B&M "Ambroid" car

Bob Yarger · **Posted:** Fri May 02, 2003 2:36 pm

For sale on e-Bay. Sounds like the owner might consider donation as a tax write-off?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2413601984
ryarger@rypn.org

Steve Schwartz · **Posted:** Fri May 02, 2003 9:34 pm

> For sale on e-Bay. Sounds like the owner
> might consider donation as a tax write-off?
Gee! I wish others would think this way! Too often, it seems that the thinking is: "how much can I get out of this thing". I hope that a museum or historical group speaks up and acquires and restores this car.

schwartzsj@juno.com

David Woodbury · **Posted:** Sat May 03, 2003 12:20 pm

> For sale on e-Bay. Sounds like the owner
> might consider donation as a tax write-off?
This is the car in Tyngsboro/Dracut, Mass. When I saw it ten years ago it was stripped inside except for the saloons, but looked pretty solid and restorable. Unfortunately, someone thought that paint strippping could be done with a sandblaster at least on one end. This sale is one to watch. Owner had seats too, but not the correct style.

wrj494@aol.com

Bob Yarger · **Posted:** Sat May 03, 2003 12:21 pm

Some further discussion on the NERAIL list indicates the car may be involved in some sort of probate battle.

> Gee! I wish others would think this way! Too
> often, it seems that the thinking is:
> "how much can I get out of this
> thing". I hope that a museum or
> historical group speaks up and acquires and
> restores this car.

ryarger@rypn.org

Stephen Hussar · **Posted:** Sun May 04, 2003 8:24 am

There is a very similar passenger car in Leominster, Massachusetts which looks to be a sister to this one. It's located in the backyard of a house along Route 2A. Has anyone else seen this car? It's situated miles from any rails, and there must be quite a story regarding how it got to it's current location.

SJHussar@aol.com

Tom Coughlin · **Posted:** Sun May 04, 2003 8:38 pm

> There is a very similar passenger car in
> Leominster, Massachusetts which looks to be
> a sister to this one. It's located in the
> backyard of a house along Route 2A. Has
> anyone else seen this car? It's situated
> miles from any rails, and there must be
> quite a story regarding how it got to it's
> current location.

The car in Leominster (Lunenburg) went to the Old Colony & Newport about a year or so ago.
It is being restored. Click on the link to see the OC&N "Coach Project"

Old Colony & Newport
tomcough@attbi.com

Stephen Hussar · **Posted:** Sun May 04, 2003 10:16 pm

> The car in Leominster (Lunenburg) went to
> the Old Colony & Newport about a year or
> so ago.

Tom, thanks for the link. That IS the coach I was referring to, but it hasn't been moved yet. I spotted it (in Lunenburg) just a couple of weeks ago during a trip to the defunct Whalom Park. It's great to hear it will be moved and restored.

SJHussar@aol.com

David Woodbury · **Posted:** Mon May 05, 2003 7:28 am

> Tom, thanks for the link. That IS the coach
> I was referring to, but it hasn't been moved
> yet. I spotted it (in Lunenburg) just a
> couple of weeks ago during a trip to the
> defunct Whalom Park. It's great to hear it
> will be moved and restored.
According to Don Donovan of Old Colony, it has been tarped for protection and will be moved this year. They plan a work session for May 11 to remove siding and other rotted stuff.

wrj494@aol.com

T.J. Gaffney · **Posted:** Mon May 05, 2003 9:40 am

> According to Don Donovan of Old Colony, it
> has been tarped for protection and will be
> moved this year. They plan a work session
> for May 11 to remove siding and other rotted
> stuff.

Maybe this is a dumb suggestion (it wouldn't be my first, and won't be my last), but as the seller on ebay has already noted his willingness to donate, what about seeing if this guy wouldn't donate to the Old Colony? I see that they have two B&M cars already; this would give them a third, and would ensure a three-car preserved B&M train. Not knowing the Old Colony's finances, space, etc., its easy for me to do this, and I fully understand if there are reasons that this couldn't work, but it sounds like a quick answer....

TJG

Port Huron Museum
tjgaffney@phmuseum.org

Bob Yarger · **Posted:** Mon May 05, 2003 11:14 am

One thing to note about these passenger cars (sometimes called Ambroid coaches because that firm used to sell wooden model kits of them) is that David Woodbury's car and perhaps another seem to be the only ones left in New Hampshire, where Phil Hastings often photographed them behind B&M 2-6-0s. Like the Moguls, they were native to the state and its spiderweb of branchlines. New Hampshire still has plenty of ex-B&M trackage used as tourist RRs, but the cars and the last remaining Mogul remain elsewhere. The condition of the cars in other states ranges from perfect (Strasburg) to others just rotting and likely doomed (Steamtown). Some even made it to the West Coast at Santa Cruz.

To me, nothing could honor Dr. Hastings photography efforts more than to have a B&M 2-6-0 pulling a train full of tourists riding in authentic B&M "Ambroids" in the 21st Century. When we do things like that, we will graduate from playing with trains to recreating the past.

http://www.apocalypse.org/~jbvb/rr/bmrr/pass_pre.html
ryarger@rypn.org

Ed Lecuyer · **Posted:** Mon May 05, 2003 12:33 pm

> what about seeing if
> this guy wouldn't donate to the Old Colony?

The folks at the Old Colony and Newport are aware of the car and its availability. The issue, as I understand it, is the cost of moving it - even if the owner is willing to donate it.

Seems to me that the folks in Wisconsin had the same problem. Hopefully this one will have a better outcome.

-Ed Lecuyer

Historical USGS topos at maptech.com
elecuyer@maptech.com

David Woodbury · **Posted:** Mon May 05, 2003 9:18 pm

> The folks at the Old Colony and Newport are
> aware of the car and its availability. The
> issue, as I understand it, is the cost of
> moving it - even if the owner is willing to
> donate it.

> Seems to me that the folks in Wisconsin had
> the same problem. Hopefully this one will
> have a better outcome.

I don't think it's any secret that Jerry Dawson, the owner of the Lunenburg, MA coach ex-B&M 1286, Laconia c. 1910 has donated it to the Old Colony and that they're wrestling with issues of restoration and moving it to their premises. As to Bob Yarger's interest in such coaches in service in New Hampshire or elsewhere, the finger points to Mogul 1455 now in Connecticut. If Danbury takes an interest, no telling what might happen.

> -Ed Lecuyer

wrj494@aol.com

Ed Lecuyer · **Posted:** Tue May 06, 2003 12:17 pm

I was refering to OC&N already knowing about the car in Dracut, MA (being offered on eBay) - not the one in Luenenburg. (Sorry I didn't make that clear.)

OC&N is making progress on the Lunenburg coach; it is now partially tarped and work has been done on its siding. (I drive by it at least twice a week.)

I last saw the car in Dracut about 10 years ago. Also thrown about the yard was a couple of "park" engines. Don't know if they are still there.

Either coach is going to be a pain to move. Neither is anywhere close to active rails (in fact, niether Luenenburg nor Dracut were EVER served directly by the B&M.) I agree that they would be a nice to have with the Mogul down in Danbury - of course it would be even nicer to have the whole train in B&M territory, but alas...

-Ed Lecuyer

Historical USGS topos at maptech.com
elecuyer@maptech.com

Stephen Hussar · **Posted:** Fri May 09, 2003 5:58 am

...to have a
> B&M 2-6-0 pulling a train full of
> tourists riding in authentic B&M
> "Ambroids" in the 21st Century.
> When we do things like that, we will
> graduate from playing with trains to
> recreating the past.

From the Nerail photo site, a recent picture of B&M 2-6-0 #1455 at Danbury.

http://photos.nerail.org/showpic/?photo=2003050813500110424.jpg&bydate%3A3
SJHussar@aol.com