A brightly painted electric streetcar resting on a neatly landscaped plot at a remote mountain railroad station in the Cajon Pass must have been a peculiar sight for rail passengers who passed by the unique landmark between 1940 and 1967.
 
The streetcar was named the Descanso, and a group of enthusiastic rail fans transformed the old wooden car into an extraordinary outpost where they could camp out, socialize, relax, and just watch trains.
 
A lone streetcar, perched on a mountain far from any trolley system was odd enough, but the car itself was also a curiosity.
 
Built in 1909, the Descanso was a relic from a bygone era when the Los Angeles Railway (LAR) used specially designed funeral cars to transport caskets and funeral parties to the local cemeteries.
 
The Descanso, which appropriately translates to "rest" in Spanish, was one of two funeral cars operated by the LAR between 1909 and the mid-1920s.
 
By the mid-1920s, automobile hearses eliminated the need for funeral streetcars, and the Descanso was mothballed in the LAR's South Park shop.
 
In February 1939, a rail fan club called the Railroad Boosters (RRB) went on an excursion to the South Park shop.
 
The LAR towed the Descanso into the sunlight so the group could photograph and inspect the funeral car.
 
Even in its dilapidated state, the group fell in love, and they began developing a plan to rescue it from the scrap yard.
 
Inquiries from the RRB resulted in the LAR offering to sell the car to the club for US$50.
 
The club couldn't muster the funds for the purchase, and the LAR eventually offered to give them the car if they would simply remove it from the property.
 
The Boosters began searching for a suitable location for the car, but nothing in the Los Angeles area met their needs.

Since many of the club's members enjoyed hanging out on railroad routes to watch steam trains, the group came up with the idea of using the car as a clubhouse.
 
Two of the best location options included the Tehachapi Loop and Summit station in the Cajon Pass.
 
The group settled on Summit, which straddled the top of the Cajon Pass, on the Santa Fe (ATSF) and Union Pacific Railroad's (UP) mainline.
 
Arrangements were made with the ATSF to transport the Descanso from the LAR's South Park shop via flatbed rail car.
 
The car left Los Angeles on 1 Jul 1940, and arrived at Summit on 4 Jul 1940.
 
Club members unloaded the Descanso, and over the next several weekends, they pushed, hauled, and dragged the car approximately 400 feet to its new home on the hillside, overlooking the mainline tracks.
 
The Descanso sat in one of the most idyllic settings for watching trains.
 
Freight and passenger trains pulled by massive steam locomotives churned their way up and down the pass.
 
Once the Descanso was firmly situated in its new home, RBB members began converting the car into a clubhouse.
 
Furniture and necessities were added as quickly as they could be scavenged.
 
Eventually, there were two double bunks, a table, a wood-burning stove for heat (later replaced by a coal burner), an icebox, phonograph, chairs, shelves, and a variety of dishes, cookware, and utensils.
 
The car didn't get electricity until the early 1950s.
 
Club members landscaped the area around the Descanso with rock terracing, walkways, plants, and trees, and a large mailbox mounted on a stone pillar.
 
The area around the car became known as the Descanso Plaza.
 
The entire Descanso rail fan enterprise at Summit was named the "Summit & Northeastern Railway."
 
The colorful characters who frequented the car signed a guest book and often wrote a brief account of their adventures.
 
Over the years, the Descanso was also home to numerous cats with names like Fred Schmutz, Puma, Gargle, and Sloppy Joe.
 
In the early years at Summit, club member Mart Sabransky acted as the Descanso's primary caretaker.
 
When Mart's health declined, L.T. Gotchy of Hesperia assumed the duties.
 
Gotchy was an avid rail fan and prolific photographer who worked as a sign-poster for the Automobile Club of Southern California for 35 years.
 
He lived in the Descanso for nearly three years, and diligently maintained and upgraded the facilities.
 
He installed a unique communication system in the Descanso, whimsically dubbed "The Summit Talking Telephone Company."
 
Gotchy's photo collection contains many beautiful examples of life at Summit.
 
After Gotchy's passing in 2014, his nephew Allen Reid became the curator of his photo archive.
 
Reid generously provided invaluable information and photos for this article.
 
Well-known local author and rail fan extraordinaire Chard Walker worked for the ATSF at the Summit depot, and he was one of the Descanso's most dedicated custodians and boosters.
 
Walker lived in the Descanso from 1947 until 1955, when the railroad provided him with a house three doors down from the Summit depot.
 
By 1949, the Railroad Boosters expanded, and the club's name was changed to the Pacific Railroad Society (PRS).
 
The PRS is still in operation with headquarters in San Dimas.
 
In 1966-1967, the Southern Pacific Railroad built a new line through Summit that isolated the Descanso from the other buildings.
 
In 1967, the ATSF closed the Summit station, leaving the Descanso unattended and vulnerable to vandalism.
 
The PRS members searched for a new home for the Descanso, and after a vigorous debate, the group decided on moving the car to the Orange Empire Trolley Museum in Perris.
 
In April 1967, the Descanso made its final move from Summit to the Perris museum by truck.
 
The Descanso was beautifully restored to its original funeral car status by museum volunteers, and it still resides there today, what is now known at the Southern California Railway Museum.
 
The unique character of the Descanso and its eclectic group of custodians and guests became a legendary piece of history.
 
The car's exceptional location at Summit added the final mystique to an inimitable piece of rail fan lore.
 
Thankfully, the story of the Descanso lives on, and the car can be seen at the museum in Perris.
 
Mark Landis.