Nostalgia & History > Old B&O Wrreckage Found

I remember about 25 - 30 years ago this train wreckage was visible. But the kudzu covered it and everyone forgot about it. Recently someone came and cleared the kudzu and uncovered the wreckage again.

This wreckage is on a spur line of the B&O between Silver Spring, MD and Georgetown, DC. The line is now a Rails to Trails path. So, I'm attempting to find out the history of this wreckage. Do any of you know about a derailment that occurred 50 - 75 years ago? Do you see anything in the pictures that would give you a clue as to what type of car this was?

Thanks for your help.

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I wish the RR's would clean up the messes they leave behind. Not good. Get the scrap metal value for it, even if it doesn't cover all the costs of removal. Be a good steward.

This is quite interesting. Are there any legible serial numbers on any of the parts/components?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/23/14 11:03 by doesyourdogbite.

A couple of notes:
It has an AB brake system so the car was built after 1934.
There is a door rail visible along the edge so it must be a boxcar.
It was obviously being cut up when it was left there since the frame ends are missing. But why wasn't the job finished?

Overall weird and interesting remains.

Perhaps a farmer, scrap dealer, tinkerer bargained for the parts and never came back to take delivery. The remaining parts appear to have clean cut lines and such.

>It has an AB brake system so the car was built after 1934.

1933. The car might have been an older one which has been retrofitted, although I don't see much evidence of this from the photographs.

Looks like its a Duryea (spelling?) under frame. They were early versions of the cushion under frames of today.