RGS Inspection Car No. 1

The original was built in Ridgway in 1913 out of a 1910 Ford Model T. The wheelbase was/has been shortened considerably, from both front and rear to reduce rigid wheel base. It was built for the personal transport of the General Superintendent WD Lee. It was reported in the local papers it could go 60 mph.  This is unlikely as the Model T could only go about 45 on much larger wheels. It was wrecked at least twice and modified many times. Legend has it that it was destroyed in a collision with a train on the Silverton Branch of the DRG in 1925. This re-creation was started by Lowell Ross and completed by the RRM volunteers. It closely matches the photos from about 1920.  The engine and transmission is Model T, but of later vintage.  Anything up to 1925 could have been used by the RGS. This has a two speed rear axle although we do not know that the original did. This has a 12 volt electrical system with starter, alternator, and distributor ignition which the original probably did not. It is operational although it has no battery or gas when stored in the museum. We run it on our half-mile loop track several times per year.

1) The photo on the left below shows W. D. Lee standing next to the Inspection Car No. 1 in 1917 while the photo on the right below shows replica Inspection Car No. 1 in the Ridgway Railroad Museum shortly after completion.

2) The two photos below show Inspection car No. 1 running  on the Ridgway Railroad Museum track at the Gathering of the Flock on October 12, 2019.

3) The two photos below show Inspection car No. 1 running on the Ridgway Railroad Museum track at the Gathering of the Flock on October 13, 2019.