Boxcars in Manchester

[TB Diamond]

Lehighton:

Will have to dig through my slide files, but I believe that the eastbound side of Manchester yard was pretty much gone by late 1977 (the westbound side was torn out by the LVRR in the early 1970s if recall is correct). ConRail did operate, as you suspect, about 1x/wk through Manchester at the time the photo was taken. The boxcars were the property of a local grain/coal dealer, having been purchased by that concern from the Lehigh Valley Railroad mainly for grain storage. Will have to agree that the cars would no doubt have had some difficulty passing a initial terminal air brake test.

[lvrr325]

In fact, in 1992 some 1975 bearing and brake stencil dates were visible on the cars.

The grain outfit moves the cars around occasionally as over the years when I visited they were in different positions. One of the 5 steel cars reposed at the end of track in Victor (up on the NYC ROW) for a long time - someone even repainted the LV diamond on it. As long as the journals are in good shape, they can be moved. Interchange is another story, as they have friction bearings and non-fuctional brakes. And to leave the actual yard area on a Finger Lakes train they may need to be inspected and get a waiver for a "one time hospital move" to avoid violating any FRA rules.

I seem to recall someone once telling me that the LV rebuilt the cars in this series and that some of them may have actually started out as New Haven cars, but I don't remember enough of the details to say for sure.

[Lehighton_Man]

Yeah, i say that those things would be hard to move because the LVRRHS, most myself on behalf of the LVRRHS was looking to see if we could get some equipment down there, like the caboose over there behind the school, or one of the Boxcars for display. But hey, thats just me. We'd first have to see if the Grain Dealer would even let one of the cars go, let alone if theres still rails to the darn things.
Hopefully something gets worked out.
Sean

[TB Diamond]

Lehighton:

The box cars at Manchester set on an isolated section of track, or at least they did last Fall.

[BR&P]

The one remaining wooden LV boxcar at Manchester was in the process of being scrapped tonight.

[bluegrass-express]

How much of Manchester Yard was still there in the time of that picture? ...
Sean

I don't remember what was left of the sidings by 1977, but I chased a local from Geneva to Manchester 1-1977 to drop off a few cars around the roundhouse.
If you were there around 9-1972, you could have had your pick of lots of boxcars... They were cut up for scrap and hauled to Buffalo in early 1976.
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn4/ ... 9-1972.jpg

[TB Diamond]

Very few of the freight cars stored on the eastbound side of Manchester yard were cut up for scrap.

The bulk of these cars were moved out of Manchester in trains. The first of these was observed in January, 1976. The last two trains operated in late March, 1976. The first of these came out of Sayre, PA lite with three GP38-2 locomotives plus caboose on Saturday, 20 March. The crew put the train together and departed Manchester east bound after performing the air test. The very last train again came lite out of Sayre with three U23B locomotives and a caboose on Sunday, 21 March. While putting this train together, the crew had to place one gondola car behind the caboose account b/o air. After the air test this train departed east bound.

Some of the cars stored at Manchester could not be moved via train account condition and were cut up for scrap at the old lcl facility docks and loaded into gondola cars. The last of these cars of scrap were picked up by Lehigh Valley Railroad Extra 412 East which came out of Buffalo (Tifft Street) with one locomotive, one 40' box car and a caboose on Tuesday, 30 March. This train also picked up a crane and cars loaded with MOW equipment and was the last through LVRR train to ever make a pickup at Manchester.

[thebigham]

The one remaining wooden LV boxcar at Manchester was in the process of being scrapped tonight.

Who was scrapping it?

[BR&P]

It appeared to be some local, it was not commercial outfit from the looks of it.

[TB Diamond]

Finally had the time to look through some of my slides. Reference track removal in Manchester, the engine service area tracks were removed by March, 1977. All of the the tracks on the eastbound side of Manchester yard had been removed by May, 1977.

[bluegrass-express]

Speaking of boxcars, but in Buffalo... Looking back over b&w negatives (!) from January 1976, I noticed the "LV" painted out above road numbers on these, with something like "DJ." Anyone remember if LV sold or leased some boxcars by this point that would be in interchange service? Maybe the escapees from Manchester yard?
It was a chilly day up on the Tifft St bridge, watching an eastbound LV depart with GP38s, another arrive behind U23Bs, and a PC transfer that I believe these were on. All 3 of these has a black splotch over the road numbers.
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/editPi ... id=1362338

[PassRailSavesFuel]

How much of Manchester Yard was still there in the time of that picture? Im sure that line saw if little activity by the maybe 1 train a week? And those Boxcars have been sitting there for THAT long? Damn, might take a bit of extra work if we were to get one rolling. It'd probably need quite a bit of coaxing with a FGLK unit to get one rolling, im gonna guess the brakes are probably frozen. anyway.
Sean

Coaxing? They're like any business....cash please. That's all the coaxing you need!

[lvrr325]

How much of Manchester Yard was still there in the time of that picture? Im sure that line saw if little activity by the maybe 1 train a week? And those Boxcars have been sitting there for THAT long? Damn, might take a bit of extra work if we were to get one rolling. It'd probably need quite a bit of coaxing with a FGLK unit to get one rolling, im gonna guess the brakes are probably frozen. anyway.
Sean

Coaxing? They're like any business....cash please. That's all the coaxing you need!

Wow, replying to a July 2008 post 17 months later to entirely misunderstand what he was talking about. Maybe shouldn't post directly after arriving home from the bar?

[Lehighton_Man]

Yes PassRail, I was discussing about the process of actually moving one of the cars, not what it would take to get the process started.

[PassRailSavesFuel]

Yes PassRail, I was discussing about the process of actually moving one of the cars, not what it would take to get the process started.

I've been shown my errors...I'm going back in the club car before it closes. Thanks.