That ding in 1286's pilot was the result of a derailment during the first few weeks of operation on the Maryland & Pennsylvania out of York in 1965. Gorge Hart was operating excursions behind 1286 between York and Yoe, Pa., 6 or 8 miles down the Ma & Pa. There was a short runaround track at Yoe, a small village just north of one of the two tall wooden trestles between Yoe and Red Lion, over which 1286 could not operate.
Anyway, one Sunday, 1286 was scooting along a couple of miles south of York where the line skirted the base of a hill on a long curve to the left. There had been heavy thunderstorms the night before, and a large quantity of gravel and dirt had washed down a farm lane and buried the crossing. 1286 came swinging around the curve, the fireman saw the track was buried and hollered to Dave Dunlap, the engineer, to dump the air. He did, but momentum carried the engine up onto the gravel and off the rails, and when she came to a halt, the pilot was resting on the outside rail of the curve. A Ma & Pa diesel was summoned and pulled her back onto the rails, none the worse for the wear except for that ding.
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