My name is George Duffy, Jr. and I used to work for the Port Huron & Detroit Railroad.
Recently, I formed a non-profit corporation called the Port Huron & Detroit Railroad Historical Society. Our ultimate goal is to save the roundhouse, which still stands in Port Huron, Michigan. It’s one of a scant 3 or 4 which remain in the entire state.
Due to fortuitous circumstance, the Society finds itself the recipient of Castleblayney, the private car of the PH&DRR. A generous donor has arranged for the car to be shipped from Miami’s Gold Coast Rail Museum to Port Huron. It is finally coming home!
We would like to alert railfans along the route so that they may capture this historic movement. If you have a camera, digital or video, and want to “capture” Castleblayney on its move north, we would like to alert you to this event. Additionally, if you know some pals along the route, let them know as well.
Ideally, aerial coverage from a helicopter would have been the way to go. But times are tough and the next best thing is to let you know when the move will take place.
Please stay tuned to this website for further information. The scheduled movement using CSX entirely, will be sometime in the spring. When I know the exact route and departure from Miami, I’ll let everyone know.
Castleblayney, as most of you know, was the first heavyweight Pullman business car ordered by the C&O. The car was built for the president in 1927 and named Richmond, and was Car #1. Numbering changed to 8, 13, and finally 23, when it was sold to the PH&DRR for $6000.00!
Thanks for this opportunity to introduce myself and this exciting project.

First, congratulations on your acquisition.

Second, not to be too cynical, but I hope and pray that you will have someone "escorting" or "riding shotgun" over this shipment from Miami to Michigan. I've escorted PVs over an almost exact reversal of this movement--Chicago to Miami--and as much as I want to trust CSX, I've learned NEVER to take eyes off a car if possible. In today's age, exposure to passenger cars can be so rare that I've seen crews try to refuse to take a car because it "has the wrong couplers," or attempt to send a car down a yard hump until directions not to were shouted over the intercom speaker from the tower at my insistence.

Good luck getting out of Winston Yard. Waycross should be a hoot, too. Once you get north of there, however, prepare to run like heck to Chicago or wherever.

Congrats on getting this car back to Michigan. You are fortunate as this area still has a pretty active core of people restoring passenger equipment (Bluewater Michigan Chapter NRHS, SRI, etc.) who can help out. What are your plans for the car when it arrives? Do you plan to return it to operation?

If you don't have experience deadheading PVs over CSX or any RR I definitely suggest enlisting the help of people on this site and from other organizations (especially RPCA) for help, and I am sure I won't be the only poster on this thread to say that.

As a long-time member of Bluewater, and as someone who has experience moving passenger cars over the northern part of CSX, I can offer assistance if you need it.

Chris Jacks.

Chris -

As a fellow Boardmember of the PH&DRRHS, (Sandy happens to be my godfather, but I digress) I have made Sandy and the others aware of Bluewater NRHS, and I too have suggested that RPCA membership would be a logical step, for just the reasons you cited. As someone who grew up around the PH&D as a kid, its nice to see that there is finally some effort taking place to preserve some of its history. Given the fact that most of the buildings have been unoccuppied since its sale to Chessie/ CSX in 1984, its a near miracle that the roundhouse and office building are still standing, and an even bigger one that both cabooses survived, as well as at least two of three ALCO's switcher she had at the end. I can't think of too many other short line railroads that, 25 years after they were sold, had that much left that could be saved (at least not in this day and age).

That said, I have done my best to make Sandy and others well aware of the project they are taking on; PVs can and often are as cantankerous as Lima Berkshires.....and the Castleblaney has had a pretty rough life since it left Port Huron last.

If your wondering what car were talking about, below is a picture in here current state, as well as one in better days:




Sincerely,

TJG

George -

Glad to hear you are getting the PH&D business car. But, do you have any photos of the railroad's roundhouse that you are trying to save? Or any information on it? Such as how many stalls? Condition? Does it have a turntable? And does your group have a website?

Les

First, thanks for the very interesting and useful responses. Alex, I’d hoped that CSX, knowing they’d be handling a real C&O historical artifact, might be more respectful! Oh well…I have thought about having someone on board but now maybe I should think more seriously on this. You sound like you might know the route north from Miami. Winston Yard? Waycross is I assume in Georgia. How might these be “interesting”?
The car will not have anything working on the inside. Looks like a sleeping bag sort of situation. Again, I appreciate more opinions from those more knowledgeable than I about this sort of thing.
CT, I have been a long time supporter of the Blue Water folks, going as far back as the early 80’s. As a matter of fact, Frank Koob and I did a presentation on the abandoned RoW of the old DBC&W. Blue Water certainly has some old hands on board who would be most valuable in both this current move and the future restoration. And I know that the PH&DRRHS would be most grateful for their expertise and assistance. So I’m really glad you responded. Sounds like we’ll be needing your help. Perhaps a meeting would be in short order? Our plans are to simply park Castleblayney and swap out her trucks with Chapel Hill. That will take about two years. We’re in no hurry; our main concern is to begin a capital drive to restore the office building.
And TJ, what can I say? You are a tremendous asset in every RR circle. Your kind words and opinions continue to help us avoid missteps common to emerging rail museums. And I appreciate your candor. Can’t load it all on one plate.
Yep, Castleblayney needs some TLC. We’ll tarp it down for now and wait until we’re ready.
Les, the roundhouse stands due to the brilliance of the Chief Engineer Bill Boyd who installed iron turnbuckles up top after the 1926 fire. Although the roof has fallen in, the walls remain sturdy and true. It began life as a 4 stall, expanded to a 6 after the fire. And I am looking for a web designer to create a badly-needed website.
Photos of the roundhouse can be seen at Michigan Railroads dot com. Just have to scrounge around the page until you find them. I think they’d be under surviving roundhouses or something like that.
Thanks to all who have posted. My email is WHLRYDR@aol.com.

George,

Good luck with your move the Castleblayney. It's always good to see Michigan railroad relics repatriated.

When people advise you to accompany the car, they don't mean inside it. Railroads almost never permit car messengers to ride aboard the car anymore, and you probably don't want to do that, anyway. If you follow the car by auto, you can beat it to the next yard in time to prevent if from going over the hump, and see that it leaves expeditiously instead of someday. Plus, if you have a vehicle, you can get to food, lodging, police, et c.

It's definitely important to be around when the car moves. You will have to be there to prevent such disasters as having the draft gear destroyed by humping, damage to the diaphragms by coupling to top-shelf tank-car couplers, slid wheels due to malfunctioning air brakes or inability to find the bleed valve, theft, vandalism, misdirection, and who knows what else. There are switchmen who can't operate the locking cut levers on passenger equipment, so your advice may be needed every time the car is handled.

Incidentally, what's the point of the truck swap with Chapel Hill?

- Aarne Frobom

Do not assume that CSX will have the first clue. To hell with whether it was C&O, they might be very lucky just to figure out it's a passenger car! And then if they DO figure out it's a passenger car, for all we know they just MIGHT reflexively send it to Amtrak's Beech Grove facility near Indianapolis--because if it's a passenger car, that's obviously where it has to be going, right?

I'm being cynical and sarcastic, but we've learned the hard way that such cynicism is often warranted and a necessary defensive mechanism. Even if we are true railroaders, as enthusiasts and historians we definitely think differently than they do. You can honestly expect them, in spite of every special direction in the shipping orders and placards all over the car, to try to send the car over a hump or to couple it into the front or middle of a train rather than the end. They'll refuse the car because they can't figure out how to operate the couplers, or because they're afraid the couplers won't work properly and just leave the "problem" for the next day's crew. I've had to stand there and practically order a crew to take the car that they were supposed to pick up, with railroad police calling the yardmaster to confirm--after three days of trying to defer the "problem car" to someone else, or making excuses that they didn't think a passenger car could possibly be on their waybill.

The last time I had something moving in that area, my southbound stuff was held up for two days at Waycross (southeast Georgia) and four days at Winston (near Lakeland, Fla.) because the CSX power desk at Jacksonville wouldn't let either yard have any southbound power. Of course, this was during that Super Bowl in Jacksonville, leading the yardmaster at Winston and I to conspire to drive up to J-ville and commandeer an empty power desk and allocate ourselves some locomotives........




If the car is uninhabitable, and even if it were self-contained and ready, you would NOT be allowed by CSX to occupy the car during movement. Assume that a "chase vehicle" would have to run from yard to yard ahead of/alongside the train. You'll be a thorn in the yardmasters/crews' sides, but at times you might even be able to swoop in and assist them--for example, driving them back along the train to help inspect for where the air hoses parted or whatnot. Other things you will be guarding against: graffiti taggers, arsonists, or worse while the car is parked in a bad part of a bad town.

This kind of job is not for the faint of heart. I used to charge $250 a day plus expenses for this work, and only in territory I was reasonably comfortable and familiar with. The clients usually regarded as money well spent--just one smashed window would eat up that money awfully fast.

The happy circumstance of Castleblayney's return resulted from an inquiry by our membership chair Bud Gilbert. He pointedly and respectfully asked if the Society could have the car body since the current owner wanted the high-speed 105 mph trucks to upgrade his own PV which has the lower rated 95 mph version. Further conversation resulted in a swap of these trucks.
Thanks to those who have educated me on this event. Looks like a road trip might be in order!
George Duffy

> ...the current owner wanted the high-speed 105 mph
> trucks to upgrade his own PV which has the lower
> rated 95 mph version.

There must be more to that story than just the speed difference, or have they started allowing PV's on the Acela? ;)

Seriously, I'm curious as to why the 95 mph trucks would not be more than adequate. After all, where are you going to go faster than 95? Do these trucks also ride better, or have less wear or some other factor?

Bob, Looking at the "Castleblaney", and a shot of the "Chapel Hill" over on Trainweb, it appears that the difference is that Castleblaney has outside swing hanger trucks vs. cast drop equalizer trucks on Chapel Hill. Properly rebuilt, outside swing hanger trucks provide much better stability and ride quality, hence the higher speed rating. It's kind of like the difference between having live axle/leaf spring suspension under your automobile, or 4 wheel independent suspension with coil over shocks. Outside swing hanger trucks are found on most heavyweights and many lightweights that are currently in business train service with the Class 1's. PV owners will frequently buy an otherwise rough car with swing hangers just for the trucks to do an upgrade on their cars. This sounds like a good deal for the "Chapel Hill" and a very happy ending for the "Castleblaney".

Just FYI for those interested in PH&D equipment:

The Big South Fork Scenic Railway in Stearns, KY has ALCO S2 #105, which is out of service due to a prime mover crankshaft bearing failure. I do not know, but doubt that this loco will be repaired any time soon.

This loco is PH&D #60.

I don't know if it would be available to any interested PH&D party.

Mark