An ACF New York Central Baggage/Coach was scrapped this week in Sharon, PA. The car was part of the former Quaker Steak & Lube restaurant complex (most recently Tully's Pub and Grille) demolished by new owner Travel Centers of America.

More information on this situation can be viewed on rypn.org thread entitled
Another Steamer in Jeopardy? 0-4-0F in Sharon, Pa. The Heisler steam locomotive remains in place adjacent to the former station site.

"The Baggage/48-coach seat cars were built by ACF in 1944 and were constructed with corrugated aluminum. Two of the dars were painted in NYC's two-toned gray scheme, presumably to match the smooth sided coaches. Those cars not painted had a dull finish which set them apart from the P-S and Budd coaches. Twenty two were built with numbers 344, 345 and 280-299." - from New York Central's Lightweight Passenger Cars, Trains and Travel by Geoffrey H. Doughty

I was unable to obtain a number from the car in question, however demolition of the building adjacent to the car revealed the car to have the NYC two-toned paint scheme. At the time of publication, the Doughty book roster showed that only two of the twenty two cars produced had not been scrapped. Both were reportedly sold to Ted Church, the #344 and #290. Any help in clarifying the identity of the car in question would be appreciated.

Also scrapped along with the buildings was an entombed ex Erie Railroad 1927 steam era wooden caboose.

Kevin Moore, Pittsburgh PA

Most likely it's the 344... The former New River Railroad had/has the 290...it's the combine trapped with a ALCO RS 3 and a Canadian built commuter coach on the now dormant coal mine where they operated...there's several videos on YouTube of them...

344 was apparently at Mad River (owned or Loan) for a while
https://www.flickr.com/photos/emd111/3747740774
Checked Mad river site ...no mention of 344

The last report on the NYC #290, after leaving the Walking Horse & Eastern, it went to another operation in Tennessee, where it operated on a short Line, which was later abandoned and the equipment Left in place, including the #290??

To clarify the story...
The 290 was leased by Ed Ellis for the Orlando and Mount Dora RR tourist operation after it left Walking Horse and Eastern...
After OMD went under the car sat for a bit...apparently, the owner passed away around that same time...and the family sold it to the people at New River RR...
New River got put out of business in some kind of ownership\management change on the coal operation that they operated on...
Their trainset has been sitting since 2008, during which time the situation has worsened due to washouts on the line between them and the interchange....basically, they probably won't leave there in one piece due to difficulty getting them out...

There was the carcass of one of the fluted aluminum ACF NYC combines stored, out of service, on the Saratoga and North Creek, when I was last there a couple of years ago.Someone has posted that the Iowa Pacific folks had leased the 290 for a Florida operation. At that time, it didn't look road-worthy. Not sure if it was the 290 or another of the series. Ted also owned the NYC 5015, an ACF RPO car, which he used as a tool and storage car. In the day, I worked on most of Ted Church's cars, including the two NYC combines. Copper thieves stole most of the electric locker wiring on the 290 when it was stored at Erie. I remember that Ted told me that the lights were still on in the 290, on the bought it from the scrap dealer in Warren (OH). That was the day it was shoved in the scrap yard. It had been through Beech Grove only a few months before the railroad elected to scrap it.

Electrolysis between the steel frame and aluminum car-body did it's damage, over the years, that's for sure. The 290 was better off that the 344, due to it's later shopping at the Grove. I also have a vague memory that the GE Locomotive Works had obtained one of the fluted-side ACF combines to convert to a test car. I'll have to see if I have any slides of that car at the GE plant, in Erie, which would verify a 40 year old memory.