The former New York Elevated coach body that Sloan Cornell rebuild into a coach using a PRR caboose underframe is going to be dismantled over the next few weeks, barring any last minute purchase. Serious (really serious) inquiries about buying the car or parts can be made by calling me at (412) 867-2805 (days) and I will put you in touch with the owner. See my previous post for pictures.

On April 25th, three of the cars from the Penn View Mountain excursion train (passenger car, gondola, open car) were posed together in Marienville, 33 years after leaving the PVM for Gettysburg.

Does anyone have photos of these cars posed together?

PM that guy who is always ranting about trying to find old trucks.

Don't bother. They're somewhat more modern PRR caboose trucks, not 19th-century passenger car trucks.

I'd also be interested in seeing those. PVMR was the first real steam I ever rode on.

I had tried to post the photo when the original message went out, but for some reason it would not work. I will try again here. If no picture appears, PM me and I'll mail it to you.

The trucks were cast-steel sideframe caboose trucks as used on N5 and N6 cabooses. As of last month, they were still intact if anyone is interested.

Anybody know which line it's from? I cannot spot any detail which distinguishes it from the cars which became the Kaiser Shipyard Railway cars.

Is that gondola car the bi-level car without all the added stuff?

Yup! and if it warms up a bit I'll get some work done on it.

Check out http://www.prrllc.com

Scott Kwiatkowski
freezing my A%& off N.J.

As for the earlier query on the wooden car, the usual scuttlebutt was that the car body was "a New York City elevated" car; I am not an expert enough NYC transit fan to tell one system from another, but was told a while back it matched the BMT or Third Avenue Elevated cars.

My suspicion is that both the Marienville car and the Kaiser Shipyard cars were 9th Ave. Elevated cars, as this line was abandoned just before WW2 and the cars would have been available.

Sloan Cornell bought two of these elevated railway carbodies for the Penn View Mountain. Randolph Keen's old guidebook identifies them as Manhattan Railway #782 and the second as either #740 or #746. I believe number of these cars were employed on military bases in WWII. Sloan claimed he found his pair sitting in a field somewhere in Ohio. The second car was never used although it did make it to Gettysburg and then back west to the Knox & Kane before being dismantled many years ago.

Alan Maples

Just wondering....has anybody ever "mantled" anything? How can we undo it if we don't ever do it in the first place? Were you ever "plussed" or "chalant?" Funny thing, language.

dave

Indeed. I just choose a word that didn't outright say "donated to the fire department for a training exercise", which is what actually happened.

Alan Maples

Sure! I "mantle" my Coleman lantern whenever it needs it. :)


Actually, like many words, this one has logical orignins, but they are very old. "Mantle" refers to a cloak, robe or garment etc. You may have heard the term "Mantle of authority" in old books.

So dis-mantling was removing that cloak or covering, undressing, removing parts and equipment etc, somewhat like stripping off outer layers. That makes sense for the traditional use of "dis-mantled" which is taking something apart, rather than simply smashing it or otherwise destroying it.