Used cars - low mileage and in good condition...

[doctorwayne]

A crew was called at Lowbanks to run light down to the TH&B's Port Maitland yard, in order to pick up some cars left behind by an over-tonnage eastbound train that had arrived here earlier.  Here's recently-rebuilt Mogul 37, just finished coaling-up and now backing towards the turntable.  Sister 34, foreground, is about to move forward to grab a caboose for the trip.



As the 37 backs out through the coaling tower, her caboose awaits on the carshop lead.



Train assembled, they head west, past the Northshore's Port Maitland tower.  That's the caboose of the over-tonnage train at left, having picked-up a helper at Lowbanks and now leaving town eastbound.



After being delayed by a minor derailment on the TH&B, the 37 finally rolls back onto Northshore tracks at Port Maitland, with four carloads of locomotive coal.  The cars, relative oddities on both the Grand Valley and in general, are AAR 50 ton composite hoppers.  Such cars will become common once the USA enters WWII, but most versions of this car in-service in the '30s were of all-steel construction.









The cars shown are part of a ten car order, placed in two lots, and built in 1933 for a Texas shortline.  However, that line had changed hands before the order was delivered and the new owners declared the un-used cars surplus.  Grand Valley's parent company EG&E was fortunate to acquire the cars and assigned them to service on the Grand Valley/Erie Northshore subdivisions.

Before putting the cars into service, local shop forces scribed the interior of the cars' sides, then painted them to resemble unpainted wood, weathering them with a wash of India ink, followed by some airbrushed rust and coal dust.



Grand Valley reporting marks and numbers replaced those of the original purchaser and new heralds were applied.  As you can see, the cars have been in service for some time, already having had their first re-weigh.

Wayne