The long boom of a wrecking crane, with its large hooks, required a separate car under it called a boom or tool car.

This car was originally built as a wood deck flatcar by American Car and Foundry in 1949 for the Southern Pacific Railroad. It was later equipped with custom compartments for tools, equipment, and supplies, to assist its accompanying wrecking crane. It carries lifting equipment, rigging, blocking, extra wheel sets, and other items necessary for the recovery of rail equipment. It also has fuel and water tanks with pumps for transfer to the crane.

This car was purchased by the museum after its retirement in 1989. It arrived on site in 1992 and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 29, 2007.

As built, the car was a 40-foot steel flat car with wooden deck, class F-50-16 (flat car, 50-ton capacity, 16th design of its class). When converted to a tool car, it was assigned number SPMW 7028A to accompany wrecking crane 7028. In 1969 it received its current designation of SPMW 7131 when its accompanying crane was renumbered as SPMW 7030.

In 1992 the Southern Pacific Railroad moved the tool car and its associated crane to the museum′s temporary storage track near Pecos Road, then after the Armstrong Park switch was installed in 1993, the museum′s Plymouth locomotive moved them onto the museum grounds at Erie Street in 1994. They were moved south by the now Union Pacific Railroad to the museum′s new Tumbleweed Park location on Ryan Road, along with the rest of the fleet, in 2006. (The Union Pacific acquired the Southern Pacific in 1996.)

The combination "Railroad Steam Wrecking Crane and Tool Car" was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 29, 2007.

	In service 11/76.
	Tool Car at old ARM site, ca. 1990s.
	1/21/2017 - Restored after Eagle Scout project.

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