Boxcar(s) at Berlin NV

[Andrew Brandon]

I was doing a Google search to see if I could turn up any photos of the "Bobtown" boxcar. The first result I found was actually a NV state document (Facility Condition Analysis) describing the structures at the Berlin-Icythosaur Park. It has been long known that the "Bobtown" boxcar was formerly a Nevada Central car used at Bobtown. The car was moved up to the fossil site at a later date and is preserved at the park and now under a covered awning.

What caught my eye however was this:

CAMP SHED

The Camp Shed is an old wood framed box car that was converted into a storage shed during the excavation of the fossil
site. It is located between the Bobtown Box car and Camp Cabin. It is maintained in a state of arrested decay.

This is the first (I think) I've heard of there being a second car up there, has anyone investigated this?

[Brian Norden]

I don't recall seeing the other car. But each of the two times I was up there I was only interested in the Bobtown car. I need to visit the park again and actually look more at what is left of Berlin and at the IIcythosaur excavation site. If I saw the car, I may have put it aside because it was standard gauge size and not of interest.

The first time I was up there was 25-30 years ago and the shed was over the Bobtown car at that time. I took slides and we took some measurements -- I was up there with Dave Garcia on a week-long trip through Central Nevada prior to one of the V&T/NSRM symposiums.

Second time was a few years ago and I stopped by the little park office and while talking to the State Park Ranger mentioned the Bobtown car was my reason for being there. He did not know anything about the car. But, a voice from the back room advised him that yes, it was there, and where it was. This second time I was taking digital photos.

[Dave]

I was there a few times also, at least 10-15 years ago and like Brian I didn't see a second car, just the Bobtown car, which was actually half of the original car, under that cover you mention. I have seen other cars along the Reese Valley on ranches, all de-trucked SG cars used by ranches for one reason or other.

The Berlin car is one of two surviving in the area that are believed to be ex-Stockton & Ione, possibly originally flats shipped to BM in 1879 and given externally-framed box bodies at some point, though why is a mystery given they were tiny things, not quite 7' x 22' IIRC, and of less use than the other cars on the line. They were all grounded (there were three total) by the NC sometime around 1900 (I'm not near my notes). The one at Watts was burned sometime in the 1950s or 1960s, but shows up clearly in several shots of that station between 1910 and 1939; the Bobtown one ended up at the park, I've never seen a photo of it on the NC; the third is on the ROW near Dillon about 25 miles south of Battle Mountain, basically the flatcar frame remains on the ground with all the body blown down and rotting in the desert, it shows up in several 1938-1939 photos with its body. All three appear to have had windows in the sides, but when and why remains a mystery as the only shots are of them detrucked as sheds. All three can be found drawn as updates in the NC ROW plot book originally inked by Ledlie in 1879, and updated throughout the NC lifespan, found at UNV.