Some interesting input on previous threads about finding abandonned equipment got me thinking that some of the big railways still have some old stuff kicking around on work trains and used for storage in yards. For example, here in Toronto, there are several old 40-foot friction-bearing boxcars (no wood though!) and baggage cars sitting on sidings in the yards. CN used to have a couple of sidings of 1920s era passenger equipment in their yard in Spadina until they moved to Mimico. Even VIA rail was using an old clerestory-roofed combine on its train to Churchill, Manitoba until recently. Anyone know of other examples?

jason.whiteley@sympatico.ca

Now and then I see a few friction bearing gondola's on work trains and occasionally even on manifest freights on Norfolk Southern's mainline through Roanoke. Radford yard, just past where the Bristol line splits from the line through New River Gorge, tends to have a few of them sitting around as well as a few cabooses which go out on the local runs out of Radford.

jmonty@vt.edu

Nov 2000 we were notified that WLE was scrapping their "office" at hartland yard. The office is an ancient sleeper that had been all over NKP and NW in different locations. The car sat on a piece of track off the main line and was surrounded by skirting. Removal of the skirting revealed all the running gear and a pair of six-wheel trucks. Hulchers moved the car 75 ft (sideways) and set it back on rail. The car was pushed into the yard and we checked and found the brakes working, with no leaks and the jounals half full of oil. WLE towed the car to Lake Junction, onto the L&WV with no problems. Plans are to convert the car to a food/beverage/buffet car for the tourist line. I have to thank WLE for being very cooperative and making the whole operation quick and simple.


lamontdc@adelphia.net

When I used to have an office overlooking the Port of Beaumont, an occasional oversize pressure vessel came through on it's way to a plant construction site. The idler cars in between the main loading cars appeared to be fiction bearing cars; needless to say, it didn't go very fast. :)

-James Hefner
Hebrews 10:20a

Surviving World Steam Locomotives
james1@pernet.net

A couple of examples in Colorado come to mind; In Fort Garland (on the UP's former D&RGW line) there are three D&RGW cars sitting on a siding that have not moved for years, one of them is a circa 1939 40' boxcar on friction bearing trucks. In the UP's former D&RGW yard in Pueblo, there is a string of D&RGW cars including another 40' boxcar and several flatcars on friction bearing trucks. Finally, in La Salle, on the UP, there is a 1938 UP 40' boxcar, on friction bearing trucks, used as storage by the local B&B crew along with a lightweight baggage car.

Jason Midyette

amjm@indra.com

Altoona, PA, and Hollidaysburg, PA, have long been gathering points for antiquated equipment for Conrail and its predecessors. NS has been engaged in some major house cleaning and contractors are scrapping many cars. Conrail was pretty good about selling single cars but NS understandably prefers to dispose of larger lots, making preservation difficult.

AMaples@aol.com

Conrail was pretty good about selling
> single cars but NS understandably prefers to
> dispose of larger lots, making preservation
> difficult.
Does larger lots mean two or three at a time or five to ten at a time?

Speaking of this, does anyone know what has happened with the former Ann Arbor Wreck train just on the right to the entrance of the Ann Arbor yard where 1225 is located in Corunna, Michigan? There was some really neat equipment, including one of the last Ann Arbor coaches, a tender, a crane and some other items.
I think a group down Toledo way was trying to save it, but haven't heard much more than that.

TJG


Buckeye Central Scenic Railroad
tjgaffney@phmuseum.org

> Does larger lots mean two or three at a time
> or five to ten at a time?

It depends how many cars they have at any given location. The small lots are usually wrecked equipment to be cut up on site. Larger lots can be several dozen cars. During the Conrail split, some of the junkers stored in Altoona wound up in CSX ownership, and I am not sure how the two roads resolved disposition.

AMaples@aol.com

Speaking of this, does anyone know what has
> happened with the former Ann Arbor Wreck
> train just on the right to the entrance of
> the Ann Arbor yard where 1225 is located?

The Ann Arbor steam crane auxiliary that was privately owned at Owosso has been split up. The (100-ton or so?) Industrial Works steam crane with its quaint wood cab, and ex-locomotive tender is at the tractor-show grounds at Buckley, Michigan. (This site features a circular standard-guage railroad and at least one locomotive.)

The 70-foot steel-underframe steel-sheathed wood baggage car, which contained the complete set of wrecking tools (and a pile of patterns from the Ann Arbor shop) is still derelict on the west side of Owosso. This car is severely deteriorated, but does have steel 4-wheel trucks (probably with 33-inch wheelsets) and "P" brakes for anyone who's interested. Ownership is unknown. The wood transfer cabooses that were with this equipment have been burned and scrapped.

Aarne H. Frobom
The Steam Railroading Institute
P. O. Box 665
Owosso, MI 48867

froboma@mdot.state.mi.us

> Speaking of this, does anyone know what has

> The Ann Arbor steam crane auxiliary that was
> privately owned at Owosso has been split up.
> The (100-ton or so?) Industrial Works steam
> crane with its quaint wood cab, and
> ex-locomotive tender is at the tractor-show
> grounds at Buckley, Michigan. (This site
> features a circular standard-guage railroad
> and at least one locomotive.)

> The 70-foot steel-underframe steel-sheathed
> wood baggage car, which contained the
> complete set of wrecking tools (and a pile
> of patterns from the Ann Arbor shop) is
> still derelict on the west side of Owosso.
> This car is severely deteriorated, but does
> have steel 4-wheel trucks (probably with
> 33-inch wheelsets) and "P" brakes
> for anyone who's interested. Ownership is
> unknown. The wood transfer cabooses that
> were with this equipment have been burned
> and scrapped.

> Aarne H. Frobom
> The Steam Railroading Institute
> P. O. Box 665
> Owosso, MI 48867

Aarne: Sad to hear about the two AA wood transfer cabooses. I saw them back in 1996 and thought they would at least make decent display cars (the insides were in very presentable condition.) I even offered a possible home for at least one of them at our museum to the (then) owner. He wasn't interested. Another wooden Ann Arbor Railroad transfer type caboose apparently still exists at a day car center in Ann Arbor, Michigan itself although I seem to recall that a "door" was cut in one side to give the kiddies access. But at least it's still around. I wonder if any others still survive?

Les Beckman (HVRM)

midlandblb@cs.com

Does anyone have a picture of this crane ??? Would like to see what it is like and any history.

George

> Speaking of this, does anyone know what has

> The Ann Arbor steam crane auxiliary that was
> privately owned at Owosso has been split up.
> The (100-ton or so?) Industrial Works steam
> crane with its quaint wood cab, and
> ex-locomotive tender is at the tractor-show
> grounds at Buckley, Michigan. (This site
> features a circular standard-guage railroad
> and at least one locomotive.)

> The 70-foot steel-underframe steel-sheathed
> wood baggage car, which contained the
> complete set of wrecking tools (and a pile
> of patterns from the Ann Arbor shop) is
> still derelict on the west side of Owosso.
> This car is severely deteriorated, but does
> have steel 4-wheel trucks (probably with
> 33-inch wheelsets) and "P" brakes
> for anyone who's interested. Ownership is
> unknown. The wood transfer cabooses that
> were with this equipment have been burned
> and scrapped.

> Aarne H. Frobom
> The Steam Railroading Institute
> P. O. Box 665
> Owosso, MI 48867


mead95@hotmail.con