Pacific Coast Railway Boxcar 1200 Series

Return to QR Index

The museum’s Pacific Coast Railway narrow gauge 1200 series car was built by the American Car and Foundry Company in 1924 for the PCRwy. It is the last type of boxcar built for the PCRwy and it is the largest. At 36′ 6″, it is longer than any other type of PCRwy boxcar. However, at slightly over 7′ wide, it is the narrowest in width. It sits on original PCRwy 1200 series trucks that were acquired from the PCRwy derrick car that was on the UNOCAL, (ex-PCRwy) pier in San Luis Bay. That pier and car were destroyed by a violent storm in October 1981 and they fell into the bay. The only parts of the car that were saved during the clean up operation, were the trucks (wheels and their arch bar frames). The only existing 1200 series trucks now have been placed under the only remaining 1200 series car. The San Luis Obispo Railroad Museum evolved from the Avila Valley Railway Museum which was was founded as a non-profit organization on February 11, 1991. This boxcar was purchased by the AVRM circa 1994 and placed on the Miles Station site on the PCRwy. This boxcar was used for the storage of artifacts, historical tours, and as the original museum meeting facility prior to being moved to the museum’s Emily Street Yard and subsequently its current location on the west side of the Freighthouse. The exact number for this car has not been determined despite repeated research and studies trying to determine its number.