While out kayaking in the Christiana River yesterday with a group of friends we spotted what looked like a railroad car sitting in the Kalmar Nyckle shipyard. After we finished we drove over to the shipyard and found it was indeed a railroad car.

Not only was it a wooden railroad car but it was a Jackson and Sharp car that was built in the plant that was located more or less right where we were standing. I shot a couple of photos and have them posted on my fotopic webstie at:

http://tommysphotos.fotopic.net/p26848597.html

http://tommysphotos.fotopic.net/p26848596.html

http://tommysphotos.fotopic.net/p26848595.html

The car is there for restoration and is going to be worked on by a group that teaches vocational skills to "at risk" youth. I do not know any history of the car but have made some calls. I'll post more as the information is passed on to me. Does anyone out there have any details?

Well, here's what it should look like when finished, thanks to the superb work done by the folks at Mid-Continent.

http://www.midcontinent.org/collectn/woodpas/dssa213.html

The MCRM web site says that four of these DSS&A Jackson & Sharpe cars survive. I wonder if this is another of them?

I hope it comes out that good. Wilmington was a major car and ship building city and to date we have nothing to display from our golden era. Some of the Jackson and Sharp company buildings still exist and are located all around this car. You can find out more about the old Jackson and Sharo plant at my site:

http://www.forgottendelaware.com/acf/acf.html


I called the group who are going to be working on the car and left a voice mail. I hope to hear back from them sometime soon and will post anything I can find out. By the way, when I peeked under the tarp one side of the car looked to be painted yellow and the other side a deep red. Also I forgot to mention that Jackson and Sharp is cast into the trucks.

Could this be the Wood PRR coach that the Henry Ford deaccessioned about 5 years ago? I have heard conflicting reports that it ended up at Newtown Square, PA - but have yet to see any visual confirmation.

Tom Cornillie

My guess is that this is not the ex-Henry Ford car. I recall that car as being 68 feet or better, longer and newer than what seems to be under this tarp, and having heavier trucks. It was painted green when I last saw it at Dearborn.

I just found out some details on the car. It is a former Steamtown car that came from Canada. Built date is 1889. It is described to be a first class passenger car. The indside is complete and in good shape. It is owned by the Historical Society of Delaware and the restoration will be carried out by the Challenge Program. The later organization provides vocational training to "at risk" youth in the city of Wilmington.

I have an appointment to visit the car tomorrow and should have more details to report then.

I would guess, since #124 had a round roof. I was hoping Steamtown might keep these two gals together, but it is sweet to see her back at her birthplace.

I always thought the yellow on one side, red on the other car was ex B&M. Oh well, ya learn sumtin each day.

Rob

Tom,
On your web site you ask for information about other existing J&S cars. Are you looking specifically for pre-AC&F J&S cars, or an all-inclusive list of both pre- and post- AC&F survivors?

You almost wonder how such a car stays below the radar with all the eyes and ears tuned to this forum. But perhaps under stealth conditions it got moved and sited, and (presumably) a project and funding approved and set up. BRAVO!

But the next step?? Assuming this gets work and restoration substantially complete over the life of the program, this is not a preservation effort per se. Any chance it could be sold or auctioned off to one of our groups or operations, thus providing seed money for the next project??

Bob Kutella

I am looking to compile a list of all Wilmington built rail equipment that is still with us. Actually I am also working on a list of ships as well. Please let me know if you can help. Thanks!

I had no idea there were any Wilmington built cars available. I really need to get working on my list.

From what I have been told the car will remain in Delaware. An endowment is being raised to pay for upkeep of the car once restoration is complete. From what I understand restoration is actually on hold until the endowment is funded. I'll have more details soon.

Located at the National Railway Museum at Hamar in Norway, northern Europe we have a J & S buildt car:

" Rørosbanens kongevogn nr. 200, Jackson & Sharp, Wilmington, Dell. 1877."

That means: The Kings car nr. 200 buildt by Jackson & Sharp, Wilmington, Delaware in 1877.
The 200 was made for the Roerosbanen, a 1067 mm system between Hamar and Trondheim. The word "banen" = railroad.

Ragnar Andenaes

"Handfiring is the real and only art!"

Tom,

Have not heard from you here in a while! Glad to hear that you are still interested in old things that move!

did you ever do the list of surviving J&S cars that you talked about?

I bet a lot more of them are narrow gauge than stndard gauge. Take for example the Wiscasset & Quebec 3 at the WW&F Museum in Alna , Maine.

Ted Miles

Tom;

I have 12 steamships listed on my "Surviving World Steamship" CD-ROM that were built in Wilmington:

1. Screw steam tugboat Catawissa at the North River Tugboat Museum, Kingston, NY, USA. Built in Wilmington in 1896 for the Pennsylvania-Reading Railroad, derelict; most likely will be scrapped.

2. Screw steam tugboat Wilmington; whose remains are among those rotting in the Witte Marine Equipment yard on Staten Island. Built 1900 for the PRR.

3. Screw steam tugboat Harrisburg; also in Witte's yard; also built in 1900 for the PRR.

4. Screw steam ferry Sardinia, ex-Philadelphia; built in 1926, was a floating houseboat in Philadelphia, PA; has sunk at it's moorings and will most likely be scrapped soon; if not already.

5. Screw steam tugboat Garden City; also just remains in Witte's yard; built for the LIRR in 1941.

6. Screw steam yacht Cangarda, ex-Magedoma, under restoration by a private individual in Fairhaven, MA; built by Pusey & Jones in 1901; see:

http://tricoastal.com/Cangarda/Cangarda.html

7. Screw passenger steamer State of Pennsylvania; remains only at the foot of Madison Street in the Christina River in Wilmington. Grounded in 1970; burned to the waterline in 1988. Was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

8. Screw Coast Guard bouy tender U.S.S. Lilac; under restoration at Pier 40 in New York, NY; built by Pusey & Jones in 1933.

9. Screw Coast Guard cutter U.S.S. Mohawk; was at Staten Island, recently sold to the Miami Dade Historical Maritime Museum. Built by Pusey & Jones in 1934.

10. Screw steam ferry Jamestown, ex-Richmond; in use as a floating terminal/ferry ramp at Weehawken terminal, Weehawken, NJ; to be replaced with a new facility. Built by Pusey & Jones in 1941.

11. Side wheel steamer Olympian; derelict on the N. shore of the Straits of Magellan, Posesiòn, Chile (first steel-hulled vessel built; American walking beam engine is intact!); built by Harlan & Hollingsworth in 1883.

12. Screw steam ferry Ellis Island; remains only at her slip at Ellis Island, NY; sunk in 1968. Built by Harlan & Hollingsworth in 1904.

Pictures of three of these and more details can be found on the CD.

The screw steam CNJ ferry Elizabeth had her steam machinery salvaged last year for the Independence Seaport Museum; she was then sunk off Cape May, NJ. Built by Harlan & Hollingsworth in 1901.

-James Hefner
Hebrews 10:20a

Surviving World Steam Project

James,

Thanks for the information. I can tell you the State of Pennsylvania was cut up years ago. I have some others on my list and I will send you email you later.

Is the Sardinia the one I saw 1/2 sunk about 6 blocks above the Ben Franklin Bridge last Saturday when I was poking around Philly on my bicycle? It was located right near two large high rise buildings under construction.

Tom