Date
1 - 8 of 8
C&O MW Photos
|
Garth Groff and Sally Sanford <mallardlodge1000@...>
Friends, A few weeks ago I offered to share some C&O maintenance-of-way boxcars from my negatives that I was scanning. A couple of you asked me to go ahead with the project. All the photos are scanned now, and as I run them through Photoshop to take out the dust and scratches, they will be presented here for your enlightenment and discussion. During the 1980s when I moved to Charlottesville after my Coast Guard service, I shot a lot of C&O and Southern stuff. Coming from the Left Coast, I was like a kid in a candy store with all sorts of new trains to photograph. At that time the C&O was in the process of scrapping out most of their older maintenance equipment. There were clusters of cars awaiting scrapping scattered around the Charlottesville yard, and on sidings at Gordonsville, Scottsville and Glastone. What is neat about these cars is that many dated to the 1920s and 1930s. Sadly, few were preserved, but I do have the photos of some. So here's my take on this crop, with some help from Carl Shaver's FREIGHT CAR EQUIPMENT OF THE CHESAPEAK & OHIO RAILWAY, AUGUST 1, 1937: X-1218 appears to be from series 8000-9499, a 40' single door boxcar with and 8' 7 1/2" IH built by Standard Steel in 1930. Note the high end ladder. Photo at Gordansville, VA circa 1986. 910101 is from the same series, and was probably a tool or material car. The two windows in the sides was typical of C&O practice. Photo at Scottsville, VA circa 1986. 705 is a rare survivor from Hocking Valley series 34000-35999, built by Illinois Car and Manufacturing Co. 1924-25. They were 40' long, with an 8' 8" IH. These came to the C&O in the 1930 merger and became 82000-83999. Most of this class received steel sides and steel doors in 1941-42, with many rebuilt as single-door cars, and all were renumbered into various other blocks. This car shows that some were not rebuilt with steel sides, though it did get the steel doors. Note the apparently steel hazmat diamond on the end tack board. Photo from Gordonsville, VA circa 1986. 910069 is fairly new to MW service. It comes from series 19000-19499, built in 1957 by AC&F. These were among the last 40' boxcars built for the C&O. The reweigh date of 11-1981 is probably the conversion date. Two cars of this type are in the collection of the COHS in Clifton Forge. Photo probably from Charlottesville circa 1986. Yours Aye, Garth Groff 🦆 |
|
|
|
mofwcaboose <MOFWCABOOSE@...>
Some railroads always identified the type of camp car on the side, some railroads identified them by prefixes or suffixes in the number, and some did not bother at all,,,the C&O was in the latter group. No comprehensive roster of C&O equipment has ever surfaced, and the COHS has published some booklets, but nothing really definitive. Thus identifying C&O camp car types is rather speculative. While it is safe to say that these cars are either tool or material cars, one cannot go further then that. The one with the bars behind the windows might be a tool car; the bars are to keep someone from breaking in and stealing the tools (as if anyone could fit through those windows!).
Nonrevenue equipment can be a valuable look at old rolling stock, provided information is available on their history. Again, some railroads were good in that regard, others not so much.
John C. La Rue, Jr.
Bonita Springs, FL
|
|
|
|
Garth Groff and Sally Sanford <mallardlodge1000@...>
John, I think X-1218 and 705 were the only cars I found with old lettering. I'm sure there must have been some kind of logic to it, but the numbering schemes probably changed from time to time, especially through mergers. Almost everything else except Burro Cranes had Chessie System numbering by the time I came to the area. MW cars were all numbered in the 9XXXXX series. I began to detect some sort of pattern, such as 910XXX seemed to be for boxcars and so on. Then I ran across some cars that seemed to blow this idea out of the water. (Sigh!) Agreed that MW equipment is often a goldmine for cars from our era, and fortunately some cars in MW service have gone to museums for restoration to something at least approximating revenue-service condition. I have more C&O goodies to share, and some Southern and N&W too. And then I might go on to some really keen stuff I found on New Hampshire shortlines around 2000 (like hoppers with New Haven lettering still showing!). I don't want to hog too much band width though. Your Aye, Garth Groff
|
|
|
|
Claus Schlund \(HGM\)
HI Garth,
I’m thoroughly enjoying the photos – go ahead and hog some bandwidth!
Claus Schlund
From: Garth Groff and Sally Sanford
Sent: Monday, May 18, 2020 11:26 AM
To: main@realstmfc.groups.io
Subject: Re: [RealSTMFC] C&O MW Photos John,
I think X-1218 and 705 were the only cars I found with old lettering. I'm
sure there must have been some kind of logic to it, but the numbering schemes
probably changed from time to time, especially through mergers. Almost
everything else except Burro Cranes had Chessie System numbering by the time I
came to the area. MW cars were all numbered in the 9XXXXX series. I began to
detect some sort of pattern, such as 910XXX seemed to be for boxcars and so on.
Then I ran across some cars that seemed to blow this idea out of the water.
(Sigh!)
Agreed that MW equipment is often a goldmine for cars from our era, and
fortunately some cars in MW service have gone to museums for restoration to
something at least approximating revenue-service condition.
I have more C&O goodies to share, and some Southern and N&W too.
And then I might go on to some really keen stuff I found on New Hampshire
shortlines around 2000 (like hoppers with New Haven lettering still showing!). I
don't want to hog too much band width though.
Your Aye,
Garth Groff
On Mon, May 18, 2020 at 10:17 AM mofwcaboose via
groups.io
<MOFWCABOOSE@...> wrote:
|
|
|
|
Bob Chapman
Garth --
Nice photos! If you haven't already, you should send these to the C&OHS for their archives, along with caption info for each (date, location, photographer, car number, car provenance, etc.) summarized from your comments. I'm sure they would be interested.
cohs.org
Regards,
Bob Chapman
|
|
|
|
Garth Groff and Sally Sanford <mallardlodge1000@...>
Bob, I've considered that. My C&O/CSX negatives number over 500, plus around 200 for the Buckingham Branch Railroad (which I'm sure they would want), and more for lines associated with the C&O: Nelson & Albemarle, Shenandoah Valley, Rock Ten Paper, Shepherd Grain . . . Ouch! Someday they're going to get a CD, which should have the ID info attached to each image. First I owe their President an article on the Nelson & Albemarle which I wrote before I had health issues, but have never gotten back to finishing the photos. My push right now is to get all my negatives scanned up and Photoshopped. I've nearly finished most of my binders including all the Virginia stuff since I moved to Charlottesville. The two big ones binders from California going back to the 1960s are maybe half done, but that still leaves maybe 2,000 images to work up. Before I die, I hope to send all my stuff to various museums, since my sweetheart says when I go, it all goes too . . . right into the trash. Yours Aye, Garth Groff 🦆 On Mon, May 18, 2020 at 1:54 PM Bob Chapman <chapbob611@...> wrote:
|
|
|
|
mofwcaboose <MOFWCABOOSE@...>
All too familiar a situation, in spite of more people thinking that anything having to do with railroads is worth a fortune.
I have two brothers; the younger knows to a penny what an old snare drum is worth, but is totally unable to conceive of the value of anything having to do with a railroad. The older has a somewhat better idea, but still would not know what to do in the event of my demise.
The situation is somewhat exacerbated because my negative collection is mostly MofW and cabooses, which few railfans and historians care about.
You should ask your sweetheart: "If these negatives were five-dollar bills, would you throw them away?"
John C. La Rue, Jr.
Bonita Springs, FL -----Original Message-----
From: Garth Groff and Sally Sanford <mallardlodge1000@...> To: main@realstmfc.groups.io Sent: Mon, May 18, 2020 4:43 pm Subject: Re: [RealSTMFC] C&O MW Photos Bob,
I've considered that. My C&O/CSX negatives number over 500, plus around 200 for the Buckingham Branch Railroad (which I'm sure they would want), and more for lines associated with the C&O: Nelson & Albemarle, Shenandoah Valley, Rock Ten Paper, Shepherd Grain . . . Ouch! Someday they're going to get a CD, which should have the ID info attached to each image. First I owe their President an article on the Nelson & Albemarle which I wrote before I had health issues, but have never gotten back to finishing the photos.
My push right now is to get all my negatives scanned up and Photoshopped. I've nearly finished most of my binders including all the Virginia stuff since I moved to Charlottesville. The two big ones binders from California going back to the 1960s are maybe half done, but that still leaves maybe 2,000 images to work up.
Before I die, I hope to send all my stuff to various museums, since my sweetheart says when I go, it all goes too . . . right into the trash.
Yours Aye,
Garth Groff 🦆
|
|
|
|
Bill McClure
I, too, spent a fair amount of time photographing C&O MOW equipment for the same reasons Garth mentioned. I must confess I trespassed many, many times, including over and under certain cars to fuel my modeling interests. Here is a link to a gallery on my website with C&O MOW cars based on steam era boxcars: Feel free to download any for personal uses, but please respect the copyright and do not use for commercial purposes without permission. Bill Bill McClure www.billmcclure.smugmug.com |
|
|