Folks may remember the West Shore Rail Excursions, started on a section of the PRR's former Lewisburg & Tyrone between Lewisburg and Mifflinburg, Pa. in 1983-84, which had been saved by a local shipper's co-op to preserve service after Conrail abandoned the line. Operations eventually shifted to the former Reading main between West Milton and Winfield, with which the PRR route originally had a crossing in Lewisburg. The line across the Susquehanna River between that junction and Montandon was abandoned ca. 1988.

Now comes news from the "Buffalo Line" Yahoo Group that the first train over that trackage in ten years or so was apparently also the last, as North Shore RR SW8 366 headed west to Mifflinburg yesterday to retrieve the last cars on the railroad, a restored PRR caboose and a decayed ex-Conrail transfer caboose. Also along for the ride: one of the two Porter 0-6-0 fireless locomotives from the Shamokin Dam power plant some 20 miles to the south (the other was last in a dead line at the Blue Mt. & Reading in Hamburg). The line had seen little but car storage or NARCOA outings in the last decade, and reportedly at least one crossing had been "paved over" (although it turned out to be an oil-and-chip application, not asphalt). No reports on whether the track would be railbanked or scrapped, although the track looked like the worst of the dying Rock Island the last time I saw it.

The former Reading line is still worked as part of the Union County Industrial Railroad or "Lewisburg & Buffalo Creek" to and from a feed mill in Winfield. As far as I can tell, all the former West Shore passenger equipment now makes up the "business train" of the North Shore/Nittany & Bald Eagle/Lycoming Valley/Juniata Valley/Shamokin Valley, the same family of lines that just sold off the Wellsboro & Corning and gave up the Lackawaxen & Stourbridge contract operation.

Photo from the Milton Standard-Journal, showing that, yes, the fireless cooker was removed, along with an ex-PRR N6(?) and a decayed transfer caboose. I believe all three are owned by private individuals.
According to the photo caption, "As word of the small train spread through the community, train aficionados flocked to the tracks to get a glimpse of the rare sight. Cars lined Route 45 as cameras flashed and every cross roads bristled with onlookers." I believe this photo is from the west side of Lewisburg. No word where this stuff was eventually put away.




Rumors on the Buffalo Line Yahoo Group speculate that heirs of the major stockholders of the original West Shore are attempting to buy back shares from outstanding shareholders, with a possible fight going on between those looking for the scrap/sale value of the land and property versus a few diehard rail preservationists. There are also reports of a possible rail trail on the line east out of Mifflinburg--or even a "buggy trail", as Mifflinburg is home to a buggy museum.

Sandy,

Poor photo, but I think it is an N5. I once owned an N6.

Steve

I think so, too--I'm quoting someone else's e-mail when it comes to the N6 (and ironically he corrected me as to North Shore 366 being an SW8, not SW7). Trust me, we don't want to start Pennsy foamers dissecting the various cabin sub-classes. <:-)

Sandy,

The best I can tell from the photo is that is ideed a N5. But it is hard to tell if it is a "B" sub-class.

N5's, had hand rails short of the belt line by about 8" and the N5b's go to the belt line. This is the major difference I am aware of.

The N5c's had a sloped cupala and port hole windows.

BTW, no offense, you can come and ride my cabin anytime.

Scott
www.prrllc.com

"Ah, of course you've got to make sure it's not an N5d. 'Cos if it's an N5d it goes in the N5d book."

"Well, how do you tell if it's an N5d?"

"Well, an N5c has a sloped cupola and porthole windows, and the N5d has two humps, four hooves, and a tail."

"Mr. Sopwith, aren't you in fact a camel spotter? Don't you, in fact, spot camels, not cabins?"

"........... Oh, you're no fun anymore!!"



[/MontyPythonEpisodeSeven]

Sandy,

LOL, you could be an annoucer for the NFL!

Scott

Hey Scott. I know where you can get a set of roller bearing trucks for your N5 for a really nice price. Then you can get it out on the mainline. Got an extra 5 grand laying around?

Later!
Mr. Ed

This move was noted at the Harrisburg Chapter NRHS meeting on January 8 and it was mentioned there that the rails will be pulled sometime in the summer of 2008 by a Rails to Trails Group. Lets hope this doesn't happen.

From a friend in the area, sent today:

"There is a legal notice in today's newspaper that West Shore Railroad intends to file with the STB to abandon the Mifflinburg line. Also that offers of financial assistance, rail banking and rail/trail may also be filed at this time."

I presume it's the Sunbury Daily Item. I'll be watching the STB site.

Does anyone know the road numbers for either or both of the cabooses?

Thanks, Roger

PENNSYLVANIA - WEST SHORE RAILROAD CORPORATION - Abandonments and Discontinuances of Service: (1) for West Shore to abandon a line of railroad known as the Mifflinburg Branch, extending from milepost 0.0 at Montandon, in Northumberland County, PA, and extending in a generally westerly direction, crossing the West Branch of the Susquehanna River through Lewisburg to the Borough of Mifflinburg, ending at milepost 11.8 in Union County, PA, and (2) for UCIR to discontinue service in Union County between Lewisburg and Mifflinburg. Effective on May 21, 2008, (STB Docket No. AB-1018X, decided April 15, served April 21, 2008)

www.trainweather.com/aban.html