Unveiling and Ribbon Cutting Ceremony of Horsecar Number 43 at Lost Railway Museum – 142 W. Michigan Ave. Grass Lake. 9-13-23. Photos by Sara Scaife, JTV.
Unveiling and Ribbon Cutting Ceremony of Horsecar Number 43 at Lost Railway Museum – 142 W. Michigan Ave. Grass Lake. 9-13-23. Photos by Sara Scaife, JTV.
This horsecar was built in 1886 by the St. Louis Car Company. It was operated by the San Diego Coronado Beach Railroad from 1888 until 1896 when electrification of the line replaced horse drawn transport.
The car was moved to the backyard of the Chollas Valley loop of the SD&AE’s El Cajon branch and converted into a small shed. About 1959 the Railway Historical Society of San Diego acquired the St. Louis car body, minus platforms and under carriage.
In the mid 1960’s, Charles Verdi of Railway Historical Society of San Diego restored the horsecar. The horsecar was later purchased by the Bothwell Automotive Museum in Los Angeles.
Horsecar 43 appeared in the movie “Hello Dolly” with Barbara Streisand and the Disney movie “Newsies”.
On November 11, 2017, the Bothwell collection of vintage race cars, along with five horsecars, was auctioned off by Bonhams Auction Co. Alex Pollock was the winning bidder for the San Diego horsecar that he later donated to the Lost Railway Museum.
