I was last inside the restricted area in October and November 2002 and surveyed all of the rail cars on base, as well as all of the track. Fortunately for the cars there was no storm damage and they were sitting on the tracks as they had for decades, but their eventual end was never really in doubt.

At that time there was some interest on the base in using the rail line for inbound coal shipments and a small contractor, doing some piece work here and there on track repair, was the likely one to be selected as the operator. Unfortunately the base civil engineer, who had saved the dormant railroad from scrapping over the years, moved on to a new job in DC and those he left behind didn't share his enthusiasm for using the railroad for any purpose. Charles County had been seeking for well over a decade to have it converted to a trail and it wasn't long before the county got its hands on the rail outside of the base and got its wish. County leadership sold the locals on the idea that the trail would bring in hikers and bikers who would shop in the stores, eat in local restaurants, stay overnight in hotels, and otherwise bring economic prosperity to Indian Head, but if that's the case, I haven't seen it. One county official told me they (the county leadership) would like also to see the rail line to the Morgantown power plant gone, as they didn't like waiting for trains at crossings. The local population and car traffic had grown and that meant the rail line needed to go in order to facilitate car traffic flow. (Yes, nuts.)

There's a $13K bid on the 15 cars. Bidding ends tomorrow at 5 PM EDT.

Somebody with vulture-like ambitions start circling. (Though there exists the possibility a preservation-friendly scrapper I tipped off might be involved.....)

Oh, hell, while I was typing this, it went to $34,400......

Final sale price: $42,200, or $2,818 per car.

Shades of the day not too long ago when one railroad was buying old-enough-looking freight cars, usually with roller bearings, from a nearby Class One's RR yard for $250 each as they came available....