The Laws (CA) Railroad Museum is in the finishing stages of construction of a barn to house the old piece of history in splendor and protection. The railroad museum, a small but popular stop for railfans, expects to complete the car barn in about two months.

The motor car, manufactured by Brill, was originally purchased by the Death Valley Railroad, which operated between January 1914 and March 1931.

The Death Valley Railroad operated between Death Valley Junction,CA and it's borax mines at two locations over the years west in the Funeral Range that border Death Valley. The final terminus in later years was at the town of Ryan, located near the ghost town of Greenwater.

By 1928, the parent company of the Death Valley Railroad, Pacific Coast Borax, was moving primary borax mining operations to a new and more accessible location in the Mojave Desert north of Los Angeles. But tourism was beginning to boom in the Death Valley region, and many adventurous tourists were coming to see the wonders of Death Valley, a region that instilled fear in their parents and grandparents. The Pacific Coast Borax Company began to build tourists facilities at Furnace Creek and at Ryan, all of which are still in use today. To serve those facilities, the company utilized the already existing Death Valley Railroad and its Tonopah & Tidewater Railroads.

In 1928, the Death Valley Railroad ordered a motor car to fill transportation needs. The motor car is a Brill Model 55, which was a popular model of rail motor car at the time. It is 42� feet long and 10' 4" high and is of wood and steel construction. A Midwest Model 3994-cylinder gasoline engine rated at 71.3 horsepower and 248.2 foot pounds of torque powered the car. Its top speed was limited to 35mph.

The motor car served the tourist trade between Death Valley Junction and Ryan until the end of operations on the Death Valley Railroad. It also was used to haul supplies and mail between the two sites.

After abandonment of the railroad, the Pacific Coast Borax Company shipped all of the locomotives and the motor car to Carlsbad, New Mexico, where they were put into use by their affiliate, US Potash. The motor car remained until the early 1960's, where it was given to Inyo County by the company,and placed at the Laws museum.

The motor car has been undergoing a continuous restoration over the past decade and has often been completely sheathed in plastic tarps. It has been re-roofed, the interior and exterior refurbished and repainted.There have been new window frames, sashes and glass installed. Future projects include reupholstering the seats,overhauling the trucks, engine and driveline, and other minor details. The museum would like to see the motor car placed into operable condition.

The new car barn at Laws measures 40'x60' and is 20' high. It will have two large doors to allow the car and other railroad rolling stock to enter and exit. Tracks are being put in to facilitate this and for display. Much of the ties and rails are being obtained from those being salvaged from the old Lone Pine Branch of the Southern Pacific Railroad,located about 75 miles south of Laws and has been chronicled elsewhere on this news page.

The Laws Railroad Museum is still seeking financial help with the project, and has an "Adopt-A-Tie" program. For further information on the motor car, garage construction or any other railroad history related item, call the Laws Railroad Museum at [760]873-5950.

Reference Sources:
Inyo Register (Bishop, CA), January 28, 1999;

Railroads of Nevada & Eastern California, Vol. 2 by David F. Myrick;

United States Department of the Interior Heritage and Conservation and Recreation Service National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination Form, November 1978 (w/data supplied by the Laws Museum)