Our Niles Canyon Railway has a collection of different types of carts and wagons that were used on the platforms of railroad stations around the Bay Area and beyond. Some are restored and some are not. Part of the collection has carts that were used for baggage and mail, and one in particular, was a special Southern Pacific Railroad design that could be used not only for baggage, but was designed specifically to hold caskets as well. With World War II raging, the railroads played an important and sacred role in the movement of caskets of soldiers and others across the country to return them home to their final resting places.
Last year, the curator of History San Jose, who is also a member of our Niles Canyon Railway, noticed our casket cart and its need for restoration. His History San Jose Restoration Shop has some free clock cycles so they offered to restore it for us.
Image by Ken Middlebrook – Used with permission
A few years back, our Niles Canyon Railway Steam Department painter helped the History San Jose Restoration Shop to create and produce some replica Southern Pacific Railroad logos and lettering for another baggage cart they were restoring. Our painter even helped to show them how to apply it; working together in their shop to complete the lettering. Here are two images of that work.
Image courtesy of Chris Hauf – Used with permission.
Over the start of 2026, the Restorationists at History San Jose cleaned all of the casket cart’s metal parts, worked on making sure the wheels and bearings were ok, painted and re-assembled the cart with an all new wood deck. Here is the result at History San Jose.
Image courtesy of Ken Middlebrook – Used with permission
The cart has since been returned to our Niles Canyon Railway where we have put it on display in our Sunol Station freight room. The baggage cart will soon hold a display of railroad telephones used on by the Pickering Lumber Co. on their logging railroad.
Image courtesy of Chris Hauf – Used with permission
We want to thank History San Jose, and their incredible Restoration Shop for helping us restore this unique piece of Southern Pacific Railroad history! Museums helping museums! It does not get any better than that! We encourage people to make a visit to History San Jose to view the many restored San Jose buildings they have moved to and preserved on their campus. You can also tour their trolley barn and on same days, take a ride on an authentic San Jose trolley car!
Image courtesy of Chris Hauf – Used with permission