I just watched a 5-part series of videos on You Tube called the Time Train with several cars being restored from the 1860s to 1960.

The Isle of Wight Railroad wood car was built in 1864. It spent the last several decades as a back yard summer cottage.

My question is what is the oldest passenger car in the USA that a passenger can ride in?

I am not including static displays at the B&O Railroad Museum or the Museum of Transportation at St Louis.

Ted Miles, retired but still interested in passenger cars

I can't say this is for certain, and the car is presently out of service for eventual restoration, but my candidate for the car that was the oldest you could ride in--or at least was the oldest I've ever ridden in--would be East Broad Top's coach No. 8. I understand it was built for the Boston, Revere Beach & Lynn in 1882, and was purchased second hand by the EBT around 1916 or so. It was still in use until the railroad was closed as a tourist attraction about 12 years ago.

Its restoration is badly needed; the car had a sag and a leaking roof the last time I rode it. It was undoubtedly quite fragile at the time; hopefully its restoration will make it more roadworthy for special trips.

Other cars of comparable age, or even older, might be on the Cumbres & Toltec. I do understand they have an old car--a sleeper?--that still has pressed paper wheels! This was a type of composite wheel that could give a better ride, but could fall apart under the heavier loads and higher speeds of the 20th century.

Someone else might be able to flesh this out or even correct things that I know are probably wrong.

Virginia and Truckee coach 8 is used, primarily on the annual Santa Trains in December, at the Nevada State Railroad Museum in Carson City. The car was built in the V & T shops in 1869. After being retired from passenger service the car was put into maintenance of way duties. The car was sold to MGM studios in 1947 and sent to Hollywood. When the Nevada State Railroad Museum opened they were able to acquire the car.

An interesting bit of history regarding V&T #8 that Kohler spoke of is that the car has never not been on rail. It has always been in one service or another. A respectable percentage is day one fabric, and the majority of the car is of V&T heritage.

Mid Continents East Jordan & Southern #2 was built in 1864. Was used early in 1960s passenger trains. Due to the fragile condition it was not used for very long. Eventually it ended up indoors and the restoration began. Enclosed is a link to it current status. Can't say for sure but it is getting close to being "next out". It may or may not be used on special occasions maybe once a year, but will not be used in daily trains. None of the wooden fleet are used daily. Looking at the restored wooden coaches puts me in awe of what our car shop has done. Now with indoor storage the cars will last a long time. Congrats to Peter Becker who is the ringleader of the EJ&S restoration project. Amongst other smaller projects that continuously come up. The car shop crews are a truly example of an organized crew who produce. All volunteers. Regards, John.

https://www.midcontinent.org/category/car-shop/ejs-2/

I believe the Durango & Silverton has a couple of cars that nominally date to the 1870s, including D&RG business car B-3 'Nomad' built in 1878. I don't know if they're in regular service though. They also have a number of cars from the 1880s.

That said, I know more about Maine narrow gauge than Colorado. The oldest cars from the Maine narrow gauge railroads are B&SR coaches 15 and 16, 'Pondicherry' and 'Mt. Pleasant', built by Laconia in 1882 and now in Portland, followed by SR&RL coaches 17 and 18 built by Laconia in 1883 and now in Phillips.

-Philip Marshall

i was thinking about standard gauge cars; but your narrow gauge suggestions are right on! I rode an 1882 passenger car st the Durango & Silverton many years ago.

Ted Miles likes passenger cars.

The Mount Washington Cog Railway also comes to mind. I vaguely remember reading an article in L&RP maybe 35 years ago that said the Cog had one or more coaches that nominally dated from the 1870s.

-Philip Marshall

The Mt. Washington coach was #1, manufactured by Ranlet in 1871. It was retired, I believe in the 1990's, and wound up on display at the Beaver Brook Farm and Transportation Museum. In 2010, the roof of the building it was displayed in collapsed on top of the coach. It was damaged but not totally destroyed. As far as I know, it still sits there with the collapsed roof on top of it.

If you go to the 15:00 minute mark of this video, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdKoZgFHfXM you can see what it looks like.

Roger

Thank you, Roger. That's really sad to hear.

-Philip

East Broad Top #20 is a Billmeyer & Small car that was originally on the Bradford, Bordell & Kinzua as a coach in 1882. It was later converted to a business car after the road's original car was destroyed in a wreck and ensuing fire. After the BB&K folded it was then on the roster of the Big Level & Kinzua which ran on former tracks of the BB&K that ran from Mt. Jewett to Kane. It was sold to the EBT after the BL&K was acquired by the B&O and that line was standard gauged. That line is now a rail trail.

Very interesting comments.

Southern California Railway Museum has a couple of 19th century cars of note:

narrow-gauge Carson & Colorado coach #5 built by Barney & Smith in October 1881 Complete, but SP replaced the trucks with a pair of St Charles trucks probably from one of the N-C-O ex F&CC cars. Preserved by Ward Kimball in 1938; never was anything but a coach.

standard-gauge body of a Santa Fe combine #2419, later sold off and placed on ground near Hemet, CA. Originally Santa Fe 1st class coach #44 built by Ohio Falls in 1879, to coach-baggage #524 in 1891; to #2419 in 1902; dismantled in 1914. (When built the Santa Fe was not yet to the Colorado border.)