Society for the Preservation of Carter Railroad Resources
| Locale | California |
|---|---|
| Dates of operation | 1988–Present |
| Track gauge | 3 ft (914 mm) |
| Length | 1.25 miles (2.01 km) |
| Headquarters | Fremont |
The Society for the Preservation of Carter Railroad Resources is a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of railroad artifacts created by the Carter Brothers of California. The society operates The Railroad Museum at Ardenwood, which is a heritage railroad located at Ardenwood Historic Farm Regional Park in Fremont, California.
The Society's permanent collection consists of 6 flatcars, 1 caboose, 3 combination cars, 5 boxcars, 1 ballast car, a horse drawn street car, and an assortment of other small cars. In addition, the Society has a 1927 7-ton Plymouth switch locomotive in its collection and a 1972 5-ton Plymouth switch locomotive used for MOW and operations.
Carter Brothers
Thomas and Martin Carter were Irish immigrants who began making railroad equipment in 1874, mainly building wooden cars for the South Pacific Coast Railroad (the original SPCRR). The Carter Brother's business lasted until 1902 during which time they built over 5,000 railroad cars mainly for narrow gauge lines. They also built cable cars and in later years 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge equipment. Their rolling stock was used on railroads all over the western United States, Hawaii, and Latin and South America.
The Railroad Museum at Ardenwood and Ardenwood Historic Farm Regional Park
The Society operates the Railroad museum at Ardenwood in Ardenwood Historic Farm Regional Park, Fremont, California. A 1.25 miles (2.01 km)-long, 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge track is laid along three sides of the park and the society's collection of Carter Brother's rolling stock is kept here. The collection is housed in the 3-bay Wissel Car Barn located in the Trudy Frank Railyard at the eastern end of track.
From April to December passenger trains are hauled by one of the Museum's gasoline switching locomotives between Ardenwood Station and Deerpark Station on three days a week and on special event days.
The Society holds an annual Rail Fair each Labor Day weekend during which trains are hauled by visiting steam locomotives brought in by truck.
Ardenwood Historic Farm Regional Park is 210-acre (85 ha) farm operated by the East Bay Regional Park District. The outer part of the farm is a modern organic farm and the inner historic core is operated using the farming methods of the 1880s to 1920s. In the very center of the park is the Patterson House and Gardens, a fully restored Queen Anne style House built in the 19th century by the farms owners, George Washington and Clara Patterson.