Possible Old Colony coaches?


http://www.fallout-ue.com/locations/ritrain/

Interesting find. But, the photographer says: "We're not sure where we were?" Say what? I guess these fellows didn't have a GPS device? Or a road map? Even a four digit coordinate would tell you what grid square they were in.

Little Rhody ain 't that big; it's only a little over 1,040 square miles in size. It won't take you long to find these derelicts, I suspect, even if you don't know where they are! Wink, wink.

P.S. I was born and reared in Rhode Island (Providence) and cut my teeth railroading on the Narragansett Pier RR.

I think these are on the north end of the Newport Branch, north of where the Old Colony & Newport operates on Aquidneck Island. They were "leftovers" from PC/CR commuter operations in the Boston area, and I think they had some connection with a group once called "Steam Associates" in the RI-southern Mass. area.

They've been sitting for 30+ years right next to salt water with no attention (no positive attention that is). And the line is now isolated; the connecting bridge to the mainland was removed years ago. Probably too much trouble to cut them up now, but that's likely their fate at some point.

Howard P.

I remember watching these being delivered to Aquidneck (in summer 1982, IIRC) when I was working on the Blue Gold startup at the old naval base. I was delighted at the time that so many P70s had been saved -- it was a fairly long train of them going over the bridge, and NOT something I was expecting to see (shades of 4877 at Hoboken!).

While it's sad to see them in that shape -- at least they aren't scrapped, which is what I'd thought happened to them.

Were these cars restored and used on the Newport Dinner train? There is only one car on the whole Aquidneck Island that I could find that was not part of "known" equipment.

IIRC, there are two cabeese, a flat car, the two wooden coaches, the two 45-ton GE engines. These are part of the Old Colony.
http://goo.gl/maps/FGVwt

There are 2 RDCs from the Hobo Railroad, a 44-tonner, and 3 streamliner passenger cars, a power car and older rounded roof car. These are part of the dinner train, etc.
http://goo.gl/maps/Ohd4F

The only other car I can find on that section of the rails is another round roof car back toward where the Old Colony stores their equipment.
http://goo.gl/maps/RXbxc
More specifically
http://goo.gl/maps/hCGk4
http://binged.it/UHs8r1

Thoughts?

If you go to the last major curve before the bridge and back track a bit you can see the cars in question that were photographed. They are near an old and large pier and terminal facility. Also they are near terminal rd.

What is going to happen to all of that equipment on the island? Is any of it military owned or is it all stuff owned by now defunct organizations.

Of the Five P70's that came to the island only one still exists. The four that were coupled together on Terminal Road were cut up about six months ago and the remaining one located right outside the navy base is used for storage and is on a piece of panel track but its in pretty rough shape. There are two Railroads left on the island, one is the Old Colony and Newport which runs Sunday's only and consists of two wooden cars and two 45 Tonners plus work equipment. The other is the Newport Dinner train which runs Thursday's, Friday's, and Saturday's April through the end of October plus the Polar Express in November and December. The Dinner Train owns the RDC's, Budd Passenger cars, and one EX LIRR P72 along with two 44 Tonners for motive power (only one is currently used)

Mathew

Thanks Mathew! I was going nuts trying to find 'em on Google Earth. After your post, I was able to go back in time to locate them. Sorry to hear about their scrapping but I guess that was inevitable. Also thanks for the info on the two operations and their equipment. And welcome to the RYPN list!

Whatever the reason, there is not much interest in P-70's in the preservation world. I would guess more of them have been scrapped in the past year than any other class of passeneger cars in the last 20 years.

I have tried twice to find a home for intact P-70's with no avail. At the rate of scrapping, the one at RRMofPA may soon be the last one left.

Rob