Car 1010 was built by the San Joaquin & Sierra Nevada Railroad in their shops near Lodi, California in 1882. The car’s original number is unknown at this time. Originally built as a coach, the car was later converted to a combine. The SJ&SN was sold to the Southern Pacific in 1885. The SP merged the SJ&SN into its Northern Railway subsidiary where the car was numbered 1010. In 1904 the SP standard gauged the the line and the car was transferred to the SPC, where it was used until 1907. It was then sent to the N&C where it became car 16. In late 1913 the car was set aside at Mina, Nevada and converted to a house for railroad workers. It was purchased by Richard Datin in 1960. He sold it to our group in 1990. The car has been undergoing restoration since and is nearly complete. The car was featured at Railfair 99 in Sacramento, California. The car had an estimated 25,000 visitors walk through or ride the car during Railfair.
Ah - but it was narrow gauge. The SPC was a narrow gauge line, which accounts for the SP’s decision to sell it to them when they standard-gauged their subsidiary. It would probably be a bit narrower than an MDC Overton (which is based on the two cars that the Sierra Railroad owned).
I’m not trying to justify putting Overtons on my layout–although I have a few too many. I have already set about getting some 50"Overlands, but they are mighty scarce.
MDC kits are getting to be hard to come by - I snatched the last four undecorated Harriman cars from LHS - and it seems like ebay’s the best bet these days; unfortunately, that can be expensive.
You might try LaBelle - they have a couple of good lines of wooden coaches, both the 58’ open platform variety and the 60’ vestibuled variety.
I have been snapping up discounted MDC “kitbash” kits when I find them. I have tentative plans to turn some of the 34’ Overton bodies into interurban/trolley type vehicles.
Either that or, following the lead implied by this thread, bash one or two into narrow-gauge cars for my as-yet-unbuilt Humboldt County logging road.
I also always thought that the MDC Overtons were based on the coaches owned by the standard gauge Sierra RR and made famous by the TV show Petticoat Junction and the Hooterville Cannonball Express train, all 1 car of it![:p]
