The current threads on historic equipment that either was saved or lost reminded me of a piece that I'm certain exists or existed by accident. It is probably largely unknown to just about everyone interested in preservation, because it can only be seen from the cab of a locomotive, or in the scrap yard where it exists.

I speak of what is probably a WWI era outside-braced wooden, or steel sheathed boxcar, most likely used for storage. As of four years ago it still existed in a junkyard on Lyon St. in Baltimore, on the South side of the CSX Beltline, near the Bay View Eastward absolute signal. The steps for swapping out crews go up to the tracks across the street from the scrapyard.

I could not tell from what I could see of it, but it probably is no longer on trucks. If ADM or one of the others on here could GET PERMISSION to go in and look at it, perhaps we have another possible piece that could be saved. I can't get it to attach correctly, but if you look at a satellite photo of the area, you can see the junkyard in question clearly.

Got the scrap yard in question. I think I have a way in that doesn't trespass, but I'll head over as soon as reasonable. I see only one possible "blob" that can be it. Far southeast triangular corner of the yard, next to the CSX ROW?

Sadly, I remember that right nearby off the former PRR spur along Kresson Street, there was a trestle that sported two VERY vintage tank cars, looking for all the world like a Model Railroader "You can model this prototype!" article. They apparently got scrapped when I wan't looking.

There were two cars at the Lerroy scrap yard in Worcester up until 2010 when they were forced to move everything out so CSX could proceed with the yard expansion. One was a 1960s Erie Lackawanna boxcar. There was also a box car deeper in the yard that was acquired in the 1950s. Both were used for storage, however I have no idea what happen to them. I assume they were both scrapped. But what blows my mind is the caboose along Millbury Street in Worcester between the new Walmart and the Blackstone shopping complex in Millbury. It's a steel northeastern type on display outside the office of a local railroad contractor. Then there's that wooden D&H caboose in Auburn that probably won't last much longer at the rate it's deteriorating. I'm gonna talk to Golden Pizza (the owners of said caboose) to see if they will let me buy some of the parts off it before it's to far gone. I give it roughly a year before that caboose before it goes to junk...

Let me see if this works:



These are about a block from the east end of Baltimore Penn Station, in the area of the former wye that served the line down to Calvert Station. No trucks. And that's last weekend's Conrail Historical Society "Susquehanna Limited" headed north in the background.

Sandy,

Those PRR cars are not it. The car in question is just (railroad) West of Pulaski Hwy. where Macon St. becomes Lyon St. in the Bay View area of town, where the lead to CSX Bay View yard comes off.

I know those aren't it; I can't drive that fast (at least not in this city's &#*%@-ed up traffic lights, anyway). I was just posting another photo relevant to the subject line.

Got to the scrap yard in question today. Next time you guys send me out looking for this $*&#, make it a bleepin' cool day, not yet another freaking 100-degree scorcher, like the one where I ran up to New Oxford to save those blankety-blank B&O heavyweight trucks......

The box car in question? "Oh, we sent that off to the B&O Museum a couple years ago."

There's something else of interest in that yard, but I can't discuss it yet.

EDIT: Okay, My slip-up, not IN the yard, but in the general area. My boo-boo. They have hungry dogs. Don't go there. <:-)

Q: What would railfanning and railway preservation be without sunstroke, dust, frostbite, wind, rain, mud, snakes, dogs, too much smoke, not enough smoke, trees in the way, poles in the way (photography challenges), and poison ivy?

A: More enjoyable, but we would also lose the fun of telling the war stories to the young'uns. . .

Cool job 1:

http://www.msrlha.org/p-whittaker/slide ... r-002.html

Cool job 2:

http://www.msrlha.org/p-whittaker/slide ... r-013.html

Not so cool job:

http://www.msrlha.org/p-recent-rest-1/s ... ion13.html

And this is from just one place:

http://www.msrlha.org/

[quote="J3a-614"]Q: What would railfanning and railway preservation be without sunstroke, dust, frostbite, wind, rain, mud, snakes, dogs, too much smoke, not enough smoke, trees in the way, poles in the way (photography challenges), and poison ivy?

And cold beer???

As of 3 years ago, there were 6 or 8 of those wooden USAX WWI-era carbodies sitting on the ground in a scrap yard next to the UP line in Independence, KS. They were being used for storage, and some orall of them may still be there.

Sure looks like the silhouette and shadow of a locomotive in front of the main building...

http://maps.google.com/maps?oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&q=lyon+street+baltimore&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=0x89c80422ce131b0d:0xf9ca4d37cc3fbdb8,Lyon+St,+Baltimore,+MD+21205&gl=us&sa=X&ei=MszjT6yhDaX10gHi9YHuCQ&ved=0CAsQ8gEwAA

Wesley

Not now it's not. Photo's out of date as far as that goes.

And sorry, I can't talk about what I found (nearby, mind you, not there) without permission from the owner and/or furthering of information to appropriate parties. Loose brains sink trains, and all that....

Try the website BING MAPS.
Use the map to find the location, then click on BIRDS EYE VIEW.
You can zoom in pretty close, and rotate the angle 4 directions.

Believe it or not, I tried that, and the photos were even "worse" than the Google ones with regards to showing what I/we were looking for and what I found nearby. With any of these services--aerial views, Bird's Eye, Street View, etc.--it depends exactly when they took the photos. In some cases, they use different photos between a broader view and a close-up view, as evidenced by train movements visible in the photos.

UPDATE:

I dropped a couple of calls to other locals.

It didn't go to B&O Museum. It was a Ma & Pa car, and it went to Muddy Creek Forks, according to two sources.

Here is a link to the story of the Ma&Pa boxcar, original subject of this thread.

http://www.maandparailroad.com/toolcarx11.php

Wesley