Model Railroading on the Cheap

While attending training for my employer in the early 1980s and riding a commuter train west of Chicago I noticed an old X29 box car overhanging the end of an industrial spur track. That style car, possibly built before 1930 was becoming scarce at the time. It had been shoved so hard into the end of track device that the impact dislodged the trucks from under one end of the car.  The most interesting thing is that several weeks later on another trip to town I had occasion to look out the window again and the car was still there! I thought I could model a similar scene.

   This event probably speaks to a matter of economics. The car was old at the time and might have been eligible for scrap, it was not blocking access to an industry, it was probably empty and not in great demand, it would not be a simple job to get it out of there, because the rolling qualities may have been compromised and the brake linkage and piping would have been damaged and not readily repaired at the site. It would have been difficult to get a rubber tired crane to access the location although they could have jacked up the car.

     In summary – when considering the expense involved with recovery, and the value of the car, it probably was not worth going after.  We model railroaders can take inspiration from real life.  See ‘Roadside Repairs’ or ‘Jacked up Car’ for a follow-up story.