Nevada California Oregon Railway

Help Restore N-C-O Railway Boxcar No. 518

This North State Giving Tuesday, we are raising $15,000 to advance the restoration of Boxcar No. 518 and bring a surviving piece of our region’s railroad history closer to public display in Alturas.

There is something remarkable about standing beside this old wooden car and seeing the craftsmanship that has survived for more than a century. Our volunteers are working to preserve that history, one timber and one piece of hardware at a time. Your support helps make the next steps possible.

Volunteers at work on Boxcar No. 518 in the car barn in Alturas.

Your Support Builds on Real Progress

Last year’s donors helped move this restoration forward. Throughout 2026, volunteers have returned to Alturas to continue the careful work of uncovering damage, preserving usable material, and preparing the car for repairs.

During our September volunteer weekend, the crew removed a badly deteriorated end sill—a major timber at the end of the car’s frame—and identified missing parts that will need to be fabricated. This work helps us understand what the car needs and prepare for the next stage.

Removing the deteriorated end sill during our September 2026 volunteer weekend.

What Your Gift Will Help Accomplish

This year’s campaign will help provide materials and replacement parts for the next stage of structural repairs. That work lays the foundation for restoring the car’s siding, roof, and doors.

Our volunteers contribute their time, skills, and considerable patience. Donations help put the materials they need into their hands.

Restoration includes careful work on the small parts as well as the large timbers.

A Boxcar With a Story to Tell

Originally built in 1897 for the Florence & Cripple Creek Railroad in Colorado, No. 518 later served the Nevada-California-Oregon Railway before being retired and sold in Alturas in 1929. It remains a tangible connection to the railroad and the communities it helped serve.

Our goal is to restore the car for public display along Main Street, where residents and visitors can discover this part of our shared history.

The Nevada-California-Oregon Railway is a nonprofit historical society based in Alturas, dedicated to preserving the railway’s history, surviving equipment, and historic places.

With its siding removed, Boxcar No. 518 reveals the timber framework that volunteers are working to repair and preserve.

Early giving begins November 17, and North State Giving Tuesday is December 1, 2026. Use the Donate button on this page to support Boxcar No. 518’s restoration.

Thank you for helping us preserve this history and share it with the next generation.