Descanso’s Owner
While it is true the Descanso is undergoing restoration at Orange Empire Railway Museum in Perris under the capable direction and supervision of David Kelly, the article “Rail Buffs Recall Era of Trolleys” (Part A, Jan. 20) gives the impression that the Descanso is owned by the museum while, in fact, it is the sole property of the Pacific Railroad Society, a charitable public-benefit corporation.
When the possibility of scrapping the Descanso was suggested, the Railroad Boosters (to become the Pacific Railroad Society in 1949) acquired the funeral car from the Los Angeles Railway in 1940 and had it moved to a site at the summit of Cajon Pass. There it remained until 1967 when it was brought to the museum.
The society funded the construction of a car barn in which to house the Descanso. Its restoration, again under the funding of the society, began in 1990 with an anticipated completion date by fall of 1991.
CECELIA DITLEFSEN, Alhambra
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