PH&D Castleblayney Scrapped

The PH and D RR Historical Society has been trying to get the old PH andD Business Car Castleblayney back on home rail for some time now. There has been considerable planning, time, and money was put forth to find a route to return the car to the Port Huron at the PH&D RR HS located in the PH and D Wye on 32nd St.

If I call correctly, there were problems with CSX allowing this car to be transported via rail due to the wheel-set or bearings on the trucks. I recall a conversation that CSX had transported a private passenger car before in which the the bearings seized up and caused a derailment, damage to the ROW, and loss of freight. The Castleblayney I believe had those same bearings. CSX then later banned the movement of any train car with that type of bearings from that point on. Getting past that problem apparently was not resolved. 



The photos and video were from DeWitt Chapple Jr I believe.



Castleblayney 2009 at the GCRM Miami, FL. Photographer unk.

Quoted Posts from Sandy Duffy on Railway Preservation News "It is my sad duty to report that the Port Huron and Detroit business car Castleblayney has been moved to the "scrap line". As most of you know, this historic car was the first heavyweight Pullman business car ordered and bought by the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway in 1927. It was designated car #1, Richmond.
The car had been deteriorating slowly while at the Gold Coast Museum. Had my mother known that this was to be her fate, I don’t think she would have donated the car. Unfortunately, a number of factors made it very difficult to save it, let alone move it.
The only items saved are the nameplates off the car and the keys to the observation door.
The money initially raised to transport the business car was used to purchase and move 
PH and D RR caboose #62 (originally as delivered new #52). This is now resting on the property of the  PH and Dt Railroad Historical Society."

Not being in the entire information loop here the Gold Coast Railroad Museum must have had a time frame before for this car to be removed or it would suffer the fate of GTW 4-6-2 5629. Well unfortunately the 
PH and D Business Car Castleblayney has suffered that fate due to unable to mitigate the problems with the car.

Please refrain from bashing CSX, The Gold Coast Railroad Museum, or my fellow members of the 
PH and D RR HS on not getting this car back to home rails.
Some things just cannot be avoided due to costs, RR Regulations, etc. The money involved in trying to get this car back was put forward to getting the Caboose back to the 
PH and D wye. These photos come from Bud Gilbert, credit to the photographer, who ever they are.






Again this is a sad end to some of Michigan's Railroad History. I guess the trucks will be used on another car there at the Gold Coast Railroad Museum in Miami, FL.

Dan

Comments

Anonymous said…
I am a volunteer at the gcrm and i am glad i was bled to go inside it before it met its fate

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