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 Post subject: Whereabouts of MDT 11945 at Conway Yard
PostPosted: Mon Jun 05, 2017 12:02 am 

Joined: Sun Jun 04, 2017 1:18 am
Posts: 6
Recently I came across pictures of MDT 11945, a very old steel-sided ice-hatch reefer, stored at Norfolk Southern's Conway yard. I can find two pictures of it on rrpicturearchives

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPi ... x?id=57424 (1994)
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPi ... id=1329818 (2008)

as well as a picture attached to a Trainorders post circa 2014

https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/ ... ?2,3370512

This trainorders post is the root of my concerns, as a user in the forum thread attests that he saw the MDT reefer "laying on its side deep inside of the yard", and that there is " NO DOUBT that this car is in the process of being scrapped in place.". His forum post is the only confirmation I have, but I haven't found any other mention of this car past his posting either. The only other mention I can find of this car is in a Model Railroader forum circa 2005

http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/88/p/49728/630248.aspx

where one users says "And there's an old MDT reefer parked there, too. Looks like it's used for storage.". Of course, this doesn't help me much. Hopefully somewhere here knows the whereabouts of this car, scrapped or otherwise.


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 Post subject: Re: Whereabouts of MDT 11945 at Conway Yard
PostPosted: Mon Jun 05, 2017 5:34 pm 

Joined: Thu Oct 08, 2015 11:54 am
Posts: 1773
Location: New Franklin, OH
I asked a guy I know that works in the engine house. He doesn't know right off and never goes to that part of the yard but if he remembers to ask one of the breakdown crews, I'll post back. If it wasn't in bad shape, it would have made a nice donation for someone.

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Eric Schlentner
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 Post subject: Re: Whereabouts of MDT 11945 at Conway Yard
PostPosted: Mon Jun 05, 2017 6:04 pm 

Joined: Thu Aug 26, 2004 2:50 pm
Posts: 2815
Location: Northern Illinois
A related subject (DANGER, thread drift) Does anyone have a spare pair of solid bearing 50 ton ASF A-3 Ride Control trucks available for trade? I know an organization retrieving a steel ice reefer body from service as a shed; best trucks they could find on short notice are 30's era ARA double truss trucks, presently equipped with leaf springs for caboose service. I suspect a trade could be had until they move the body.

For that matter, anyone have a source for used coil springs (don't know for sure, but D-3 would be a good bet) A trade for the leaf springs could be possible.

Contact me via PM or e-mail.

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Dennis Storzek


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 Post subject: Re: Whereabouts of MDT 11945 at Conway Yard
PostPosted: Mon Jun 05, 2017 9:20 pm 

Joined: Tue Aug 02, 2005 1:25 pm
Posts: 6400
Its sad to lose a car like MDT #11945 IF it was in reality scrapped, but there are some other similar MDT cars preserved. About a year ago, there was a thread titled "Painting steel freight cars at R&GVRRM" and during that discussion, a number of MDT steel ice bunker refrigerator cars were discussed. The list:

MDT #12549 at R&GV
MDT #13385 at HVRM
MDT #13755 at FCHS
MDT #14053 at R&GV
MDT #14070 at HVRM

Also NRC* #not known is at RMNE

*(Northern Refrigerator Car was actually owned by Merchants Despatch Transportation).

There could even be some other surviving MDT refers that were not discussed in that particular thread.

Les


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 Post subject: Re: Whereabouts of MDT 11945 at Conway Yard
PostPosted: Mon Jun 05, 2017 10:11 pm 

Joined: Sun Aug 22, 2004 1:51 pm
Posts: 11481
Location: Somewhere east of Prescott, AZ along the old Santa Fe "Prescott & Eastern"
MDT reefers used to be a common sight as storage cars/sheds at various PRR/Conrail yards years ago. One was long prominent along US 11/15 south of the Enola parking lot entrance for years, and I worked with a CR/NS yardmaster to keep an eye on it for preservation, but lost track of it after his untimely passing and my departure from the area. It's gone now, as are several other examples I used to know about. I do believe NS targeted them for scrapping when scrap prices were high a few years ago.


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 Post subject: Re: Whereabouts of MDT 11945 at Conway Yard
PostPosted: Mon Jun 05, 2017 10:40 pm 

Joined: Tue Aug 02, 2005 1:25 pm
Posts: 6400
The two MDT refrigerators at HVRM in North Judson, Indiana were actually donated to us by Merchants Despatch Transportation. The MDT refer at Fulton, Indiana was also a MDT gift. The reason that these cars were still around AFTER the company went to TOFC was that they were being used for paper records storage. Hoosier Valley's two cars came from the old PRR yard in Chicago and the car at the Fulton County Historical Society was at a yard in Indianapolis, Indiana. Eventually, MDT did away with the need for paper records and the cars became surplus and thus available for donation. My guess is that MDT 11945 at Conway Yard was also a records storage car. Perhaps MDT was holding it for a possible donation which fell through. I rather doubt it was ever owned by Norfolk Southern.

I don't know how the R&GV acquired their two cars.

Les


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 Post subject: Re: Whereabouts of MDT 11945 at Conway Yard
PostPosted: Tue Jun 06, 2017 12:59 am 

Joined: Thu Sep 02, 2010 12:40 pm
Posts: 44
Both cars were donated...

http://www.rgvrrm.org/about/railroad/mdt12549/

and

http://www.rgvrrm.org/about/railroad/mdt14053/

Along with this FGEX woodiee
http://www.rgvrrm.org/about/railroad/fgex50220/

14053 was PCF built; while 12549 was built by MDT in East Rochester... a little closer to home :) The MDT built car along with the FGEX were located at Niagara Frontier Food Terminal.


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 Post subject: Re: Whereabouts of MDT 11945 at Conway Yard
PostPosted: Tue Jun 06, 2017 11:44 am 

Joined: Tue Aug 02, 2005 1:25 pm
Posts: 6400
boblenon -

Thanks for the info on the two cars at the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum and the fact that they too were donated by MDT.

I have found a couple of additional preserved MDT refers. The first is the one at the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Museum in Maryland:

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPi ... id=4417109

MDT #13715 apparently has displays in it and the added air conditioning apparatus can be seen on the car. The lettering is pretty much authentic. Some cars carried railroad heralds and the Illinois Central herald may have actually been on the car when it was in service.

I am not 100% sure that this next car is an authentic MDT refer, but the lettering, although incorrectly done, does approximate MDT lettering:

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPi ... id=2114871

This car is at a local historical society in Raymond, New Hampshire with some other railroad equipment and their preserved depot. I couldn't find any info on their website stating how they acquired #12257.

Les


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 Post subject: Re: Whereabouts of MDT 11945 at Conway Yard
PostPosted: Wed Jun 07, 2017 9:07 pm 

Joined: Thu Oct 08, 2015 11:54 am
Posts: 1773
Location: New Franklin, OH
Got the word.... MDT 11945 hasn't been seen in 5 Yard and the breakdown crew is sure it was scrapped a while ago. Sorry for the bad news.

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 Post subject: Re: Whereabouts of MDT 11945 at Conway Yard
PostPosted: Thu Jun 08, 2017 8:59 pm 

I checked with a retired Conway employee and they believed it to be gone as well.


  
 
 Post subject: Re: Whereabouts of MDT 11945 at Conway Yard
PostPosted: Sun Jan 23, 2022 1:50 am 

Joined: Tue Aug 02, 2005 1:25 pm
Posts: 6400
I happened upon an old post stating that Steamtown had received an MDT steel refrigerator car, but when I looked on the Steamtown website with photos of their freight cars, no MDT reefer is shown. However, I think that not all of their freight cars are shown on their website. They supposedly have a NATX tank car, and that's not shown either! Does anyone know if they actually DO have an MDT reefer and if so, its road number?

Thanks!

Les


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