B&K-4

California’s mild climate was the inspiration for this unique style of streetcar. Known as a “California Car”, it features an enclosed passenger compartment in the middle with open sections on either side. This same configuration was used by electric railways throughout the state, including the Pacific Electric and L.A. Railway. 

The Bakersfield & Kern began trolley operations in 1901 on a two mile line between Bakersfield and the S.P. depot at Kern. Number 4 was one of the line’s four original cars. Its single truck is powered by only one motor, and it uses only hand-brakes for stopping. It survived until the end of trolley operations in 1941 because it had been converted into a service car following a collision with a Santa Fe steam engine in 1912.

A teen-aged Frank Dupuy purchased the car from the B&K in 1942 and had it moved to his grandfather's backyard in Alhambra where he and his family lived. It was acquired by the Museum in 1959 in extremely poor condition, with major portions of the carbody missing. The like-new appearance of the car today is due to the painstaking restoration work performed by Museum volunteers Joe and Norma Webber. Using the remaining pieces as patterns, almost all of the original wood was replaced to recreate the car’s original appearance.

Links

http://people.bakersfield.com/home/ViewPost/51335