Gopher State Railway Museum

Welcome!  Take a brief tour of CB&Q 14534.  Just click on any of the images below to start the slide show.

This is how the car looked as of 9Feb13 (The last four photos are from 2015).  Volunteers spent the day starting to clean out the interior.  A lot of unrelated items had accumlated during years of storage.  It will look a lot better when it's cleaned out.

About CB&Q 14534

It looks a little rough around the edges, but it's still pretty solid for having been built in December 1871,  I have to hand it to the Burlington, they knew how to build a sturdy waycar.

CB&Q 14534 was in regular service up until 1976.  It last wore the Burlington's Chinese Red waycar scheme.  For a great picture of it almost fresh out of the paint shop, check out CB&Q Color Guide to Freight and Passenger Equipment published by Morning Sun.

The veteran waycar wore BN 11065 when it was retired and was last used in transfer service and was stenciled as such.

BN donated CB&Q 14534 to the Minnesota Transportation Museum in 1978.  Between 1978 and 1983, volunteers replaced the exterior siding, gave it a new canvas roof and a good coat of mineral red paint while working inside BN's Como Shop Facilities.  The supplies were donated by the BN.

Unfortunately, Como Shops closed in 1983 and MTM had to leave.  The car was stored outdoors until 1996 in a secure area, but offsite from MTM's new Jackson Street facilities.

MTM donated the car to GSRM in 1996 and it was moved to Chaska, MN.  Again it was a secure, but outdoor area.  The storage agreement didn't permit volunteers to do any restoration work on the car other than an occasional coat of paint or roof repair.

Sadly, the weather has taken it's toll.  The paint is peeling, and siding is checked.  The restored canvas roof is all but gone.  Some of the window sills, replaced in 1983 have rotted out.  The oak end beams were replaced new in 1983 and have since rotted away to nothing.

Inspecting the car after moving it to the north end has revealed some water damage to the walls and interior because of a leaking roof.

Volunteers will begin working on CB&Q 14534 soon.  While it's cold outside, work will begin on the interior, replacing damaged wall panels and structural members.   This summer, a new roof will be applied, most likely roofing paper for now, ultimately it will sport a new canvas roof as funds and possibly an indoor shop space allow.

Keep checking back on the progress.  By the end of the summer, the interior should be clean and painted, the exterior should have a good coat of mineral red paint, the windows should be reinstalled and the roof should be sealed from the weather once again.

2014 Update

Volunteers are giving CB&Q a much needed coat of Mineral Red paint.

How Can You Help

Are you interested in what you've seen on your brief tour and want to help?

You can volunteer to help on this project.  No experience?   You can learn as you volunteer.

Volunteers are typically working Satrudays throughout the winter.  It's best to contact the museum before dropping by if you live far away.  See our contact page for details.

Live too far away but want to help in other ways such as donating to the project?  Please see our "How Can I Help" page for more details.

Contact us today!
We welcome your questions and queries. Please see our Contact Us page for complete contact information.