Re: (erielack) Lackawanna Gons, & Sharpsburg

["Bill K." <pontiac_@_dreamscape.com>]

It's deep in RR property in Elmira Yard, and not very visible from public
view.  I shot this car some 4-5 years ago but it was the Conrail era then
when they cared so little about the Tier they did not have any RR police
even assigned to the area, and I happened to be with someone who "knew
people" from crews to trainmasters down there.   Additionally, sometime
before I saw the car all the markings were painted over in red primer
paint - wether to hide them or protect them is unknown to me.  The car next
to it, in full Erie paint, was untouched, as was an LV car in the scrapyard
behind the yards.   This scrapyard had several 40' cars of the same general
dimensions, painted bright red...  I have always wondered if a little
detective work might turn up one of them to be another Phoebe Snow car.  In
any case to get close to any of them requires trespassing of a nature that
it would be very hard to make an excuse for.  In any case the two cars were
just RR east of the wooden ex-Erie yard office.

As I recall, the yard itself is behind a scrapyard that would be on the west
or south side of rt. 17 ( 17 has a stretch where it is aligned mostly
north-south through Elmira).  There is a road that would be RR east (or
south) of the yard and crosses the tracks with an overpass; the car may be
visible from this.   I may be thinking of North Central Ave. though. What I
remember and what Yahoo! Maps is showing me are entirely different (which
makes sense since it's been too many years since I was in there).   Lines
still marked as EL and LV, and the yard area is a few blocks west of Rt. 17.
In any case here is the link (cut and paste it's a LONG url); the yard area
is about dead center with the former Erie on the right and the former DL&W
coming in from bottom left and exiting the top of the map, in the center.
The LV is entirely gone I think exept perhaps within the yard area itself.
Perhaps someone else can provide better detail on the actual location?

http://maps.yahoo.com/py/maps.pyBFCat=&Pyt=Tmap&addr=&city=Elmira&state=NY&s
lt=42.089699&sln=76.808098&mlt=42.097000&mln=76.789400&zip=&country=us&mag=8
&cs=7&BFClient=&BFKey=&poi=&poititle=&map.x=3&map.y=38


At the time there also were two very old flatcars turned piggyback ramps on
the end of a couple of stub tracks in the yard - I believe after some
discussion it was concluded they were ex-DL&W and were piggyback flats (50',
one trailer) before becoming ramps (rails bent down slightly at end of track
and one truck removed from each car, that end buried in the earth).  I seem
to recall some 1911 casting or build dates on them.

Bill K.

- ----- Original Message -----
From: "A Samostie" <quahog_@_sprint.ca>
To: <erielack_@_lists.railfan.net>
Sent: Wednesday, January 23, 2002 12:37 AM
Subject: Re: (erielack) Lackawanna Gons, & Sharpsburg


> Dear Bob and Group,
> Where in Elmira is the Phoebe Snow boxcar?  I'd definitely make a detour
> to see that before it's gone!
>
> Cheers,
> Alan <quahog_@_sprint.ca>
>
> Dlw1el2_@_aol.com wrote:
> > Now I don't look and the pain is less, although there isn't anything
that I
> > consider really significant left out there.   The Last Phoebe Snow box
car
> > has sat at Elmira for 20 years, and the Last Lackawanna Cement hopper on
CR
> > has sat at Enola for at least 5 years, and no one care's enough. If they
are
> > gone tomorrow, so be it. Sometimes there is great significance in quick,
> > unceremonial deaths. When they occure year after year, it can harden a
soft
> > heart.
> >
> > Bob Bahrs
>

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