Car Restored by Les King
In the mid 1990's, when the rail speeder hobby was beginning to become organized, the late Les King of Ohio obtained and restored Car 007. The doors were missing and had to be recreated by Les. Due to the design of the drive train, Les was not able to mount a turntable in the car. This is somewhat problematic since the car weighs about 1,400 pounds.
Previous Owners
In March 1996, the restoration was complete and the car was purchased by Peter Loscalzo of Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Peter was a retired FBI agent and ran the car on several excursions. He replaced the clutch and the original engine with a new Briggs and Stratton Vanguard Twin 18 horse power engine in 1996. He also added the distinctive black stripping and several air vents to the cab along with other improvements. The careful maintenance records Peter kept reflect his dedication to the hobby.
Current Owners
The next owner ran the car infrequently. When Dan Page purchased the car in October 2006, the engine had only 70 hours on it. The car is now kept in Western New York, a location convenient to many New England and Mid West NARCOA rail excursions. Dan and his dad Harvey now enjoy quality time taking the car on weekend runs. There are several active NARCOA chapters in the region, including Ohio Valley Railcars, Northeast Railcar Association, Northern Central Railcar Association, Volunteer Railroaders Association, and Central Pennsylvania Excursions, that sponsor runs they have been on. Dan and Harvey have made several improvements to the car and have also completely refurbished the trailer. After the 2007 season, we added tear drop windows on each side of the windshield to improve our visibility at crossings. We also added an 8" brass bell.
Tootsie Rolls
Dan and Harvey have started a tradition of giving candy to children they encounter as they ride along the tracks. Wave if you see Railcar 007 on the tracks and you may get a treat!
