This motorcar is a Model 532R that was built in the 1950s by the Northwestern Motor Company of Eauclaire, Wisconsin. The SLO Railroad Museum acquired this car from a railroad collector in Terra Bella, California. The car was in very rough condition and missing the engine and numerous parts and was destined to be scrapped. The Museum decided this could be a great project to turn it into a display for the parents to take photos of their kids pretending to operate the car.

The project required the motorcar to be stripped of non essential parts and fabricating a mount for a non-operating motor. The car was then sandblasted and new wood was milled and installed. The car then received several coats of primer and paint. After about 100 hours of work, the motorcar was ready for its new life.

Project Lead: Ted Van Klaveren
Photos by Gary See