OK. Now that we have stirred memories of the hobby shop in New Oxford, Pa, I have a questions about another memory on Route 30 in Pa. See, I would drive north on I-81 from Hagerstown, Md, then east on Route 30 towards Lancaster. On the trip and long before you get to New Oxford, there was a restaurant on the left in an old restored passenger car. It may well have been an old dining car, I am not sure. I seem to recall that it looked like a Jackson Sharp car but I also seem to recall that it was a long car, longer than I picture the JS cars. It was either a dark green or black. Keep in mind this was the early '80s, like '81 or '82. DOes anybody remember this car and it's history?

Thanks.

Later!
Mr. Ed

I know this well. This was the Caledonia Station Restaurant, owned by Bill Putch, the Producing Director of the Totem Pole Playhouse in Caledonia State Park, on Route 30 between Chambersburg and Gettysburg. I have worked at the Playhouse for 30 summers now and recall my first year in 1982 when Bill had just opened the restaurant. There indeed was a Jackson and Sharp coach used as a dining car, connected by covered platforms to 2 wood cabooses outfitted as kitchen and dishwashing facilities. A large station-style building housed a bar area and additional dining seating and was built resembling the Victoria Station restaurant chain. Bill ran the restaurant for 2 years prior to his death in 1983. His wife, actress Jean Stapleton and family operated it one more season until selling it to an entrepreneur in 1985. The business went under in the late 1980s and was sold at auction. All cars and buildings were removed from the site. The restaurant building traveled down Route 30 to the I-81 interchange and is now the Broadway deli. Although I have some photos of the cars, I don't know their disposition.

I believe this is the coach now located on trackage of the Maryland & Pennsylvania Railway Preservation Society in Muddy Creek Forks, (York County) PA. It is still in relatively good condition.

Anyone have a photo? I'm still looking for the ultimate disposition of two 60' steel coaches from the Soo Line (AC&F, 1912) that were briefly on the Ma & Pa when Walter Rich had a tourist operation there. Some source stated that they had been moved to New York by Rich's DO Corp., and I had some correspondence with Mr. Rich shortly before he passed, but unfortunately, all he could say is the cars were disposed of years ago, and were supposed to have become a restaurant. They were nice simple cars with wood interiors, never air conditioned, and if they still exist would be welcome somewhere back in Soo Line land.

This is the car at Muddy Creek Forks a couple of years ago. As for the DO Soo Line cars, the resident expert on this subject would be Kurt Bell, who knows the history and disposition of just about every excursion coach east of the Mississippi. I seem to recall Kurt telling me the Soo cars had been scrapped.

Alan Maples

Yes, this is the car that was at the Caledonia Station Restaurant- I recognize the etched designs in the end window glass. I have some photos on file of what it looked like on-site, I'll try to dig out. As I remember the underframe had alot of holes cut into it for air conditioning ducts, plumbing, etc.

Alan,

Thanks for the update on the Soo cars.

What road did the car under the tarp originally come from? The ends and duck-bill hoods look a lot like the DSS&A Jackson & Sharp car restored at Mid-Continent,

http://www.mcrwy.com/collectn/woodpas/dssa213.html

But the underframe seems to be lacking truss rods (perhaps they are missing) and seems to have a steel side sill? A late in life re-build? It would seem that Jackson & Sharp disappeared into the AC&F consolidation before steel underframes became popular.

The car sides were still wood. I also remember cast into the door threshold sills was the name Jackson and Sharp.

I found the time to dig out a few photos of the Caledonia Station Restaurant and the coach discussed, first as used as a dining car, the second loaded on truck wheelsets ready to be moved from the site. The postcard photo states that the car was built in 1892.

Ah, yes, the "Chambersburg and Gettysburg" lettering, which always gave me the (false) impression that it was a Gettysburg Railroad/Cornell cast-off. (Well, considering some of the other stuff Cornell had lying around, you have to admit it seems a rational assumption.....)

I think I may have a copy of the railroad rolling stock brokers listing on the cars Putch bought. Time to dig again in the files....

I managed to find some more information on the cars- Day Coach 157, built by Jackson and Sharp in 1892 came from the Bangor and Aroostook, and later owned by the Otter Valley Railroad of Vermont, from which they were purchased by Putch for the restaurant. Also bought from Otter Valley were the two cabooses, both built by BAR #54 & 56, both which featured side doors.

Gentlemen thank you for all of the replies. This was one of those things that get stuck in the back of your mind. I used to come by it very early in the day so I never had the opportunity to eat there. It would have been nice just to tour the car. Thanks again.

Later!
Mr. Ed

Sure looks like a simple and easy way to move a car. Wonder what would happen if you tried to do it that way these days?