In reply to dano23, the actual "chain of events" (as related by the late NYS&W conductor John Treen) that ended in the scrapping of much of the MCC's equipment began in mid-August 1984. The Delaware Otsego System (who by then owned all the assets of the Morris County Central), moved the badly vandalised MCC coaches & cabooses out of the Newfoundland station east to the MCC's old Green Pond Enginehouse. This move was made in response to Jefferson Township's numerous complaints concerning the very unsightly rolling stock. The D.O. made the move with an over-size bucket-loader to move the cars down the line...one at a time...into Rockaway Township. A chain was fastened between the bucket loader and the west coupler of each car. The move of all the cars took several hours but there were no mishaps at that time.
In mid-1986, the MCC's ex-New York Central wood caboose # 19886 was sold to an individual from Honesdale, PA. The D.O. had to send a work crew up to Newfoundland to switch the caboose out of the standing line of derelict cars at the enginehouse. Remember, all this took place just before the NYS&W main was reopened over Sparta Mountain. Again, a bucket loader was used to make the switching moves...one car at a time.
The crew had to bring five coaches up to the station area in order to get to the NYC caboose. Once that was accomplished, and the caboose was safely set off on the run-around track alongside Bigelow Road, the crew then decided to bring ALL five coaches back to the enginehouse at the same time, in an effort to save work, etc. Everything was coupled together with the chain attached between loader and western most coach. The shove down the hill began. Once across Green Pond Road and mid-way through the MCC's former parking lot, the coaches picked up speed and began dragging the bucket loader, which no longer had control of the cars. The crew bailed off the machine. The cars broke free of the chain and picked up even more speed as they rolled along. The five coaches, weighing about 60 tons each rolled through the switch lined for the storage track next to the enginehouse. The coaches smashed into a line of standing cars and assorted equipment, including the MCC's open-air flatcars, at least one of which was completely severed from its trucks in the crash by having its bolster pins sheered off. A former CNJ weed-burner with its many flame-throwing "arms" was completely destroyed, and quite resembled a squashed bug. Had that switch been lined one way or another, the cars would have either simply continued rolling down the main until they stopped, or in another event, the coaches would have smashed through the enginehouse doors, running head-on into either MCC steam locomotive 385 or 4039.
All five of the coaches were extensively damaged. They suffered major structural and frame defects...the floors inside each car were raised in several places, with huge cracks in the concrete floors. A good portion of the enginehouse wall was ripped down in the crash as well. Beginning in 1988, the D.O. scrapped the freight and passenger cars that were involved in the wreck, except for the PRR caboose and coach # 1001. 1001 had the least amount of damage as it was the west (last) car in the line of runaways. It appeared to only have damage to its steps which were later straightened. No clue as to any frame damage.
The cars that were scrapped during 1988 included the 3 open-air flat cars # 455, 1610 & 2309; Restroom Caboose (NYC) 18441; Morristown & Erie wood Caboose # 3 (ex-Erie RR); Snack Car (CNJ coach) 910; and MCC (ex-CNJ) coaches 1002, 1153 & 1205.
