gauge trucks along with another car, while a flatcar carried both sets of narrow gauge trucks. During this transit, the car was wrecked on the Virginia & Truckee Railroad in Reno, Nevada on January 4, 1905. Following repairs at the V&T shop in Carson City, Nevada, the car continued its Nevada service.

The car operated on lease from SP to the Nevada & California Railroad until ownership was officially transferred to the SP-owned N&C on July 17, 1907, when it was renumbered as #16 (first car to carry this number). N&C ownership transferred to the Central Pacific Railway on March 1, 1912. The car was declared "worn out" on October 23, 1913 and officially retired on December 23, 1913, with a retirement valuation of $1,000.00.

The carbody entered a 77-year secondary life, first serving as a crew shed in "car town" at Mina, Nevada from 1913 to 19*X*. Following SP ownership, the carbody was sold to various SP employees over time, with the last employee owner and occupant being a conductor. The structure was then sold for use as a sheepherder's cabin near Mina, Nevada in 19*X*, followed by purchase by an antiques dealer in Wadsworth, Nevada in 1960 (though it was not moved from Mina). A railroad preservationist acquired the carbody on August 19, 1966, and it was moved to storage at Laws Railroad Museum in Laws, California on March 14, 1969.

SPCRR purchased the car in 1990, and it arrived at Ardenwood on October 7, 1990. A complete restoration was undertaken to represent the car's appearance as SP combine #1010 during its 1904-1905 operation on the South Pacific Coast. The restored car was displayed and operated at the prestigious Railfair 1999 event at the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento during June 1999. After being stored outdoors for many years after Railfair, weather began to deteriorate the car. Once stored inside at our car barn, it became a prime candidate for restoration. The car is now under active restoration and is on substitute trucks.

* Unknown date information, closest confident date range used.
[] Needs further research or citation

Class

Collection

SPC No

1010

Carter Brothers?

No

Collection

Citation

San Joaquin & Sierra Nevada Railroad, “Southern Pacific 1010,” The Railroad Museum at Ardenwood, accessed October 1, 2026, http://museum.spcrr.org/items/show/27.