One of the railroad magazines ran a story about a man who bought an old boxcar for scrap when the railroad was cleaning out some junk. (I think it was PRR in the '60's) When he opened the doors he found two 1930's Packard automobiles with rotten tires but otherwise like new. Seems the car had been put on the RIP track and forgotten. The company paid damages to the shipper for the lost cargo, the doors rusted shut, and nobody looked inside when it was sold years later.
mw


p_michael_warren@yahoo.com

Somebody who will remain nameless once bought some old S wrenches at a yard sale near Denver. He then stamped the C&S. He then took them to a high priced antique dealer in Georgetown, CO, and said something like "Here are some old wrenches marked C&S - do you want them?" Disposed of them quickly and at a handsome profit as I recall........he didn't lie either.

Hope nobody on this list bought some real expensive old C&S wrenches in Colorado tourist traps a few years back.

dave

irondave@bellsouth.net

Or how about a 19th c. link and pin coupler uncovered during track work (while replacing crossties) on the Stewartstown RR in Pennsylvania?

K.R. Bell

> How about a Savannah Florida & Western
> journal brass kicked out of the ballast at
> the diamond in Plant City, FL in about 1988
> while waiting for photo ops?

> Or how about a 19th c. link and pin coupler
> uncovered during track work (while replacing
> crossties) on the Stewartstown RR in
> Pennsylvania?

Can't offhand think of a RR more likely to produce such a find--even today Stewartstown's entire phyical plant seems to be frozen at about 1920 at the latest. Amazing branchline railroad; I sorrow for its apparent near-demise.

eledbetter@rypn.org

I was working a construction job during summer break from college in the 60s. My teensy English Ford escort station wagon was parked at one end of the job and I was working on the other. Going back to my car one day I noticed she was sagging badly at the stern. Immediate inspection revealed a badly rusted spoked streetcar wheel placed in the back. Part of the crew had been sent off to work at what turned out to be the Lake Shore Electric ROW. As soon as they uncovered the wheel they were sure I would want it, so plunk into the back of the car. Heaven only knows what it was from but it was definitely well used before they dumped it.


lamontdc@adelphia.net

Hi John, Question for you - do you know how much of 1926 made it up to PA? I've seen a picture and it looks pretty bare. Does the current owner have the trucks, water tank and/or engine? Pipe dream of mine, but since Jim and the boys did such a nice job on 1925, 1926 should be a cake-walk. Just kidding, Jim!

Thanks for the info - Mike

> While visiting my uncle as a teenager I
> found the Nicholson Thermic Syphons plate
> from WM 772 hanging on a nail on his
> downstairs porch right where he had hung it
> after removing it from the engine about
> twenty years before. It is still my most
> treasured possession. Over the years I have
> bought quite a few small locomotive parts in
> danger of being lost at bargin prices. Most
> have been donated to museums or sold at
> discount to shortlines. I also spent quite a
> few evenings behind the Bemis sawmill in
> Robbinsville, NC finding and loading most of
> the parts needed to put the 1926 back
> together. They had just thrown them on a
> back lot next to the creek. Eventually the
> parts either went to PA with the 1926 or are
> on the 1925 at Spencer.

> John


Yenko117@yahoo.com

> Hi John, Question for you - do you know how
> much of 1926 made it up to PA? I've seen a
> picture and it looks pretty bare. Does the
> current owner have the trucks, water tank
> and/or engine? Pipe dream of mine, but since
> Jim and the boys did such a nice job on
> 1925, 1926 should be a cake-walk. Just
> kidding, Jim!

> Thanks for the info - Mike

I really do not know how much of the 1926 made the trip to PA. I have not visited the engine or even seen pictures of it since the move. Two things you say in your post have me puzzled. First the engine was still mounted on the boiler the last time I saw the 26 in Robbinsville and second it was sitting on two of it's trucks. The third truck was with the other parts I found behind the mill so it should have gone with the locomotive. I had dug out all of the major lineshaft parts and even enough air pump parts to make two pumps. The cab and water tank were put on the 1925 after the GC turned that engine over in the mid 1960's and went to Spencer with it. They were replaced with new material when Spencer restored the 25. The wrecked cab and water tank from the 25 were still behind the shop and sitting on the creek bank with the third truck when I was recovering the rest of the parts and moving them to Bear Creek. Like Wayne said about his Civic and the I-1 mainrod I could not get those items in my 1972 Ford pickup.
Before you think of restoring the 1926 remember that it was taken out of service because the firebox was shot. The GC got special permission from the ICC to return it to service long enough to rescue the wrecked 1925 and operate the railroad until they fixed the 25. Anyone who has seen the firebox in the 25 before Spencer rebuilt it will understand how bad the one in 26 must be if the 25 is the one the ICC allowed to continue running. Don't get me wrong the 26 is my favorite of the two GC shays and there should be enough parts around to restore her to service but the price will be enormous. I would settle, at least for now, to see her join the 1925 at Spencer. I know JW would take good care of the old girl.

John


jhbohon@yahoo.com

John,

How much (if any) of the GCRR is left in Robbinsville? I know the trackage is gone, I'm just wondering if there's anything else to see there. I took up motorcycling about a year ago and went to Robinsville this summer to visit the famed "Tail of the Dragon", highway 129 north of Deal's Gap, NC. I thought about this being the former home of the GCRR, but I didn't think to look around to see what I could find. I'm sure I'll be back next summer, and would be interested in seeing any remains of the GCRR.

Any info would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Hugh Odom

whodom2001@yahoo.com

And while we're on the subject of the GCRR, Jim Wrinn--when is your GCRR book due out??? Inquiring minds want to know!

> John,

> How much (if any) of the GCRR is left in
> Robbinsville? I know the trackage is gone,
> I'm just wondering if there's anything else
> to see there. I took up motorcycling about a
> year ago and went to Robinsville this summer
> to visit the famed "Tail of the
> Dragon", highway 129 north of Deal's
> Gap, NC. I thought about this being the
> former home of the GCRR, but I didn't think
> to look around to see what I could find. I'm
> sure I'll be back next summer, and would be
> interested in seeing any remains of the
> GCRR.

> Any info would be appreciated.

> Thanks,
> Hugh Odom

John, Thanks for telling us about your archeological dig. I had always wondered if there were any Shay remnants in Robbinsville. Sounds like not. Here is a link to the picture I was refering to.

See ya - Mike

www.steamlocomotive.info/vlocomotive.cfm?Display=1564

http://www.steamlocomotive.info/vlocomotive.cfm?display=1564
Yenko117@yahoo.com

> John,

> How much (if any) of the GCRR is left in
> Robbinsville? I know the trackage is gone,
> I'm just wondering if there's anything else
> to see there. I took up motorcycling about a
> year ago and went to Robinsville this summer
> to visit the famed "Tail of the
> Dragon", highway 129 north of Deal's
> Gap, NC. I thought about this being the
> former home of the GCRR, but I didn't think
> to look around to see what I could find. I'm
> sure I'll be back next summer, and would be
> interested in seeing any remains of the
> GCRR.

> Any info would be appreciated.

> Thanks,
> Hugh Odom

The short answer is not much. The railroad ran more or less paralel to 129 from Robbinsville to Topton. It was never more than a half mile north of the road. Some sections of the roadbed are still visible as are some bridge abutments. If you walk through the gap of the montain off of Ledbetter Rd you will see the famous overlook passengers came to see. The Bear Creek depot is in private hands that appreciate the site but all of the equipment is gone. If you look closely at some of the crossings the rail is still sticking out of the ends. If you follow the railroad through Robbinsville to Milltown the remains of the Bemis sawmill still stand including the mill pond and the shop that served the whole operation not just the railroad. Perhaps the best remains are on the old logging railroad. The forrest service road to the Junction is on the old standard gage ROW. At the Junction the narrow gage railroad went deeper into the woods and the roadbed is now a hiking trail. A recent visitor found ties and a few pieces of rail on the old narrow gage line. The dirt road to the Junction used to be rough and I am not sure you would want to take your bike up there.

You may be interested in knowing the locals called the road the bikers now call "Tail of the Dragon" that damn crooked road to Tennessee when I lived there. Come to think of it it they still do. You don't want to know what they call the bikers.

John

jhbohon@yahoo.com

Thanks for the reply John. Sounds like it would be worth poking around Robbinsville some just to see what could be seen.

I can imagine what the locals call us motorcyclists, but I suspect they don't complain too much. I was amazed at the number of bikes there when I was there in August; I'm sure that brings in a lot of $$ to the town.

For any of you who like to ride (or drive) twisty roads, or if you just like to visit the mountains, Robbinsville is a great destination, and you can do some railfanning while you're there.

U.S. 129 north of Deal's Gap allegedly has 318 curves in 11 miles- it's pretty dang impressive. See the URL below for more info and photos, including some of some "damn fool truckers" who have tried to take that "damn crooked road from Tennessee."

Hugh

> The short answer is not much. The railroad
> ran more or less paralel to 129 from
> Robbinsville to Topton. It was never more
> than a half mile north of the road. Some
> sections of the roadbed are still visible as
> are some bridge abutments. If you walk
> through the gap of the montain off of
> Ledbetter Rd you will see the famous
> overlook passengers came to see. The Bear
> Creek depot is in private hands that
> appreciate the site but all of the equipment
> is gone. If you look closely at some of the
> crossings the rail is still sticking out of
> the ends. If you follow the railroad through
> Robbinsville to Milltown the remains of the
> Bemis sawmill still stand including the mill
> pond and the shop that served the whole
> operation not just the railroad. Perhaps the
> best remains are on the old logging
> railroad. The forrest service road to the
> Junction is on the old standard gage ROW. At
> the Junction the narrow gage railroad went
> deeper into the woods and the roadbed is now
> a hiking trail. A recent visitor found ties
> and a few pieces of rail on the old narrow
> gage line. The dirt road to the Junction
> used to be rough and I am not sure you would
> want to take your bike up there.

> You may be interested in knowing the locals
> called the road the bikers now call
> "Tail of the Dragon" that damn
> crooked road to Tennessee when I lived
> there. Come to think of it it they still do.
> You don't want to know what they call the
> bikers.

> John


Tail of the Dragon
whodom2001@yahoo.com

> U.S. 129 north of Deal's Gap allegedly has
> 318 curves in 11 miles- it's pretty dang
> impressive. See the URL below for more info
> and photos, including some of some
> "damn fool truckers" who have
> tried to take that "damn crooked road
> from Tennessee."

About 4 years ago, we took part in a Miata club meet up there which was truly scary. Almost 100 tiny sports cars tearing up and down those roads as fast as they could take them, which for Miatae is fast indeed. Don't want to try it in the old pickup with the barely passable tires.....

dave


irondave@bellsouth.net

> Thanks for the reply John. Sounds like it
> would be worth poking around Robbinsville
> some just to see what could be seen.

> I can imagine what the locals call us
> motorcyclists, but I suspect they don't
> complain too much. I was amazed at the
> number of bikes there when I was there in
> August; I'm sure that brings in a lot of $$
> to the town.

> For any of you who like to ride (or drive)
> twisty roads, or if you just like to visit
> the mountains, Robbinsville is a great
> destination, and you can do some railfanning
> while you're there.

> U.S. 129 north of Deal's Gap allegedly has
> 318 curves in 11 miles- it's pretty dang
> impressive. See the URL below for more info
> and photos, including some of some
> "damn fool truckers" who have
> tried to take that "damn crooked road
> from Tennessee."

> Hugh

....to the world of railfanning, railroading and motorcycling. You now own the greatest steam chasing highway vehicle in the world....but be very careful. The "cagers" (automobile drivers, usually with blue hair) tend to not see you. You have to drive for yourself and everyone else on the highway if you intend to survive. If you make it to the midwest on the scooter, look me up. I'm always up for a ride, particularly if it involves a little train watching or chasing. It is a great form of therapy.
Don C.

http://www.261.com
milw261@sbcglobal.net

> ....to the world of railfanning, railroading
> and motorcycling. You now own the greatest
> steam chasing highway vehicle in the
> world....

Don has the idea here. I can swing a u-turn in the middle of the narrowest road, I can outpace any train in the USA, and most importantly; I am able to combine two hobbies by justifying the need to ride somewhere that I don't really need to go, in order to take pictures of trains.... :-)

Attached is a picture of my current trusty steed.

> Don C.

JimE

Jim's train pages