Event Description
Come to Laws and enjoy a ride in our railcar.
Rail Passes are $8.00 for adults, 18 and over, $4.00 for ages 4 through 17, and free for children under four.
We are accessible, and pet friendly to friendly pets (and friendly pet owners).
The Death Valley Railroad Brill Car No.5 was one of many self-propelled railcars produced in the heyday of the rail era. A number of different manufacturers created these self-propelled railcars, which earned the nickname "Doodlebugs."
Our No.5 is among those produced by the J.G. Brill Company and was purchased by the Pacific Coast Borax Company in 1927 to transport tourists along a 22 mile run between Death Valley Junction and the Furnace Creek area. This was a profitable venture for a short time, and a popular three-day adventure for tourists, but was soon put to an end with the advent of the Great Depression. In 1930, the Brill Car was relocated to a potash mine in New Mexico where it was used to shuttle employees to their worksite. After fifteen years of hard labor, wrecked and no longer operable, she was abandoned.
Car No.5 was rescued from becoming scrap metal in 1967, and returned to Inyo County. Restoration efforts by Laws Railroad Museum and Historical Site’s Volunteer Train Crew were completed in 2004, and our “Doodlebug” joined the proud ranks of only five of the original 147 Brill Cars of this vintage to have been restored to operating capacity.