The San Bernardino History and Railroad Museum is located in the historic 1918 San Bernardino Depot. The museum highlights the history of San Bernardino, California, and the railroad that built the region. The museum includes a display of railroad handcars and motorcars.
Handcars began being used by the railroads in the 1860s. Initially, the railroads built their own handcars, but by the 1880s, commercial handcars were being built by several companies. Typically, a handcar would weigh 500 to 600 pounds and could be handled by two men.
Handcars were used primarily by section gangs for maintaining sections of track that could be 4-5 miles long on the mainline and 10-12 miles long on the branch lines.
By 1910, the use of handcars was being replaced by motorcars which were faster and easier to use.
Handcars
Shown above is a four-wheeled handcar which was in use from the 1880s to the early 1920s.
Another view of the handcar.
Another view of the handcar.
Shown above is the Velocipede, a three-wheeled handcar invented by George S. Sheffield in 1877. It weighs 140 pounds and is propelled with a combination of hand and foot power. Over 4,000 of these were built.
Another view of the Velocipede.
Motorcars
Shown above is an M-19 Motorcar built in 1948 by the Fairmont Railway Motors of Fairmont, Minnesota.
According to the Museum display:
“Each motorcar weighs 625 pounds and can be lifted on or off the track by one man, using the lift bars. Motorcars such as these were utilized primarily for track, bridge and right of way inspection, and by railroad signalmen and linemen.”
Fairmont Railway Motors began as the Fairmont Machine Company in the earlier 1900s. Everything changed for the company when the idea of putting on engine on a railroad handcar was proposed. In 1923, the company changed its name to Fairmont Railway Motors. In 1928, the company bought the railway motorcar business of Mudge and Company in Chicago.
Another view of the M-19 Motorcar.
Another view of the M-19 Motorcar.
Shown above is a Mudge Inspection Car.
Another view of the Mudge Inspection Car.
An early motorcar.
