Excursion Car 318
Item
Dublin Core
Title
Excursion Car 318
Subject
Excursion Car 318
Format
Railcar
Railcar Item Type Metadata
Location
SPCRR Carbarn
Objectives
Non-historic excursion car for heavy passenger service
Builder / Manufacturer
WSLCo (new, multiple cars) / Northern Queen Inn's Nevada County Traction Co (rebuild)
Build Date
198X?
Ownership / Custodial History
Constructed by Northern Queen Motel using scrap parts
198X
Purchased by Brooks Locomotive Works
2017
Leased to SPCRR between
2017 - 2025
Purchased by SPCRR
February 2025
198X
Purchased by Brooks Locomotive Works
2017
Leased to SPCRR between
2017 - 2025
Purchased by SPCRR
February 2025
Road Number
SPCRR 318
Historical Road Numbers
None
Car Type
Excursion Car
Restoration History
None
Date Acquired
Leased 2017
Acquired 2025
Acquired 2025
Restoration / Conservation Notes
Non-historic
Status
Operable
Online Description
This 36-inch gauge excursion car was constructed in the 1980s by the Northern Queen Motel in Nevada City, California using mechanical components salvaged from multiple West Side Lumber Company flatcars dating from the 1920s. This composite construction approach remains typical of narrow gauge operations seeking to create working equipment from whatever narrow gauge components are available to them.
The car's number, 318, was selected as the next higher unused number in the West Side Lumber Company's recorded serialization sequence, maintaining continuity with the authentic WSLCo equipment from which it was built. This numbering convention honors the car's component heritage and its connection to one of California's most significant narrow gauge logging railroads.
The car passed to a private owner in 2017 and was leased to SPCRR from 2017 through 2025 for passenger excursion service. SPCRR purchased the car outright in February 2025, making it a permanent addition to the museum's operational rolling stock. The car continues to serve in passenger operations, its composite construction representing both the resourcefulness of narrow gauge preservation and the authentic mechanical heritage of California logging railroads.
The car's number, 318, was selected as the next higher unused number in the West Side Lumber Company's recorded serialization sequence, maintaining continuity with the authentic WSLCo equipment from which it was built. This numbering convention honors the car's component heritage and its connection to one of California's most significant narrow gauge logging railroads.
The car passed to a private owner in 2017 and was leased to SPCRR from 2017 through 2025 for passenger excursion service. SPCRR purchased the car outright in February 2025, making it a permanent addition to the museum's operational rolling stock. The car continues to serve in passenger operations, its composite construction representing both the resourcefulness of narrow gauge preservation and the authentic mechanical heritage of California logging railroads.
Class
Operation
Carter Brothers?
No
Collection
Citation
WSLCo (new) / Northern Queen Motel (rebuild)
, “Excursion Car 318,” The Railroad Museum at Ardenwood, accessed October 1, 2026, http://museum.spcrr.org/items/show/32.
