Dennison (Oh.) Depot Acquires Six Operating Passenger Cars

Alexander D. Mitchell IV · **Posted:** Sat Dec 02, 2017 1:08 am

Four from Orrville, one from ASRP in Cleveland, and the sixth from CP Huntington RHS in West Va.:

http://www.timesreporter.com/news/20171 ... enger-cars

Quote:

Here are details on the four passenger cars that the Dennison Railroad Depot Museum recently purchased from the Orrville Railroad Heritage Society:

n RPCX 101 - William B. Baer: This coach was built by the Budd Co. in early 1947 for the Pennsylvania Railroad. Amtrak took control of the car in 1971. It became surplus in 1984, and the Orrville society purchased it that same year. It entered excursion service in 1985, beginning with trips from Orrville to Pittsburgh. It has since been modified with the addition of a diesel-powered generator and air conditioning. It is named for William B. Baer, late president of the Will-Burt Co., for his dedication to the ORHS in its early years.

n RPCX 102 - H.H. Wade: This car was built in 1947 by the Budd Co. for the New York Central Railroad. It was transferred to Amtrak in 1971. After it was purchased by the ORHS, new carpeting, upholstery and windows were installed before it began service in 1986. It is named for Howard H. Wade, who served for 50 years as an engineer on the Cleveland, Akron & Columbus Railroad. He was the grandfather of ORHS Chairman Howard E. Wade.

n RPCX 105 - the concession car: It was built in 1953 by the St. Louis Car Co. as a U.S. Army troop kitchen car. It was acquired by Amtrak in 1971 and converted into a baggage car. ORHS acquired it in the early 1990s and outfitted it as a concession car. It was first used on excursion trains in 1993.

n RPCX 3850 - C&B Marshall: This car was built by Pullman Standard in 1948 for the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad. After it was acquired by Amtrak, it was rebuilt in 1973 with a Boeing 727-style interior, which made it impossible to keep cool. In the late 1980s, it was discovered in the Barberton yard, wide open and full of water with the siding falling off. It was purchased by Larry Marshall in 1988 and shipped to the ORHS siding, where it was renovated to its original use as a parlor car. Renovations were completed by 1995, and it entered service with the ORHS. It was named for a grandfather and great-uncle who together served 83 years with the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad.

The second photo with the article might answer another question about another operation.

jayrod · **Posted:** Sat Dec 02, 2017 4:32 pm

The day we put the consist together for shipping to Dennison made for some mixed feelings. On one hand, it was a sad end of an era for us. On the other hand, we're glad cars will provide the good use for which they were intended.

NS 3322 · **Posted:** Sat Dec 02, 2017 7:39 pm

jayrod wrote:

The day we put the consist together for shipping to Dennison made for some mixed feelings. On one hand, it was a sad end of an era for us. On the other hand, we're glad cars will provide the good use for which they were intended.

Is the ORHS slowly disposing its equipment?

robertmacdowell · **Posted:** Sat Dec 02, 2017 8:02 pm

It seems that way. I thought they were secure in a new location they owned.

jayrod · **Posted:** Sun Dec 03, 2017 7:41 pm

NS 3322 wrote:

Is the ORHS slowly disposing its equipment?

A bit of thread drift but, before rumors start, I thought I'd chime in again:

We are divesting ourselves of a fair portion of equipment. We're out of the excursion business using our own cars - we no longer have a willing host and the lease market was pretty slim. Rather than let cars sit, earn little return, have to maintain them and pay for insurance, it was decided to let them go so they could be used elsewhere.

We're keeping some equipment for possible use on the trackage we now own, most notably the ex-ACL diner "Baltimore", the ex-B&O 250T wrecker X-216, GP7u #471 as well as some other pieces. A lot of the other stuff is outside the mission so rather than pay insurance on unused equipment and materials that others may be able to use, we're selling them off, proceeds of which helps to pay off and maintain the facility. What doesn't sell, we'll likely hang on to. There are a few inherited pieces that will be scavenged for parts & bits and then scrapped as they are way too far gone. While we'd like to able to keep it all, we're a pretty small outfit and good business practice dictates that we do this or either the equipment or ORHS deteriorates to nothing. We've all seen that happen to others too often. It's better to be a little proactive about your future.

That said, the possibility exists that we may sponsor charter excursions in the future. We also have other plans and ideas that may or may not come to fruition. Time will tell. It's a transitional period for us.

Hope that clears up the air a bit but also keeps you wondering what's next. In short, we ain't going away.