I'm trying to save an original Lehigh Valley grain car from the scrapping torch, in Wilson, NC. I've posted info on several websites, such as Trainorders.com, soliciting help in moving the car to the Illinois Railway Museum in Union, Ill. If ANYONE is interested in helping us out, we're running out of time--it's on a Cargill siding and is in their way; they own it and will donate it to the museum, but need someone ELSE to move it (NS RR will not move it on its own roller bearing trucks; TTX WILL donate use of a flatcar for it to ride on if necessary, so they say). Please e-mail me or leave a message thread here. Thank you. DETAILS can be found at the attached LINK...

Help Save a LEHIGH VALLEY Grain Car!
rbx551985@yahoo.com

> Might want to contact the nice folks at Anthracite Railroads Historical Society

They were the FIRST group we went to; and they said YES, they'd take it. Then they spent $4,410 in repairs to make the car roadworthy. Then NS told them they wouldn't move it on its own trucks. Oh, brother. THEN, Anthricite's parent group cancelled their interest in it, so we had to start over. This time, the Illinois Railway Museum said they would like to acquire it; all we need to do now is to MOVE the thing there.

We must: provide approx. 50-feet of track to put it on at the museum; MOVE the car to the museum; off-load it from the truck or RR flatcar (TTX said we could use one of their gratis if necessary), and lastly, reimburse Anthricite for their $ spent on it.

ALL OF THAT IS TAX-DEDUCTABLE, as the museums are 501(C)(3).

What I'm asking for here is someone or a GROUP of someones who are interested enough to round up some finances so we can complete the move, and they would all get a great tax write-off in the process. ANYONE donating time, labor, materials, finances, etc. WOULD RECEIVE the tax write-off, according to applicable I.R.S. laws.

Anthricite's people are wonderful, and have been quite understanding about all of this. Their parent group said they already had a similar car, so a second one was redundant. Union's museum has a large Pullman collection, and this car is in fact a Pullman-built car.

(For details, click on the LINK provided below.)
Thank you for your suggestion!

--RC


http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?f=1&i=57065&t=57065
rbx551985@yahoo.com

Ok, let me ask the obvious question. WHY won't NS move the car on its own wheels? Specifics please. COTS out of date? Won't accept AB brakes? Restricted because of its age? condemned wheels? friction bearings? What was the money that was spent already used for? That money would have paid for a majority of the shipping cost for the car, since you were getting the use of a flat for free and could have gotten either free shipment or reduced cost freight from NS. Your only big cost would be crane service which might cost $1,000 at each end and trucking of the trucks for about $600.

WHY IRM? Why not send it to New Castle and put it on the track that I built a couple of years ago right next to UN tower? Since I already have the track in place and it is served by NS we could get this car moved quite inexpensively, without abiding by all the rules and regs. imposed by IRM.

Just something to consider.

rickrailrd@aol.com

> Ok, let me ask the obvious question. WHY
> won't NS move the car on its own wheels?
> Specifics please. COTS out of date? Won't
> accept AB brakes? Restricted because of its
> age? condemned wheels? friction bearings?
> What was the money that was spent already
> used for? That money would have paid for a
> majority of the shipping cost for the car,
> since you were getting the use of a flat for
> free and could have gotten either free
> shipment or reduced cost freight from NS.
> Your only big cost would be crane service
> which might cost $1,000 at each end and
> trucking of the trucks for about $600.

> WHY IRM? Why not send it to New Castle and
> put it on the track that I built a couple of
> years ago right next to UN tower? Since I
> already have the track in place and it is
> served by NS we could get this car moved
> quite inexpensively, without abiding by all
> the rules and regs. imposed by IRM.

> Just something to consider.

Thank you, Rick, for your response and questions. If you're up in Newcastle, you may know an acquaintence of mine from Conway, Pa., Joe Jack, who helped me start this process a couple of years ago. I would LOVE to see the car in the area near to where it was build, Butler, Pa., in December 1967. In fact, that's where I started this, but NO ONE was found in your area, back then, interested in this at all. So Joe made some out-of-area connections...

If you are interested, let's see what we can come up with. Perhaps if IRM is too far, your site is just what the doctor ordered. And it'll be a whole lot less expensive, I'll bet. (IRM is interested as they have an extensive Pullman collection, and this IS a Pullman-built car.)

Here's some detailed answers to your questions. To answer them in order, the following is an excerpt from a letter to NS Corp. from the Anthricite RRs Historical Soc., July 9, 1999...

"...request...for the donation of a set of freight car trucks to enable our organization to move a covered hopper car from Wilson, NC to New Jersey. The background on this car is contained in our letter of May 16th to the FRA...

"...The request for the trucks stems from a recent inspection of the car by an NS car inspector from Raleigh, NC. The main concern about the trucks is the condition of the roller bearings, given the length of time the car has been out of service..." [These were additional defects found AFTER the work the A.R.S. had done on the car--see Repair Work List, below--R.C.]

"...The car presently has 33 inch flat-plate wheels. In addition to the truck problem, the inspection noted the following defects: two center sill cracks (welded plates will fix); "B" end truck bolster needs shim; one side sill step is too long; and the hand brake wheel is mounted incorrectly, as it is welded, not bolted.

"We thought that this roller bearing-equipped car, generously donated to our society by Cargill, Inc., would come to us for the cost of transporting it, but that is obviously not the case now. Thus our request. Can NS donate and install acceptable trucks and correct the noted car defects for us? As a registered not-for-profit historical society, the value of time and material donated is tax-deductible.

"With a dwindling number of ex-Lehigh Valley Railroad cars still around, this car is worthy of preservation. With Norfolk Southern's help this can be accomplished..."

(end of letter portion re-type)

RICK, NORFOLK SOUTHERN NEVER GOT THIS OFF THE GROUND, since it occured RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE of the first year of the Conrail split--and you know what happened to them then; they simply had MUCH more important things to take care of, and this RR car got left behind in the shuffle. Now, things might be a little different, but I'm without any long distance phone service, and this website, and my e-mail address, is all I have to contact people with--plus the links at Trainorders.com, Don Phillips at the Washington Post Newspaper, and TRAINS Magazine. Norfolk Southern's weblink is one I cannot leave messages on, as I must join some type of special group with a special "pass code."

ALL OTHER MATERIAL ON THE CAR IS READY TO ROLL. The car has been sitting on the siding for 20 years, used only to shuttle grain on the track back & forth. It is still moved around, when room is needed to load/unload other cars NS brings in.

HERE IS WHAT ANTHRICITE'S $4,410 WAS SPENT ON:

A-end:
$ 20.00 Replaced hand-holds
$100.00 Applied 2 Springs on L. and R.
$ 27.00 Misc. Bolts and Nuts
$100.00 Applied 1 Side Sill Step
$475.00 Applied Coupler and Cut Lever
$ 79.00 Applied End Valve, Hose and Piping

B-end:
$235.00 Applied Crossover Step and Side Sill Steps
$100.00 Applied Grabirons and Ladder Treads
$475.00 Applied Coupler and Cut Lever
$ 79.00 Applied End Valve, Hose and Piping
$320.00 Motel & Rel. Expenses of Repair Company
$2400.00 Labor & Travel Time of Repair Company, "Iron Horse Transportation Services, Inc.," of Rockingham, NC.

(Materials alone came to $1,690.00)

NOW, here's what I'd like to see happen: we find someone --or GROUP of same--who can perform some miracle and reimburse ARHS for that $4,410 (it is, after all, a 501(C)(3) organization, so the tax-write-off would be rather nice). AND we accomplish what the above information says must be done to get it to wherever gets it, either ARHS, IRM, or somewhere else better.

IF YOU ARE SERIOUSLY INTERESTED, I would LOVE so see you get the car! IRM cannot do any more until at least 50-feet of track is laid at their site, and that's even MORE of an investment we do not have at this time.

If you think this is something do-able, please return another e-mail or post to this link. I STAND READY TO ASSIST WHOMEVER WANTS THIS CAR, and have a lot of connections to at least spread the word. I just want to see this car saved by someone--ANYONE--before it really is too late.

THANK YOU very much, and I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Rhett Coates,
Richmond, Virginia



http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?f=1&i=57065&t=57065
rbx551985@yahoo.com