While checking the aerial coverage of South Philly, I noticed these cars in the area of the former PRR coal yard. Any idea what they are?

Rob

http://local.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&cp=39.896344~-75.148138&style=o&lvl=2&scene=1997264

They look like heavily-graffittied MP-54s.

I don't think those are MP54s. MP54s have clerestory roofs. The cars in the picture are definitely arch-roof cars. Reading coaches, maybe?

these cars are indeed ex MP-54's, which have been there for 10 years or so. They were in transit, and I believe had mechanical problems, and the owners never resolved the issues, and the cars were pushed to the back of the coal storage yard, and trashed and abandoned. I believe they came out of perhaps Avondale PA.. or some local shortline, and things just didn' work out.

I was given close up photographs of these cars about 2 years ago, and there is nothing left of them.

Matt, it's the sun angle that makes it look like an arch roof. The length (or lack thereof!) is the major giveaway, along with the headlights on each end (although the RDG cars had almost identical headlights). The RDG cars are 70-75 foot cars.

It is a real loss if these are the cars from the Avondale Rail Center. These cars were among the most intact MP-54's remaining and were in good overall structural condition.

It is amazing that MP-54's, as a class, remain unpreserved - especially in considering that they are the first successful mainline MU car. The Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania scrapped its car in 2003 - does anyone know it they saved its as-built trucks? The URHS has two, will they be saved?

I would like to see a ground level photo of the Avondale cars if anybody has one.

Tom Cornillie

The cars are in south Philly near the old PRR coal and ore facilities. In addition to the old MP54 cars there are a bunch of old railroad sights to find. I really like the water tower that looks like it was the prototype for the Walthers steel water tank.

I think the MP54s are indeed the ones from Avondale that were sold and never made it any further for reasons unknown. There are also three old Atlas narrow gauge locomotive that were used to push the ore cars through the loop.

Does anyone know the story of the PRR Baldwin switcher somehow rolled through the coal car kickback and ended up in the Delaware River?

There are photos of the MP-54 and all things railroad related in the collection here, the MP-54s are on the 3rd page.

http://tommysphotos.fotopic.net/c811725.html

Thanks for that link.

These cars don't look "too' bad externally. It depends on what has happened to the inside.

Also, there were 4 cars at Avondale, where are the other two?

In thinking about MP-54's, another loss was the car scrapped by the B&O museum in the mid 1990's. While its interior was vandalized with spraypaint, it seemed otherwise complete when I inspected it C. 1991. Its body also seemed relatively solid.

Given the technological significance of the MP-54, a case could be made for displaying them outside of the northeast. They would make an interesting exhibit at the OERM, showing an alternative to DC traction used by the PE.

Tom Cornillie

The numbers and reporting marks confirm the reports for me:

The cars were from the collection at Avondale, Pa. and were en route to the Wilmington & Western RR (the "WWRC"). Actually, I'm trying to remember, but I think W&W actually was the one that rescued these cars from SEPTA (four from SEPTA and two from Washington Terminal's employee shuttle train). One was, sadly, the last one still in Tuscan red with a keystone. As I recall, the W&W retained two of them and the other four went off to Avondale. Not to get into personal details, but I think the owner was a W&W official, parted ways with the operation, and eventually got back in their good graces (he also owned AB&C 58, also at Avondale for a while, which has held down steam duty on the W&W for a while since the reunion).

The sad part of all of this is that only five miles as the crow flies separates Avondale and the W&W at Hockessin, but the main road between the two would not have been conducive to trucking an MP54.

The #58 and the four MP54s were all donated to the W&W and were rolled down to the W&W all together in one trip. Since the W&W already had 4 Boonton cars and several MP54s with one in regular passenger service the 4 from Avondale were deemed surplus and sold off. The WWRC marking are from the sister company W&W Railway which operates common carrier freight service on the tourist W&W Railroad. The cars were probably shipped out under WWRC due to them being a common carrier freight railroad. The two other cars were stranded on the line when the bridges were washed out and are still there.

Now does anyone have the story on the Baldwin switcher that ran over the coal pier kickback?

In the aerial photo, the cars are "tagged" pretty good. In Tom's photos, they are red. Which is the current status of the cars?

Rob

That's an easy one. Only one side is tagged. I'll try to come up with some more photos.

Delaware & Ulster Rail Ride, Arkville, N.Y., on part of the New York Central's Ulster & Delaware RR, had at least one MP54. Their manager in the mid 1980s thought that they made very nice riding coaches, because they were a bit heavy for their short length.

The D&U had quite a few MP54s - but they restored them as New York Central.

I think the only other fleet of MP54s out there is in Austin, TX in excursion service. Are there any others out there that aren't in stripped condition?

Chris.

The D & U has three MP 54's plus the trucks off of a fourth car, there numbers are 441, 444 and 447 which were on the cars when they arrived in Arkville.

B. Allan