Outfit Cars: Mobile Crew Quarters - Big Train Tours with the Colorado Railroad Museum!

Welcome to another Big Train Tour at the Colorado Railroad Museum! This month, we’ll be taking a look at a little-known part of the railroad landscape: Outfit Cars. Part mobile homes, part camp cars, these converted box cars and passenger cars served as homes away from home when crews were out working along the railroad. Housing single men and even entire families, outfit cars (as they were known) have a rich history to share!
Join Colorado Railroad Museum Executive Director Paul Hammond as he explores the history behind the Museum's unique railroad collection!
In 2022, the Museum is offering Train Rides every Saturday mid-January through Labor Day, and also during the month of October. Follow the Museum on Facebook, KZbin, Instagram and Twitter to catch all of our new & unique content!

[@paulp1530]

Very good video. It's amazing how many photos related to railroads were taken over the years, thank goodness for that.

[@rickdee67]

I’ve always been curious about this type of equipment! Thank you for everything you do to present Railroad history! Binge watching your videos!

[@daryllect6659]

Outfit cars were occasionally parked near where I grew up. I hung around the train tracks to watch for "steamers". The cook would give me the coldest apples!

[@rgsrrofnc]

RGS 01789 was last used on the RGS as a water car. When we started to return it to a bunk car, there were still bins in there to hold different plumbing parts (elbows, etc.) The tube on the outside on the B end of the car held long rods for brushes. The end door had a hinge and hasp still where the longer pipes could be passed in and out and hung on pipe racks. When we started the process, the car was packed FULL of documents which have since made it into the library. At the time, we spent a late night during a steam up with the 01789 and D&RGW 159 parked side by side at No Agua while we transferred the documents. Bob told us to be extra careful as when he got the car originally, it had dynamite in it still. The original plans I had for the car was to return it to using the original floor and simple bunks but since I went off to college, the other guys came in and rebuilt it differently because they wanted a crew car we could live out of as we watched the 346 (steamer) when under steam. This was quite a while before the roundhouse or other locomotives coming back. The kitchen car we jokingly called the Kitchen Caboose because when Paul L. first found it, he thought it was a caboose due to the cupola. It turned out to be a kitchen car! There were also an outfit car owned by the Rocky Mountain Railroad Club IIRC which was on the ground up behind the old shop area. Not sure where that ended up. And there was a car we called the "Purple Pullman" which also sat in the shop area. It's last use was in Outfit service too. Originally it was built as a tourist sleeper. Don't forget it was more than coaches and boxcars in Outfit service. Some flat cars were designated for use, some even set up as rail and tie cars, others block and tackle for cranes. Awesome video! Thank you for sharing. I just wanted to pass on a little information on the cars. Somewhere out there, there is a plan with the dimensions and interior layout of the 01789 as she was in water service. People built models of her.

[@Wilett614]

Outstanding Video ! and Very well Done .... Thank YOU !!

[@richardsobieck9660]

good Job! Very informative! thanks for sharing!

[@TheRealMercDave]

You got me with the thumbnail of the RGS in Mancos.

[@matthewisaacks6963]

Thanks for giving the thumbnail some love!

[@user-gk8gg1zt7l]

Nice video, likes from me

[@FreihEitner]

Very nice and detailed history of cars which don't get a lot of acknowledgement by railfans.

[@patmaufrais1043]

Very informative video! Well done Mr. Hammond and team!!

[@akaBoG]

Thanks for watching! Paul does an awesome job on the research!

[@tedmiles2110]

You forgot to say that the bodies of Outfit cars have been excellent sources of restoration projects at Cumbres & Toltec Scenic and the Colorado RR Museums. TM CRRM Member

[@MrsBilla-nu8qb]

Thank you so much for this video. I was looking for photos of particular outfit cars and came across your video. My father had been a signal maintainer on the Santa Fe in Calif. Between 1965 and 1967, he got a position as a signal foreman on a signal gang and we moved into an outfit car. There was a car for the foreman, the cook’s car and the bunk car. I have fond memories of that time. Unfortunately, we don’t have photos of the actual outfit car, although we have photos of our family inside. It’s very difficult to find photos. My father returned to his job as a signal maintainer ten became the general chairman for their union for the Santa Fe, D&RGW and Kansas City Southern. My grandmother also spent time as a cook on outfit cars. Bonus: I did find a photo in your video, one of the last ones (not the modern version) of an outfit car that looked similar to the one we lived in. Sorry for the long-winded comment!

[@akaBoG]

no need to apologize - we love hearing our viewers personal histories - I'll share this with our team tomorrow! Thank you for tuning in!