McKeen claimed a 96% mechanical efficiency, but I don't exactly believe it. You are correct, they were converted to gas-electric after the McKeen engine, but I'm not sure how the Climax set up was made, as the new St. Louis truck had not replaced the original motor truck. Then possibly later in 1928, the EMC motor was added in place of the Climax engine.

Are there any news about old Cuyamaca?

Mike

Just now seeing this second-to-last post: I suspect the "96% efficiency" was for the Morse-chain final drive, which was then an innovation in power transmission. The one-axle drive to a 'larger driver pair' was common in older steam 'motor cars' (as described by John Wite in The American Passenger Car' and later seen on the various designs of 'booster' for locomotives) -- this probably seemed like 'legacy' practice in the very early 1900s. Most of the high-speed interurban development, and GE's successful experiments with motor cars, would not come about until a number of years had passed, and motor-electric drive (e.g. Ward-Leonard control) better defined.

There is an occasional post on the facebook page, usually historical photos, the last one January of this year: https://www.facebook.com/McKeenMotorCar The last post about actual restoration was in 2017. It looks like they were trying to fund the restoration mainly through gofundme:

"McKeen Motor Car Company Historical Society
December 4, 2017
We received a donation of $10,000!!! We can now start the Restoration of the McKeen Car Cuyamaca!!!
For the past few months, we have been in a slow period where we haven't had enough money to start the first phase of the restoration. That all changed recently with a single gracious donation of $10,000. With that donation, we now have a total of about $14,500 we can put towards the first work of order, the Side Sill at a fabrication cost of $8300, the temporary framework to hold up the roof will cost about another $1000 more, and volunteer insurance is being looked into now.
We are approaching the end of the year, and all donations are tax deductible, every last dollar helps, and if you need a tax write off, we are a certified 501c3. {Tax. I.D. #81-3144870}
We are also finishing up replica 1908 Cottier Patent Ventilators which will be hand soldered just like the originals. We are also looking into having a foundry pour Cast Brass Builders Plates, those will serve as a gift for large donations or will possibly be sold as a fund raiser.
Stay tuned for more news and upcoming events while we work to restore the McKeen Car Cuyamaca!!!"

Thanks, PMC!

Not everybody is on facebook; I suspect Madison may be at a university now and may have other priorities at this time.

Cheers,
Mike

Hey, Madison here, Not at a university, however I have left the family business and started my own, Luxmen Lighting, we primarily do Railroad Oil Lighting Restoration and Replication, with many other facets to surround our main purpose. Starting a for profit business in California feels like a non-profit.... but I am building my shop and my Fiancee is helping. I am developing a new RR Lantern Model to produce, an 1880's-1890's 39 globe size lantern.

As for the Cuyamaca, and my McKeen interest in general, I am still a collector and research the history, but with less free time, I've slowed down. The car is safe, I have disassembled the important parts of the car, brought them indoors, There's what I believe to be original wood paneling on the ceiling, which is still in the car, but not getting damaged by any water. Andrew Brandon, when in San Diego, stopped by, and we found sand grain sized flakes of original brown roof paint where a Baker Heater ventilator covered the roof. This means we have examples from our car of original roof brown, body red, and true gold leaf stripe. I doubt I'll find the olive green undercarriage on anything that has survived.

I am working here and there to save a McKeen Trailer in Napa that will otherwise be scrapped.

I'm not sure why I didn't get an email notification when people responded to this, but I'll try to keep an eye on this thread.

Hi Madison,

thanks for your feedback! Hope one day you'll find a small group of guys willing to work with you on the project. As of now I believe you just have a pattern of how the thing will have to look like, plus some original window-frames, but you save it over time - and you can only scrap it once! (except a certain Scottish Atlantic...).

Cheers,
Mike

Did you buy the trailer already?

Cheers,
Mike

https://www.facebook.com/McKeenMotorCar ... TuwGvvkZGl
"McKeen Motor Car Company Historical Society
6h
We have been in contact with a development agency in Napa Valley for over 3 years at this point. They knew the car was important and did their due diligence to find someone to save it. The local museums did not want it, and the offer has been extended to us. The property funding for the non-profit housing group is near being secured, and they need the car body gone, That is where we step in.
The Southern Pacific Trailer Car #16 is the only McKeen Railcar left from the Southern Pacific. It is only a body and roof, but will provide very valuable paint, dimensions, and other parts for the
"Cuyamaca." It will provide a workshop to work on the "Cuyamaca," and on top of that, it will preserve a rare piece of McKeen History, Southern Pacific History, and Rail History in General.
If you are unfamiliar with our group, we rescued the McKeen Motor Car "Cuyamaca" From Alaska, the shipping cost just over $17,000, but we did rescue the car body just 2 weeks before it was to be scrapped. This Trailer Car was designed to be hauled by the Motor Car and built by the same company.
Though we have no plans to fully restore the trailer car, we are going to at least preserve it to save the valuable information held in paint, parts etc.
Please donate soon, we have scheduled with the property owners a date around early February to be onsite, and we have worked on the cost to make it as minimal as possible. We are only asking $4500 to cover the hotel for 6 members, the gas for our travel, the Diesel for the Volunteer's hauling rig to transport the body, event insurance, as well as tools and other materials. The car body will be transported 550 miles to sit alongside the "Cuyamaca," the first time in many decades a trailer car and motor car have been together.
View our Business Profile for a collection of photos we took of the car while assessing our plan for acquisition.
https://www.gofundme.com/.../rescue-a-s ... cific-rr...

484 Mike,

We had been in conversation with a nonprofit (Low income housing nonprofit, not a museum of any kind) in Napa Valley, and they had purchased the property at 963 Pope Street. The Southern Pacific McKeen Trailer Car has been there since 1938 as a shed. They contacted us in 2019 about acquiring the car as they wanted to demo the entire property. Since at least the 1980's, this car has been on a few museum's radar, but no one wanted it, thinking the frame was stuck in the concrete slab. A little digging on a visit in late 2020 told me the body had been cut from the frame, and was sitting on top of the concrete. Between 2020, and late 2024, we had set a work party up, acquired hotel reservations, etc. to rescue the car, to be turned down due to, the first time, no insurance, then secondly, environmental concern that may kill all federal funding for their project. This final concern was nothing I could fix, and they finally contacted me in October last year with uncertain dates for their funding. By January 12th we had a good idea that January 31, there would be secured funding. Their Demo Teams were to come in on February 10th, and as such, we had under 10 days to rescue the car.

So I started raising funds with about 2 weeks left, we completed $4500 of funding in 4 days alone, but have since realized the cost of the rescue to be $7182.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/rescue-a-sou ... en-railcar

Due to rain in the forecast those 10 days, 2 of the 3 days of work were done by Taylor McCready who had bloody knees on day 2, his Friend Christian, My Fiancée, and Myself. We welcomed Andrew & Lisa Brandon and the truck driver Pete Bloom on the final day, all who helped load the car up. Pete providing the transport of the Trailer Car all the way down to Ramona, San Diego, California.

We rescued the Last Southern Pacific McKeen Anything, Motor car or Trailer, from being scrapped 3 days later. It's got the original wood McKeen Arch window Frames, Original Ceiling in the RPO Section, original ventilators, marker lamp brackets, samples of paint, some SP Lettering, bell cord bushings, original skin, roof, etc. etc. Surprisingly, we believe the car body was painted SP Silver at one point.

So yes, we have rescued a McKeen Trailer, and are working to stabilize it, study it, and we will continue to use it as a workshop to begin our restoration of the McKeen Car "Cuyamaca."

Best Regards,
Madison Kirkman

I am glad to hear that the last surviving McKeen trailer body has been re-united with a McKeen Motor Car! I was disappointed when the powers that be at the Western Railway Museum turned down the trailer. But we already have several bodies on the property that are ahead of such a project.

I have ridden in the McKeen motor car at the Nevada State Railroad Museum; it is an amazing restoration of a very rare motor car.

I know of two climax R16 gas engines. One is in the Restored Sumpter Valley #100 Whitcomb Locomotive Works, 1929) and the other possible a parts source is another R16 in
a Sumpter valley No Num ex Wyckoff Creosote Works (Plymouth Locomotive Works, 19??)
The #100 is said to drink gasoline at a prodicious rate
Good Luck to all of you who are working on the project!

Ted Miles Western Railway Museum (retired)