As superheater pointed out in the post "Surving (sic) DL&W equipment other than" there are

.

I posted this to "Flimsies" but note that three more just arrived west of the Mississippi. I believe this gives Heber Valley a total of 5 pieces of the ex-DL&W rolling stock.

http://www.harktheherald.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=71238

sc 'doc' lewis

One of the ELDCPS directors has personally purchased DL&W "Phoebe Snow" coach 318 to be used with our diners and other cars on the current day Delaware-Lackawanna out of Scranton:

http://www.eldcps.org/equipment/1318.html

According to the linked article, two of the Heber Valley's cars were "total losses" after the May runaway. Does anyone know which two cars these were and what became of them?

Also, what are the numbers of the cars that the HV got from the Knox & Kane? I saw the cars in Pennsylvania in September and was curios.

Thanks

Jason Midyette

Technically, three cars were total losses. Open air car #365 (the "runaway") was a converted heavy duty flat car and I understand that it (sans trucks) bridges some ditch in Montana. Some might say, an end befitting a naughty, naughty, b-a-a-a-a-a-d car.

The two cars referred to in the article, #248 (ex-Clinchfield?) and #5340 (ex-UP chair car), were the trailing cars on the train in the May accident. I'll defer to those who can better describe the damage they sustained (cracked castings?) but from a business (revenue-generating) standpoint, the cost of repair exceeds their "value". They currently sit on the property in the West Yard. There has been some interest expressed by an outside party to take them south for use in a static revenue-generating environment.

sc 'doc' lewis

One of our informants (spies) recently spotted three coaches passing through Denver billed to Heber Valley. By his observation he thought they were ex Chicago South Shore cars sans pantographs and pilots. They came to Chicago for interchange via CSX.

Were these old interurbans or was there a different heritage as implied in the other messages on this thread?

Bob Kutella

I would also be interested in more specific information on these cars. The Knox and Kane had/has at least 3 nee-LIRR Ping-Pong coaches (perhaps the last of these to survive) in addition to three former DL&W MU's (see Frank Hicks' execellent roster for more info on the latter.

Tom Cornillie

It was my understanding (and certainly I could be mistaken) that these three cars are ex-DL&W motor units. The other two pieces of ex-DL&W rolling stock on the Heber Valley are trailers obtained in the early 90's from The Great Smoky Mountain Railroad.

Mike Manwiller (HVRR's CMO) was very involved in the locating and acquisition of the three cars and would be better able to answer the questions...however, I can tell you that he and the shop crew are working 'round the clock to get them into service. Each night we gain their use this week is over 400 additional paying passengers that are on the train, on the property, in the gift shop...

sc 'doc' lewis

ps I don't believe the flimsies reference had the photographs that were associated with the story, but one shows a car number of 3571. This may be helpful to those knowledgeable of the former Knox and Kane and determining exactly which coaches these are.

They're Lackawanna MU cars. If they have cast-frame, roller bearing trucks, then they were originally motor cars. The trailer cars were two types-- low clerestory roof, built 1928 in anticipation of being electrified, and "high trailers", which are 1915 open-end steam coaches ("Boonton cars") that has the vestibules closed in and set up with control cabs. The high and low trailers rode on bolted pedestal plain bearing trucks.

Knox & Kane used an orange and maroon paint scheme which looked a lot like CSS&SB colors.

Pack 'em in, Doc; you have a few more nights to ring the registers!

The HVRR's new cars are former Knox & Kane 3568, 3571 and 3593. They are ex Erie Lackawanna MU's. (cast trucks and 6x11 roller bearings as described above, some of the axles still have the gears on them that teh traction motors once powered) When I saw the cars in Pennsylvania in September, they were painted in the KNox & Kane's orange and brown and were basically in good shape. Hopefully I can get to Heber someday to ride in them.

As a side note, the Knox & Kane's 50 ton Porter diesel locomotive also has a new home out west, it is now in Hudson Colorado at a former railcar repair facility. It arrived by truck on December 10 and will be running around as soon as it gets an oil change and a couple of new brake shoes. For the record, it takes a long time to drain 10+ gallons of oil from a diesel engine a couple of quarts at a time!

Jason Midyette

Isn't the rest stop coach near exit 53 on the Long Island Expressway a Ping-Pong coach?