Lackawana Heavyweight Instruction Car Possibly available

weekendrailroader · **Joined:** Wed Mar 31, 2010 12:02 am **Posts:** 293

http://www.railroadforums.com/forum/showthread.php?48894-Old-pullman-car-part-of-estate-how-can-I-get-an-appraisal-or-scrap-value

From railroadforums.com. Looks like the owner of an ex-Lackawana heavyweight, last used as a Safety Instruction car by the looks of it, is thinking about removing the car from an estate in NE Pennsylvania. "All options are being considered".

If your museum is interested in such a car, the time to act would be now.

Howard P. · **Posted:** Sat Feb 01, 2014 1:13 am

I'm pretty sure this car was last used by EL as an office at Bangor, PA, ca. 1975. Someone in Lackawanna Country must want this.....

Howard P.

Mark Z. Yerkes · **Joined:** Mon Jan 02, 2012 8:47 pm **Posts:** 486

I'm sure there's plenty of people in NEPA that would want it. The problem is, many of them probably aren't in a position to pay for it (i.e. Steamtown, ELDCPS, etc etc)

derail · **Joined:** Wed Jul 28, 2010 12:45 pm **Posts:** 142

I thought that car was scraped almost half a century ago, that's an incredible find! I can think of a few perspective homes that would be interested in this car, myself included if I was in a different point in life.

junior · **Posted:** Sat Feb 01, 2014 2:33 am

Whatever its purpose was over the years, what it is, is a former Boonton Coach, converted to the instruction car. Original build date was probably 1914-1915.

robertjohndavis · **Joined:** Mon Aug 23, 2004 8:10 am **Posts:** 2499

It sure does look like the Bangor car. Didn't that end up in Portland for awhile, down near the wye? I thought that car was long gone. It would be a great interpretative display at Steamtown, but given given the amount of Boonton cars still rolling along on tourist lines one would think she'd be valuable as a parts donor, too.

Still can't believe this car is among the living... surprises do happen...

Rob

diningcartim · **Joined:** Fri Sep 20, 2013 2:34 pm **Posts:** 197

The car was last used as the yard office in Portland, PA. A guy bought it in the early 1980's and trucked it out. That was the last I had heard about it until now. Never did get the story of why the guy wanted it or what he was going to do with it. Yes, it did begin life as a Boonton coach.

jmlaboda · Updated 8/9/17 with 8,402 new links

Here are a couple of better shots of this car. I do hope that it can be saved!!!

http://rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=3275108
http://rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=3275110

Does anyone know what this car's former number was?

Bobharbison · **Joined:** Fri Dec 03, 2004 9:42 pm **Posts:** 3011

Bangor, PA and Portland, PA? Did map makers in that part of PA have a warped sense of humor, or like confusing folks?
Even better, and not too far away, is Jersey Shore, PA, which is nowhere remotely near the actual New Jersey shore. Always wondered when I saw road signs for Jersey Shore how many folks had gone astray following them in that pre GPS era.

diningcartim · **Joined:** Fri Sep 20, 2013 2:34 pm **Posts:** 197

Bobharbison wrote:

Bangor, PA and Portland, PA? Did map makers in that part of PA have a warped sense of humor, or like confusing folks?

This area was originally populated by people of Welsh descent, thus these towns are named for their Wales namesakes.

This area is also know as the "Slate Belt" as a good amount of slate was "mined" here for use as roofing material throughout the Northeast. Even today many buildings in the area still have slate roofs.

From a railroad point of view the local railroad was the Bangor & Portland, locally the B&P. It extended via two branches, one to Martins Creek for connections with the PRR's Bel-Del Branch and with the Lehigh & New England. The second branch went to Nazareth, PA to tap the cement industry.

The Lackawanna gained control of the line just before the turn of the 20th Century, but this line seemed to keep its independent streak alive well into the EL years as the Bangor & Portland Division. Many a promoted DL&W man came to the B&P to find out things were done "differently" there than at the parent company. They probably got away with this until the early 1960's because this compact railroad generated a lot of traffic (and profit), especially from the cement business until the truckers started really grabbing traffic in the 60's (often the reason cited for the somewhat parallel L&NE calling it quits in 1961).

This Boonton car was located on the DL&W yard at Portland between the two wye tracks that led onto the B&P. Almost up until the end of the EL this was a busy place with traffic coming on and off the B&P as well as coal going to the Portland power plant just sound of the yard. The yard is mostly gone now but the wye is in place with NS coming through here 3 times a week, mostly with interchange traffic for the Delaware Lackawanna. Visit while you can as the power plant is slated to close for good in January 2015 (it only ran 15 days last year anyway) and who knows what will happen to this location or indeed the near customerless remainder of the B&P.

freewheelin_freddie · **Joined:** Tue Mar 22, 2011 11:32 pm **Posts:** 29

This car showed up yesterday For Sale on the Ozark Mountain Railcar site and their Facebook page for $25000. A lot for the condition of the car plus the cost of moving it. Would be nice if it could be saved.