Weekly Photo Fun 9/20 - 9/26/19

[doctorwayne]

Yesterday, I called Buster Stadelbauer, an acquaintance in Lowbanks, and asked if he'd seen anything of this mysterious blue boxcar.
"Well, yessir, she were here, an' they put 'er on the whirly bridge," (Buster was, at the time, know as bein' "slow", but he was a keen observer of just about anything, and you could rely on him to always tell the truth) "and turned her 'round." 
According to Buster, they also put the car in a train which was being made-up at that time, so it was likely to be back in Elfrida the next morning.  Finally something being done right.

I wasn't sure where Barney might be, though, but I got a call from him this afternoon.  "You got any beer in your icebox, buddy?  I got a bit of a thirst, but I also got sumpin' to show ya!  I'll be there in a half hour-or-so."

Twenty minutes later, beer in hand, he says, "Lookit this!", handing me a photo..."I think it's the same darn boxcar, goin' east, through South Cayuga!"



"That means that the car must've been put into a through train, and had rolled right through Elfrida, stopping only for water.", I said.  "The car will likely end-up in West-Dunn Yard, and who knows how long it will sit there!  Whadda buncha maroons!"   

"I'm gittin' a bit parched, pal, how's about another whistle-wetter, eh?"  I went to the kitchen to get another, but he followed me, probably worried that I'd forget to bring one back.  "That's nuthin', though, 'cause I was flyin' again early this afternoon, and looky here!",  he said, thrusting another photo into my hand.

He appeared almost ready to be flying again, finishing the second beer as I looked at the photo. 
"What the....?", I said, "that's the high bridge into Park Head!!"



Evidently, that car hadn't stood still for any length of time since it sat, wrong-way-around, at the Broom Works, and was now headed to the northern end of the Grand Valley line.  I wondered if it would be sent on to CNR's Lee Town sub, never to be seen again.

"Listen, buddy, I gotta get goin', have ya got a couple I could take along, yuh know, 'case I get thirsty?"

I later learned that not only had the car been turned at Lowbanks (the correct way), but also at Dunnville, (back to the wrong way) then again at Mount Forest (back to the right way), and it arrived a couple of days later back at Bowyer's Manufacturing, for unloading.  

I suppose we could look at the bright side of the story, that this railroad's always ready to go that extra mile (or several) for their customers.

I have a photo of the car somewhere...I think I loaned it to someone, but I'll post it if it shows up.

Wayne