AVWRR Riding Car

I had the pleasure of attending the annual Southwestern Live Steamers meet at the Annetta Valley & Western Railroad. During the meet I borrowed one of the AV&WRR riding cars. These are heavy steel cars with three riding seats. They are very comfortable and stable. I was so impressed how smoothly they ride. This is definitly the Cadillac of riding cars.

There are two secrets to their stability and smooth ride. First, they are heavy! Second, they use Tom Bee Model Freight Car Trucks with the swing bolster.

I made some quick sketches of the car's dimensions shown below. I believe they would be relatively easy to make, assuming you have the ability to cut 1/8" steel plates.

I spoke to Michael McGrath, AV&WRR Superintendent, about the cars. He said they purchased the cars years ago from a gentleman that made them commercially, but has since left live steam equipment manufacturing. The car I used initially had a tendency to derail. However, Terry Shirley and Stephen Grief found the cause of the problem. The car was warped, causing one bolster to hike up higher than the other side. This warp was most likely introduced during manufacturing, as it is unlikely this stout car would have warped during normal use. Terry and Steven patiently shimmed and retesting the car until derailments were eliminated. I had absolutely no problems with the car while I used it.

Drop me a line if you build one of these cars.

Happy steaming!

Daris A Nevil

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