North Pole Handcar

North Pole handcar

The North Pole handcar is the elves’ railroad car that is used at the North Pole.

While the children reboard the Polar Express for the return journey, the four elves use their handcar to bring the observation car back to the Polar Express, which had became a runaway earlier when Hero Boy accidentally uncouples it, and have it reconnected to the other cars.

Basis

The North Pole Handcar's basis.

The North Pole Handcar, is based on a real actual Handcar or better known as a pump car. They are railroad cars that were powered by its passengers, or by people pushing the car from behind. It is mostly used as a railway maintenance of way or mining car, but it was also used for passenger service in some cases. A typical design consists of an arm, called the walking beam, that pivots, seesaw-like, on a base, which the passengers alternately push down and pull up to move the car.

Today some of these cars are still around at train museums.

Livery

The handcar is painted maroon with gold wheels.

Trivia

• The handcar is only seen in the film, not in the book.
• Unlike the movie, it has the "PE" symbol on the sides but only on Merchandise models.
• A rare concept photo of the O Gauge Handcar from a Lionel catalog shows it with four elves like the film, but the production model came with only three elves.

Merchandise gallery

Lionel O Gauge Handcar

American Flyer S Gauge Handcar

Brio handcar with the observation car