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I'm rebuilding a 4-wheel baggage cart at the Museum of Alaska Transportation and Industry. I am replacing 90% of the wood (oak) but have all the metal pieces except the handle which a blacksmith made for us. It clearly came from the Alaska RR since the top paint is Navy Blue but since the original paint is Fire Engine Red I’m guessing another party owned it first. Who? Who built it? When?
Picture 1 shows how I found it at the Museum, off the beaten path sitting probably for years. The front end vertical piece is metal.
Picture 2 shows the front wheels. Maybe a hint here.
Picture 3 shows the back side of the back wheels.
Picture 4 shows the front side of the back wheels frame.
Picture 5 shows a number. I'm hoping this is the serial number: the 69th cart made in 1853!
Picture 6 shows the front wheels frame. These probably are the initials of the manufacture but possibly of the first owner. The letters look raised but they are indented. Here is what I can make out:
Did they build their own baggage carts? Those initials were buried under many layers of paint. More that the rest of the cart, from the outside blue, red, pink (not faded red), blue? The cart has had some rebuilding. Some wheel frame braces are cast iron and some steel. The cast iron ones have blue a the lowest color, red in between, and then blue.
The Rebuild:
It's about 15 inches shorter that the original. Eight foot milled oak one and an eight inch deck boards in Alaska cost over $300. It is big for the gift shop. Another 15 inches would have been difficult. Thus, I could not reinstall the truss rods. But since it will never carry a load bigger than in the second picture, no problem. It will get gold "ALASKA RAILROAD" decals on both ends. ARR's colors are blue and gold. The deck has a semi-transparent blue deck stain with 5 coats of plastic.
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