The town of Silverton, Colorado was surrounded by mines and connected to them by a number of narrow gauge railroads. The Sunnyside mine had some talented craftsmen who built a rail bus for use as an ambulance to haul injured miners from the mine to the hospital in Silverton.
They did this in 1922 using the chassis of a 1915 Cadillac touring automobile. Their work is still in use as the rail bus recently toured the rails of the historic Durango and Silverton railroad.
The rail bus is known as the Casey Jones and is now under the care of the Historical Society in Silverton. It was a treat to see it on the rails and operating.
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| The steering wheel is not needed on a rail car as it follows the tracks. It is actually the brake and is turned to stop the vehicle |
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| A 1915 Cadillac V8 engine |
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| There are cups adjacent to the spark plugs that are opened and filled with a small amount of gasoline before the first start of the day. This was to prime a cold engine. |
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| The fuel tank is located just above the windshield and is gravity fed. |
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| Filling the fuel tank |
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| Watching the steam train go by |
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| Posed on the Horseshoe curve on the High Line |
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| Coolant was checked and topped off as needed |
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| When not on the rails it is transported by a flat bed semi. |
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| It is stored in this engine house in Silverton, Colorado. Notice the stub switch and the Harp switch stand |
What an amazing repurposed vehicle! I'm so happy it was preserved and that you saw it in action. The motor is 100 years old!
ReplyDeleteI bet that a real treat for you to see it being used. I love that last picture of it in storage.
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