This is from the daily weblog Gothamist: New York City News, Food, Arts & Events.

http://gothamist.com/2011/11/07/photos.php#photo-1

Simply put, it's a crock of s--t, and has been kept alive and embellished by Mr. Brucker, who has never let real, known facts get in the way of his fantasy. And it keeps Dan in the media all the time around here.

That's a plain Jane NYC 60 ft steel baggage car that was part of the GCT wreck train. The double-ended electric crane (ran off the third rail) is now preserved at Danbury. If the crane was still there, Brucker would probably tell the press it was used to hoist FDR's wheelchair into the Waldorf.

This has all been throughly debunked and it's appearance here is in the same vein as PRR T-1s stashed in coal mines, and 0-6-0s in flooded quarries.

Howard P.

This topic has appeared multiple times in this Interchange. It appears about every two years.

Here are the topic links:

http://www.rypn.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=21397

http://www.rypn.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=25254

Wreck trains are no longer needed?

Steve

Hey Howard -

I have a way to end all these stories; send the 60' NYC baggage car to a museum. I know we'd take her at HVRM, just to kill all those dumb stories of course. I'm sure you'd take her at Danbury wouldn't you? Then we wouldn't have to put up with the newspapers and TV stations and the internet being bamboozled anymore!

Les

No no no, you find a really narrow armor-plated Pierce Arrow with a wheelchair lift and park it in the baggage car. Maybe stick a water logged 0-6-0 further down the track. Then lead a History Channel expedition down there on April 1st.

Les, I'm sure the Danbury group would take the car; I can't say for sure, since I'm not involved there. I suspect that Brucker would much rather have the car stay right where it is....

Steve, the GCT crane will be 100 years old in 2013-- it came in the original "GCT Building Kit (Accessories Included)". Can you imagine any modern rail passenger operating entity using something that old? The guys that knew how to use that relic are not only retired, they are deceased. They use a hirail Holmes wrecker when there is a "service disruption" these days.

Howard P.

There was mention in one of the previous threads that the baggage car in question had a "rotten" end from water dripping on it for decades. Not an incurable problem, mind you, but it's apparently not a "perfect specimen" awaiting a savior.

I was reading the DRM's description of the crane, GCT-1 on their website. Evidently it had storage batteries so it could be powered off live rail for periods of time. Definitely an interesting piece of equipment. I wonder what kind of motors and electrical gear it had.

http://www.danbury.org/DRM/GCT1l.jpg

I remember reading that the original GCT electrification system had provisions for "battery backup" where the third rail could run for a period of time on battery, in case of power failure. I can only imagine the "battery room" filled with early 20th century batteries. Had to have been a fun job to maintain them.

Well, I wasn't expecting them to keep ancient, obsolete equipment in service. More like why they wouldn't keep a modern wreck train parked there or wherever they kept it. But if the HiRail works, is sufficient, and can get there quickly, good for them. I know most wrecks are cleaned up with off-rail equipment nowadays but I wasn't sure if a tunnel / underground is different. So HiRail crane rather than side-boom Cats.

Steve

One of the TV shows on History or Discovery debunked this line of thought. There are a few correct statements and a few wrong ones. The station was for the president. The car was not for hauling his car.

Later!
Mr. Ed

One side note was that when I was guided through that car, there was a wooden handled shovel stamped NYCRR.

I wonder if it is still there....

Peace