Arizona museum to acquire sugar beet car

The Southern Pacific sugar beet car that Arizona Railway Museum volunteers are looking to save. Arizona Railway Museum website CHANDLER, Ariz. — The Arizona Railway Museum is raising funds to move a former Southern Pacific sugar beet car from California to the museum. The car is an ex-SP 40-foot wood-sided gondola used exclusively for sugar beet transport, and is currently located at the Western Pacific Railroad Museum in Portola, Calif. The WP museum decided to de-accession the car — or responsibly move it off the property — and is allowing the Arizona Railway Museum to take it without charge.

The car has an Arizona connection, since it was used to move sugar beets to the former Spreckles Sugar refinery on Riggs Road in Chandler.

Since the car is no longer capable of rail movement, it must be trucked from Portola to Chandler. The total cost for the movement is estimated at $22,000. The museum is seeking contributions that will go toward the movement and restoration efforts such as new wood and paint.

More information is available online.