B&O Heavyweight in Lederach/Harleysville, PA

Alexander D. Mitchell IV · **Posted:** Wed Sep 24, 2014 12:09 am

I'm throwing this out there as a favor to Rainier Rails and the other car archivists out there, as a thorough search reveals we may have ignored this car for years.

TrainOrders.com has a thread on

Quote:

passenger car that is part of a restaurant at the Bay Pony Inn on route 113 in Lederach, PA

Lederach doesn't trigger a Google Maps result, but it does show up in MapQuest--it's just about two miles south-southwest of Harleysville along Pa. Route 113 in Montgomery County, eastern Pennsylvania. The Bay Pony Inn is the big business in town, and the car still appears along Old Skippack Road at the six-point intersection there.

More on the car from TrainOrders thread:

Quote:

I saw it many years ago - a wooden car painted in yellow and green with a clerestory roof, turnbuckles and queenposts. I believe at the time I learned it was of B&O heritage. Somewhere I have a photo with some info posted. If I find it I'll be back.

Quote:

I found my snapshot from 1988. Sorry, I do not have scanning capability to post here. The car was named "Harriman" at the time of my photo with Reading Company spelled out on the letter board above the windows. It appears to be an open end observation car with six wheel trucks and, as previously mentioned, has truss rods. I seem to recall that a restaurant employee, or someone else familiar with the car, told me it was ex-Baltimore & Ohio. It was also implied, at the time, that the car/restaurant was owned by Drew Lewis former US Secretary of Transportation and one time chairman of Union Pacific Corporation. He maintained a home in the area and was responsible for providing an ex-UP caboose to the Montgomery County Zoo in Norristown PA. He had two UP cabooses stored in Pottstown PA for many years (amazingly, they were not targets for graffiti artists) I think they were intended for his property but there could have been a zoning issue with local government. I think one of the cabooses ended up at PA Live Steamers Assoc. in nearby Rahns, PA

Quote:

The car was originally built for the Buffalo, Rochester & Pittsburg (now the B&P) which was acquired by the B&O. I don't know when it was built. There used to be a cast B,R & P logo on the side. The car supposedly came to Lederach from Elverson, Pa where it sat on the former Reading Wilmington & Northern branch. It's origin is definitely not Reading and the name was not Harriman.

http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/r ... ?2,3529424

Anyone have more information?

Alexander D. Mitchell IV · **Posted:** Wed Sep 24, 2014 12:23 am

Further research elsewhere says the car dates to 1890 and, as the thread speculates, Drew Lewis did buy the complex back in the 1980s. It wasn't cheap back then, either.

Baldwin feeder · **Posted:** Wed Sep 24, 2014 4:06 pm

I have always wondered the history of this car. I remember pointing it out to my dad when I was a young as we drove by on our way to Pennsylvania live steamers. He didn't know it was there or what it's history is. I do know most foamers/railroaders I know who are local know it's there and some have told me they heard it was exB&O but it would be nice to know for certain. I tried googling and asking around about it in the past with no luck to find it's history and how it ended up where it is. The car has vinyl/composite siding on it at present that seems to do the job and looks great even up close. I am about a 20 minute drive to it from home and will be within 10 minutes of it tomorrow. If there is anything somebody would like me to visually check out on it let me know.

There is a caboose not too far in Blue Bell that I also have looked online and asked local foamers about with no luck. I even tried putting it out there to people of non-railroad interest all that did was have them introduce me to more foamers most of whom didn't know it was there. Maybe I can convince myself to make a thread about it.

Rainier Rails · **Posted:** Wed Sep 24, 2014 6:30 pm

Interesting.

Found one photo on Flickr:

April 17th, 2010: https://www.flickr.com/photos/dougtone/4570054948 (Doug Kerr photo)

Rainier Rails · **Posted:** Thu Sep 25, 2014 6:28 pm

Anyone want to take a guess at the numbering history of this car?

Does anyone have a list of extant B&O equipment which might have said number/numbers?

Baldwin feeder, did you/can you take time to give the car a glance?

Any additional photos would be welcome! Thanks in advance!

Baldwin feeder · **Posted:** Thu Sep 25, 2014 8:45 pm

By the time I drove by it was dark out. I might try to make a trip out there this weekend if I remember and I'll take some photos for you.

Rainier Rails · **Posted:** Thu Sep 25, 2014 9:32 pm

Thanks in advance, Baldwin feeder!

Baldwin feeder · **Posted:** Sun Sep 28, 2014 9:09 pm

I did manage to take some photos this morning. I now want to dine there so I can get a look inside. I can't seem to figure out how to upload these photos here directly from my phone but will try to at some point this week.

Rainier Rails · **Posted:** Sun Sep 28, 2014 9:36 pm

Thanks, Baldwin feeder!

wrg113 · **Joined:** Fri Feb 12, 2010 7:52 pm **Posts:** 112

Paid a visit to the car on Monday morning 10.27.14.

wrg113 · **Joined:** Fri Feb 12, 2010 7:52 pm **Posts:** 112

Another view

wrg113 · **Joined:** Fri Feb 12, 2010 7:52 pm **Posts:** 112

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