PC: Re: PC - Still Around

["David Benn" <bennsden@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Robert! Greetings from Japan!

   Just reviewing the PC folder on a quiet Sunday evening and came across
your posting from pretty near the first days of my "smellycat"
subscription.  I take it you are an ardent freight car guy planning a trip
to Hollidaysburg in search of fallen flag freight cars.  That brought back
many memories from the countless trips between Milroy Pa, a small village
near Lewistown on the Middle Division, and the east side of Pittsburgh. 
The direction of coming and going changed over the years, my family lived
in both locations over the years, one being Mom's hometown, the other my
father's.  I was always glued to the window when we were on Rte 22 between
Holidaysburg and Duncansville, and even further east along that highway
towards Williamsburg PA.  That PRR branch always had long lines of PRR/PC
hoppers in storage.  Wish I was a photographer then, the images are only as
good as my memory now!   Was this your first trip to the Sam Rhea shrine?? 
I did make trips there during the CR era with camera, and got lot's of
fallen flag freight car shots.  Do you have a large collection of these? 
If so, any interest in trading dupes?  One great find was some LV PS
covered hoppers.  I think I saw that Walthers is releasing their kit in LV
paint.  Guess I'll have to get some of those.  Recent MR kits new on the
market are great.  Out of college, I made a conscious decision not to buy
brass, that I would settle for whatever was available in plastic.  Everyday
that passes makes that seem better and better of a choice.

   When I read you post the first time, I thought maybe you were from
somewhere close in central PA.  But your mention of the River Line action
changes that.  So where do you hail from?  Along the Hudson?  I was
actually born in Nyack, but only lasted there until 3 months, when my
father finished school and then back to PA.  My wife is also from NY, but
from near Albany/Schenectady, a little town called Scotia.  That's a great
place to visit also.  Here father was a big railfan, and her parents
traveled alot by rail in their retired years, so here Mom is quite
understanding when I get that "I gotta run" look when I hear the trains
coming out of  Selkirk and headed west along the Mohawk River.

   If you're interested in talking freight cars with someone, or even
freight traffic from the 70s in the great rusty Northeast, keep me in mind.
 Any discussions on those subjects would be enjoyable and hopefully a
benefit to both of us.

   One last note.  Ever been to the covered hopper graveyard at
Northumberland?

>From along the Tokaido mainline, near Yokohama Japan.

Dave

----------
> From: Robert Holzweiss <robert.holzweiss -AT- bush.nara.gov>
> To: penn-central -AT- smellycat.com
> Subject: PC: PC - Still Around
> Date: Friday, June 13, 1997 2:14 AM
> 
> Hello all
>       With the demise of Conrail at hand, I recently completed a trip to
> Altoona / Hollidaysburg (5/28/97) to see if any freight cars from CR
> "heritage" roads still languished around the shops.  What I found
> surprised me and I thought I share it with the list.  (I enjoy the
sightings
> section on the PC homepage and thought these might be added).
>       At Hollidaysburg (in the bone yard farthest away (east?) of the
> shops along the road out of town) were PC boxcar 23273 (worms
> painted out but showing through), PC Boxcar 74211, PRR Boxcar 45924
> (still with keystones!), and RDG covered hopper 93535 (looking like it
just
> rolled out of the paint shop).  This was just the first row along the
road. 
> There were also numerous gons and even the Buffalo Division
> Instruction Car (#23273, and old heavyweight).  If you could get
> permission, I'm sure many more gems are located deeper in the yard.
>       At the shops apparently ready to go in for rebuild was PC Boxcar
> 275416 complete with worms.
>       The real surprise was at Rose Interlocking in Altoona.  A PC
> four door autoparts boxcar #293665 was sitting in the bone yard near
> the yard office just west of the bridge.  The boxcar was complete with
> original numbers and logos.  There were also many RDG and EL coal
> hoppers and even a former smooth side baggage car (#46991-
> converted to work train service) in the bone yard.
>       I also spotted many PC gons in Conrail trains along the River Line
in
> New York.  The cars were rusty and the numbers were hard to read but
> I spotted at least 10 in several different trains over the course of two
> days.
>      I would be happy to send the pictures of this equipment to the PC
> homepage maintainer if someone could send me the address.  Sorry I
> could not identify the class types of the cars.  
> 
> Robert Holzweiss
> "Robert.Holzweiss -AT- bush.nara.gov"
>