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Re: (erielack) Painting oddities... the covered hoppers

> Paul, I have not beenfollowing the story about the covered hopper  that 
> ended in the gorge, but I do remember a covered hopper that was loaded 
> with corn that rolled over into the parking lot as you go into the park. 
> Winters Wrecking from Langford , N.Y. empited the corn Out and got the car 
> out of there. Jerry H.

Paul and List,

There is a roadway which goes under the bridge near the top of the Falls. I 
haven't been there in 20 years but I think it is perhaps 30-35 feet under 
the bridge. The hopper could have gone over at this point. The sides slope 
down to the road. I think if it had fallen 200 feet into the gorge, there 
would be many photos, as it would take several days to get that out and you 
have thousands of people always taking pictures there..

Ed Winter died about 4-5 years ago. He was part owner of the Buffalo 
Southern RR, ex-Erie Buffalo to Gowanda line. Ed was a great guy. He got 
started in the RR wrecking business on the Erie line. Ed was a farmer with a 
lot of big farm and construction equipment and had a natural knack for 
rigging. He had a lot of fellow farmers in the area he could call on to help 
with wrecks. He helped the early EL to clean up one wreck, then another. In 
the early 80's I went with him into Buffalo on his RS-3 and I flagged all 
the crossings into Buffalo. I rode all the way at the front of the engine on 
a nice July day. We picked up some cars at BC and returned. This was  my 
best day ever on the RR.

Ed bought a big 250-ton ex-Pennsy steam wrecking crane and would run it for 
kicks. He had old EL boxcars around his property. He invented the 
Rail-Grabber, which would grip rails and hold the together on a temporary 
basis, to assist in wrecking. I tried to interview Ed for my wreck book but 
I was too late.

Ron Dukarm 



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