Traveling Freight Car for THIS Forums Members!

[ACL1504]

Boy.....your AS sure gets around.....

You betcha!

[jbvb]

Last night I was drinking with some railroad men, and one tipped me that Campbell Shoe had to load a car on Easter Sunday or they'd lose out on a big deal. It was good money for clean work, so I walked over to West Lynn yard after church. While I was waiting for the next truck, I heard a Lima whistle for Western Ave. There aren't many 2-8-4s left on the B&M, but they often catch the night freights that interchange with the New Haven through their Boston Harbor Tunnel. Those don't run Sundays, so while I wound my camera, I wondered what would get an extra east called on Easter.

My first shot caught 4012 slowly climbing the grade, preparing to stop at Saugus Jct. I checked my watch; she wouldn't go till the 2:07 had passed. The truck wasn't in sight yet, so I hot-footed it up the stairs behind the yard office and shot one as it waited, then another of it accelerating away toward Bexley. Just then the truck turned in the driveway, so I had to run all the way back.

Trains through the Harbor Tunnel are mostly high cars, produce, merchandise, autos, parts for General Electric, like that. But this extra had a loaded coal hopper on the head pin. I hadn't ever seen an Atlantic & Southern hopper before; New England's hard coal comes from the anthracite roads, and the soft coal that doesn't come off barges is shipped from Pennsylvania. On my home I stopped at Joey's to grab a 'Gansett. He told me that hopper was some kind of special coal the Navy wanted in Portsmouth, pronto.

[jbvb]

Yesterday  Larry and Mike stopped by Joey's after work. It turned out they'd heard about the Sunday extra and had gotten a couple of shots of it in Bexley.  Larry was west of the tunnel, but only his going-away shot came out:

[jbvb]

Mike was behind one of the buildings on Lafayette Street and caught it passing the yard and engine terminal.  Too bad about the diesel, it spoils the picture for me:

[jbvb]

Most Thursday nights, a few of the local Railroad Enthusiasts members get together at Saulena's in Bexley. Last night a guy from Newburyport joined us, I think he called himself Bubba. He brought several prints of the 4012 farther up the line.  And there was that AS hopper car. The first was leaving Rowley:

[jbvb]

The second was crossing the salt marsh into Newbury at Little River.

[jbvb]

Bubba said the 4012 really had a roll on its train across the marshes; he barely caught up to it in Newburyport and then couldn't catch it again before Rt. 1 turns away from the Eastern Route in Salisbury.

[ACL1504]

Great story and pictures. My AS is on the go all the time.

Frank Baker, Erieman, in Arizona says he'll take the car and do an update on his layout. Send Frank a PM to get his info.

Tom

[Erieman]

Good Morning Tom and the rest of the followers of Tom's AS 3667. The package arrived yesterday and was immediately loaded on the railroad and a few pictures were taken. So-o-o, without further ado, here are a couple of pics of Atlantic & Southern 3226 behind a Erie GP7 triple header leaving Chester heading East. I took several pictures in this area since most of the scenery is done in this area. The car needs to into the repair shop for some new paint (on the weights) and screw replacement on the trucks/body. Must be all the miles that this car has seen over the past three years. The owner of the car is aware of the repairs.
Enjoy the pics and I'll be taking some more later in the day.

Frank / Erieman

[jrmueller]

Do we have a roster going for the exchange on this forum. If so, please add me.  Jim

[ACL1504]

Jim,

I have no official roster for the car. However, you are the next in line. Erieman can send you the car when he is finished moving and making the repairs.

Thanks for being a part of my traveling AS!

Tom

[ACL1504]

Frank,

Thanks for taking the AS and moving coal on the Erie. The scenery in the area of the car passing through looks great.

Tom

[donatode]

Hopefully I will have some small section of a layout sufficiently finished to host your ASS by the end of this year.  I will then put in my bid to host the car.

[Erieman]

Frank,

Thanks for taking the AS and moving coal on the Erie. The scenery in the area of the car passing through looks great.

Tom

Tom,

Good Morning. Thank you for your comments on the photos. More to come. The car has been undergoing some repairs as I mentioned to you in my email. The weights have been primed and painted flat black and that really helped. In taking the car apart to remove the weights, I found that the body end, just above the coupler box was broken. That is now fixed with a little solvent. On the frame, the end with the brake cylinder was damaged. Actually, it looks like it had been that way from the original build. The section with the brake and air cylinder were distorted. That has been straightened. I had to used a solvent to straighten and secure everything. Now to install the new screws and this car is ready for many more miles of operation.

Frank / Erieman

[GPdemayo]

Frank,

Thanks for taking the AS and moving coal on the Erie. The scenery in the area of the car passing through looks great.

Tom

Tom,

Good Morning. Thank you for your comments on the photos. More to come. The car has been undergoing some repairs as I mentioned to you in my email. The weights have been primed and painted flat black and that really helped. In taking the car apart to remove the weights, I found that the body end, just above the coupler box was broken. That is now fixed with a little solvent. On the frame, the end with the brake cylinder was damaged. Actually, it looks like it had been that way from the original build. The section with the brake and air cylinder were distorted. That has been straightened. I had to used a solvent to straighten and secure everything. Now to install the new screws and this car is ready for many more miles of operation.

Frank / Erieman

Way to go Frank.....not you need to build a new structure for the layout.....
 
                                    Baker's Car Repair Shop
 
    "If you have damaged or broken rolling stock.....we can have you back in service in a flash"