Society for the Preservation of Carter Railroad Resources
| Society for the Preservation of Carter Railroad Resources | |
|---|---|
| Locale | California |
| Dates of operation | 1988–Present |
| Track gauge | 3 ft (914 mm) |
| Length | 1 mile (1.6 km) |
| Headquarters | Fremont |
The Society for the Preservation of Carter Railroad Resources is a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of railroad artifacts created by the Carter Brothers of California. The society operates The Railroad Museum at Ardenwood, which is a heritage railroad located at Ardenwood Historic Farm Regional Park in Fremont, California.
The Society's permanent collection consists of 6 flatcars, 1 caboose, 3 combination cars, 5 boxcars, 1 ballast car, a horse drawn street car, and an assortment of other small cars. In addition, the Society has a 1927 7-ton Plymouth switch locomotive in its collection and a 1972 5-ton Plymouth switch locomotive used for MOW operations.
Carter Brothers
Thomas and Martin Carter were Irish immigrants who began making railroad equipment in 1874, mainly building wooden cars for the South Pacific Coast Railroad (the original SPCRR). The Carter Brother's business lasted until 1902 during which time they built over 5,000 railroad cars mainly for narrow gauge lines. They also built cable cars and in later years 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge equipment. Their rolling stock was used on railroads all over the western United States, Hawaii, and Latin and South America.
Ardenwood Historic Farm Regional Park
The society's headquarters are in Ardenwood Historic Farm Regional Park, Fremont, California. A 1 mile (1.6 km)-long, 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge track is laid along three sides of the park and the society's collection of Carter Brother's rolling stock is kept here. For most of the year passenger trains are hauled by one of two Belgian draft horses. Once a year, the society holds a Rail Fair at which trains are usually hauled by a loaned steam locomotive for the weekend.
Ardenwood Historic Farm Regional Park is 210-acre (85 ha) farm operated by the East Bay Regional Park District. The outer part of the farm is a modern organic farm and the inner historic core is operated using the farming methods of the 1880s to 1920s.