Old LIRR Coach Moving on LIE Service Road

Yesterday I was on Vanderbilt Motor Parkway around exit 55 along the LIE peacefully stopped at a traffic light where Motor Parkway crosses the LIE, when all of a sudden police cars with sirens come through on the LIE service road, with a LIPA truck (to move wires if necessary), and "Oversize Load" trucks, and all of a sudden, a rusty, red, falling apart old LIRR railroad coach on a flatbed!! It was an old one, I think an MP54 but not sure (I don't know my LIRR coaches too well). It was one of those ones that had those "owl eyes" on the front.....so.....does anyone have any clue what the heck that was all about? It was going eastbound on the LIE service road.
It caught me totally off guard, I must have been sitting in my car just staring at it with my mouth open, as it's not something you see everyday for sure!

ANy clue where it was going, or where it came from? It was in pretty rough shape, the vestibule floors looked completely overtaken with rust.
It was painted red if that helps identifying where it came from.

PS....I wish I had my camera in my car!!

Is the LIRR coach that served as an information center along the LIE in those parts still there? Maybe they are removing it for whatever reason, and that's what you saw (not sure, haven't been past it in a while).

It was most probably the car that was on the LIE.

Guys on the other forum state that the car is not realistically financially restorable and is heading to the scrapper.

Dave

...in which case (following up on Dave's post above) it was P54D 7921. From the Bob Emery roster:

7921 saved for preservation and stored until 4-1976. Repainted tuscan red with black roof and gold leaf lettering and renumbered back to 921 for use on Heritage Train from 5-1976 to 8-1976. Stored on Track 1, Flatbush Avenue from 8-1976. Donated to Long Island Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, (date?), and moved to visitor information center on the south side of the Long Island Expressway between Exits 51 and 52 in Dix Hills, NY. Removed from this location 12-20-2006.

GP38, I wish you had followed them to see where they went!

Wow, I didn't recognize it as the rest stop LIRR coach at all....but it all happened so fast and unexpectedly. It was red, and I don't remember the rest area one being red. In fact it didn't look familiar at all.
But I guess this is the only logical explanation. And I haven't driven on the LIE to see if it's gone.
Well, UN Block....at least we know it went east....somewhere east of the Motor Parkway/LIE intersection at exit 55! Gershaw in Medford perhaps?

yes, the rest stop between exits 51 and 52 is undergoing a modernization. It will no longer just be a parking lot, it's going to become Long Island's first "full-service rest area". In other words, a station similar to what you'd find on the Thruway, or the NJ Turnpike. It's not going to be on such a grand scale, of course, but it will have food, gas, etc.

Yeah Chris, the rest stop car was definately red. What a shame. That's some real LI history right there. I really don't know if an improved rest stop on the LIE is so desperately needed, but I guess it will be nice to have.

I heard the thing was in such bad shape that it was basically going to fall apart, anyway.

Hey, I know, put an M-1 there now

NIMBYkiller wrote:Yeah Chris, the rest stop car was definately red. What a shame. That's some real LI history right there. I really don't know if an improved rest stop on the LIE is so desperately needed, but I guess it will be nice to have.

Wow, I must have passed that railroad car literally hundreds and hundreds of time, and can't for the life of me remember it being red, go figure.

Nasadowsk.... The car went right past me when I saw it, and I can vouch, the thing was in TERRIBLE shape, just in the few seconds it took to go by, I could see the entire vestibule floor was rusted away, and in shambles. And that was just quick glance, up close and near it must have been even worse.

My posts from the other place..

Twin Forks was offered the car, but we simply had to reject the offer. The car was WAY out of our league of work that was needed. You literally went through the floor if you walked on it.
I got some photos of it, ill post later on.

They offered to move the car for us to, but as I said, we had to decline the offer. Theres just no way she could have been saved with out half a mill...

Theres a chance this car is NOT getting scrapped...will post back if I hear anything..

Slightly of topic, but since we are talking about old coaches moving....

Today Work 1 moved the old B&M W-85 alcohol car, and the P72 that were sitting on the east end of Ronkonkoma yard for the past 5 years.!! The coaches are now in Atlantic Pipe Just west of Hicksville station.
We were switching the freight yard and Work 1 pulled in with those coaches. Really caught me off guard. Looked like a train from the 80's with the MP15 facing west. Brought back some memories.

Spoke to the conductor, about the condition of the cars. He said it definitely took a while to charge the brakes, an a while to loosen the rusted handbrakes. Other than that, the cars are in relatively good shape, and handled well on the road.

Eventually they will be placed in Lilco siding to rust away for several more years. I guess they need the room in KO for something else.

Nova55, any idea where they brought the car? Like I said, I saw it going east at Exit 55 on the service road.