GBR Railroad Series: Death Valley Railroad Brill Motorcar

Great Basin Research

Restoration of the former Death Valley Railroad Brill Motorcar at Laws, CA Railroad Museum

Courtesy of Laws Railroad Museum

The Brill car was built in 1927 for the Death Valley Railroad, a branch line of the Pacific Coast Borax Company and which operated from Death Valley Junction on the mainline Tonopah & Tidewater Railroad, and Ryan, where the huge complex of borax mines were situated. By 1927, borax mining was slowing down at Ryan, in favor of the company’s new complex at Boron, but tourism to Death Valley was on the rise. To capitalize on this new economy, the Death Valley Railroad commissioned the building of the Brill motorcar to bring in passengers and necessities to Ryan; which was also in the process of modifying itself into a resort. The borax company was also planning and would soon execute its construction of the nearby Furnace Creek Inn, which is still in use today.

The Brill that became Death Valley Railroad No. 5 was a Brill Model 55 and built specifically as a narrow gauge. This car is one of four surviving Brill cars left in the United States and is the only surviving narrow gauge example.

After tourism to Death Valley dropped dramatically during the Depression, and mining came to a halt, so the Brill was sent to company operations in Carlsbad, New Mexico after operations ceased on the Death Valley Railroad in 1931; in which the Brill was used to transport workers and other light items. The motorcar was last run in 1956.

After serving out its useful life in New Mexico, the car sat abandoned unit it was donated to the Laws Railroad Museum and came here on November 27, 1967. Laws is a former division point located on the abandoned narrow gauge Carson & Colorado / Nevada & California / Southern Pacific line near Bishop, California. The car was on static display for many years. Plans were formulated to restore the car to running condition, but money - ever in short supply - kept the car deteriorating on a side track at Laws.

Inyo County determined that the car needed to be restored and contracted the Laws Railroad Museum to carry out the work. There were plans by interested parties during this time to create an operating railroad running from the city park in Bishop out to Laws Museum, a distance of five miles. Volunteers of the railroad museum undertook the restoration, beginning in 1999, of the Brill, using volunteer labor provided by themselves and other enthusiasts. Plans are to run the Brill on a track to be built atop much of the stillborn 1911 Bishop to Laws electric railroad scheme of the Owens River Valley Electric Railroad; construction of the ORVERR was aborted in 1912 after completing the grade, which today can still be utilized. The hoped for route would begin at Bishop City Park and end at Laws. The Brill is planned to be restored to running condition for operations, utilizing a modern Cummins diesel engine and automatic transmission for reliability and ease of operation.

April 1, 2004 is the planned date for the inaugural run of the restored Brill. At present there is no place to run the car, only to a switch that allows the car to be put back on the former mainline of the Carson & Colorado/Nevada & California/Southern Pacific narrow gauge. Plans to use the ORVERR grade has hit some snags, alternate track laying plans are being considered.

Read more about the Brill, along with some historical photos, at Cecile Vargo's website page on the Brill Car.

Update – May 14, 2004: The April 1^st rollout for the Brill hit snags and was postponed until further notice. Problems with the engine has surfaced, primarily locating parts for the turbocharging system – which have to date been overcome. At the time to start the Cummins for the first time, it was found that the starter was faulty – which to date has been overcome. At present, the engine management system electronics and computer have posed a problem and the engine still cannot be started. However, finishing touches have been implemented on the Brill and it is looking better than ever. Observations since my last visit in February:

* Track sander.
* Vestibule closet has new door. Door also has windows, for "display purposes."
* Original drinking fountain.
* Window pulls. An original was found on eBay. Cast made from obtained pull, new pulls made for all windows.
* Pull cord for bell along ceiling from passenger area. Bell over engineer. Used to alert engineer that passenger wants to disembark at a certain point. Bell is an original J.G. Brill piece, found on eBay.
* All passenger seats are in.
* New jump seats behind engineer's compartment, on each side.
* Lighting for passenger area.
* Curtain track to isolate engineer.
* Surround made of pipe around wood stove.
* Hot water system heated by wood stove.

It was also noted that an additional 30 feet of track has been added to extend the line southward out of the Brill's roundhouse. Plans are to tie into the oil tank spur, which will allow the Brill to access the mainline and run as far as the back of C&C 1, the yellow caboose at the end of the consist headed by SP #9. The “house track,” the siding running next to the depot, is partly still in place under the dirt and grass, and plans are being made to unearth the existing track and tie it into place switched from the mainline. When this is done, the Brill can also use this track to run on.

Update – June 6, 2004: The Brill was started and test run June 5. Official rollout is scheduled for July 2.

Update – July 1, 2004: Rollout of the Brill Friday, July 2, 2004 @ 10:00am for government dignitaries only. Rollout for public Saturday, July 3, 2004 @ 10:00am.

Update – July 2, 2004: Rollout of Brill for dignitaries is a success. Trackage had been effectively extended as the end of the track south of the car barn has been tied into a spur next to the turntable, which allows the car access to the mainline. The car then can run to tracks on either side of the water and oil tanks. The dignitaries are allowed to ride the car. Some concern over insurance coverage, which was approved at the last minute. Some concern that Saturday's rollout would not allow riders on the car.

Update – July 3, 2004: The public rollout of the Brill. Seat sponsors are also on hand for their first ride on the Brill. A plaque with names of all donors is affixed to the forward wall of the passenger section. Last minute insurance approval for riders on today's ceremonies. I personally rode the Brill on one run, sitting behind Jim Pitman, as he piloted the car, on one of the jump seat next to the wood stove. The ride was fairly quiet but stiff. Definite “clackity clack” sounds as the wheels hit each joint of the rails. It was thrilling to see the car under its own power, the first time in nearly 50 years. Photos of the public rollout below!

The photos below show a time-line of the transformation of the Brill over the years. New photos will be added as time goes on.

Historical Photo Found on the Internet
Courtesy of Laws Railroad Museum.	Courtesy of Laws Railroad Museum.
The Brill car as it sat on a siding at Laws in 1995.	The Brill in May, 2002 in the early stages of restoration.

	The original gasoline engine of the Brill. This engine, though it will be restored, will be replaced by a modern and reliable Cummins diesel engine and Allison automatic transmission, the same units found in current Dodge trucks.
Yours truely at the controls of the Brill in 1996.	The Brill in May 2003. The unit is mounted back on its restored trucks. Graham Cooper and John McCulloch are in the foreground.
	The restored trucks. The service air tank, which supply air to the brakes, was put in shortly after this photo was taken. The brakes were tested successfully shortly after.
On February 14, 2004, Graham Cooper and myself went back to visit the Brill for an update. The Brill is nearly complete, except for a few minor details.
	The Cummins diesel engine as installed in the Brill. At the time of this photo, the turbocharging system was incomplete.
The driver's compartment of the Brill as prepared for daily operation for modern tourists to the Owens Valley.	The driver's eye view down the track. Note the new dashboard, something the original car lacked.
Your's truly at the controls of the Brill, nearly eight years after the photo of me above.	Laws Museum maintenance man/groundskeeper/track layer/motorcar restorer/locomotive restoration guru Jim Saylor at the helm of the Brill.
The passenger section of the Brill now contains all seats.	New jumpseats now reside behind the engineer on both sides of the car.
A J.G. Brill bell was found on eBay and installed over the engineer to alert him to a passenger's desire to be “dropped off” at their desired destination.	An additional 30' of trackage has been laid for the Brill. When completed, it will allow the Brill to switch over to the oil spur and thus the mainline.
Current “end of the line.”

July 3, 2004 public rollout photos

Last minute tightening of the rails and lubricating of switches before the ceremony.


Last minute tightening of bolts on the rails. Don't want to have a rail flop over and drop the Brill on the ties!	Project manager, Jim Pittman, addresses crowd at the rollout ceremonies. Project volunteer Max Cox looks on.
The Brill car as it powers out of the car barn, under its own power for the first time in nearly 50 years.
The Brill can now motor out to join the mainline, here running by the water and oil tanks.
Group shot of the “seat sponsors,” those who donated $500 or more to the Brill car restoration. Many of these people were alive and Owens Valley residents who personally rode the narrow gauge railroad out of Laws before the railroad was scrapped in 1960.	Jim Pittman piloting the Brill along its course to the oil and water tank spur.
	Your's truely posing on the Brill after my ride.