Another close up of the brake wheel end of the wooden boxcar built in 1885. This is a rare, 19th-century wooden boxcar that was reportedly used during the original construction of the T&T Railroad. The Tonopah & Tidewater was incorporated in 1904 to provide a more efficient alternative to the 20-mule teams hauling borax out of Death Valley. It connected Ludlow, California (on the Santa Fe main line) with Beatty, Nevada. Despite its name, the railroad never actually reached Tonopah or the "Tidewater" (San Diego). The line ceased operations in 1940 and was dismantled during World War II to provide scrap metal for the war effort. |