This is a somewhat railroading preservation question; its about a Western Maryland box truck, yes a box TRUCK. I came across a Chevrolet 21000lbs truck. This website has plenty of pictures, http://www.wmwestsub.com/wmtruck1965.htm. I havent bothered to call the junk yard...yet. Does anyone know what ever happened to this truck? Is it still there?

Aaron -

This reminds me of a Rock Island truck that was abandoned somewhere. Not sure if it was in a junkyard, or elsewhere. It's been a couple of years, and I don't even remember now how I heard about it. From the photos, that particular truck seemed fairly intact, and restorable. I thought it might make sense for the Rock Island Technical Society to purchase it, and put Rock Island Railroad artifacts in it for display in old on-line communities, as a way to drum up membership. I don't believe anything ever came of it, but I am no longer a member of RITS so I don't know for sure.

Les

I'm going to assume these photos were taken in 1965? I pass that junkyard every day and I've never seen it.

Looks like its last trip was a bit eventful!

Seriously though, if some WM fan happened to be into vehicle restoration it would make a nice bit of eye candy at a museum. Whether parked at the station or posed as "set dressing" for photo sessions, it would help interpret all those non- rail operations that helped railways thrive.

A quick phone call would tell if the old girl is there, and a site visit would tell how much is left of her!

Steve Hunter
Cardinal, Ontario

Actually, on the page leading up to the truck, it says "Below are photos I have taken or found on the internet of original WM equipment that was still surviving in the late 1990's. Some of this equipment wether it be locomotives or rail cars are no longer around having been sold for scrap or sold and repainted for other railroads. Any questions on something you see, email me and I'll do my best to answer your question or point you in the right direction."

The truck is still there. My brother and I spent a good 4 hours on a saturday afternoon looking for it about 3-4 months ago. I was hoping to find a diamond in the rough, but it's much rougher than it appears even in these photos. Trust me, if this truck was at all restorable I would have made a deal with the guys at Grimms (Elwoods's) right then. It's interesting to see, but the truck is very far gone. If anyone's intersted in seeing the truck I can point you in the direction I last saw it.
-Alex Haines

I was actually going to go to Maryland soon and was hoping to stop by and look at it, where about was it?

Here are the exact coordinates of the last place I saw the truck for anyone interested.

39.644275,-77.623691

I had to crawl through the brush in the tree line because the truck was surrounded on three sides by other vehicles. You need to check in the office across the street before you enter the yard. The main reason I was there was to get a part for my truck, but I decided to look for the WM truck while I was there. Just be safe and don't get in the workers way. If the truck becomes a nuisance they can easily crush it....