The “crummy” is a shuttle car that was used by the Anaconda Copper Mining Company in the Blackfoot Valley beginning in the 1930s. It was a self-propelled unit with an interior engine that was used to haul men to the logging operations in the woods. It could hold as many as 45 men at a time. It was donated to the Museum in 1989.
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Lumber companies used shuttle cars, such as the “Galloping Goose Gibson Speeder #2” to haul men to the logging operations in the woods. The car was a self-propelled unit with an interior engine that powered the rear wheels by way of a chain drive. With a window on either end, the shuttle car could travel in either direction, avoiding the problem of turning the car around in the woods. The shuttle car could hold up to 45 men, and could climb up to a 6% grade. Even in the best of weather, the conditions inside the car with that many lumbermen were uncomfortable, giving the shuttle cars the nickname “crummy”.
This “crummy” was used in the Blackfoot Valley by the Anaconda Copper Mining Company. Bill Hartley first operated it in 1936. Originally, the car would have had a canvas top and would have lacked a footbrake.
