Eastern Railroad Discussion > Mance Training Camp...........GONE!

After 11 years of enjoyment by its owners and hundreds of railfans, but also after repeated acts of vandalism and theft, the Mance Training Camp (MTC) in Mance, PA was moved on Thursday. Unfortunately, the arrangement with the landowner of the new location precludes use by other railfans. The move is shared through the following sequence of pictures.

1. A pristine scene in the fall of 2006
2. The MTC is prepared for the move.
3. Loading up.

There are 12 pictures, so please give me time to load them all before commenting....Thanks

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5. Let's go!
6. "High and wide" west on track 3....entering the cut on the horseshoe curve at Mance.
7. Westbound manifest (with helper unit on the point running backwards) overtakes the high and wide special
movement.

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7. MTC on truck is pulled up to the "pinnacle" by a venerable Farmall tractor.
8. The summit is reached with the MTC in a precarious position.
9. Settling in.........

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10. The former MTC site.
11. A room with a new view....double your pleasure.
12. Dawn of a new era at Mance on CSX's Sand Patch grade....Friday morning.

My brother and I enjoyed sharing the camp with many of you over the years. However, the new location has to be off-limits.

Roger Snyder

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I don't blame you a bit for moving it. I feel very fortunate I was able to spend a few hours there several years ago. Good luck on your new location.

bobdiesel Wrote:
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> I don't blame you a bit for moving it. I feel very
> fortunate I was able to spend a few hours there
> several years ago. Good luck on your new location.

Amen.

It looks like a great new site, you're fortunate to have it.

Thanks for your generosity over the years and for allowing public access for as long as you did in spite of a couple troublemakers. While most of my camping on Sand Patch over the past 18 1/2 years has been in other spots, I made use of the MTC a couple times as well. Again, many thanks.


Randy
www.trainweb.org/CSHS (under construction)

Yes, I spent several afternoons in the past over the years enjoying the view from the Mance Camp....Thanks for all the years of sharing it with fellow railfnas....Dave Williams

We might have been the last folks to stay at mance on the night 11/02/07.We woke up on the 3rd to snow and gun shots an then went to meet D Davies to railfan the whole day.Its a shame that few rotten apples in this world ruin it for the good ones,Thanks again cinder for the invite....Sincerly Linda an jim Hnat Aka Scoobydoobydooo

Thanks for your kindness.

Be Well,

Tim Colbert K3HX

Hi Roger,

This is Tom (engineer on the B245 Hyndman Helper) - it's always been nice to see you guys and other fans at the Training Camp, and I understand your need to move it as well.

If anyone on here is interested, the shot of the single helper unit is the B246 double-heading an underpowered Q359 (attached at Foley) last week; and I was helping the Q249 as that coal train passed yesterday in the other shot you posted. I wondered how you got that thing up the hill!

You guys are always safe and well clear of the tracks, and the crews really appreciate that.

Tom K.

Roger and Everyone,

I'd like to string up those bastards that vandalised your wonderful place! I never had the pleasure of meeting either of you, but I spent many wonderful afternoons enjoying and photographing trains thanks to your kindness and generocity. You two are legends in the railfanning world and believe me, we were all shocked and angered to hear that people had taken advantage of your generocity and done harm to your wonderful retreat.

I know that all of us send well wishes and whole-hearted thanks. We all will miss climbing up the hill to get some great shots.

Wes

Anyone care to explain what happened?

A shame indeed! Although I never had the pleasure to stay, Thanks for installing it at an El premo spot at Mance! There's always some idiots who have nothing to do with their time but screw up someones propriety. Good luck on the move.

Ed K. cp Laurel Run

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Rodger,Dave

I had some great times with u guys there...many memories when we would get together after a day of fanning the mountain and then watching what we had shot during the day...happy hour time.

Rodger...the night we were sitting around the fire and three guys came up on us saying they were special agents or something like that...Tom and I weren't fooled (No Id shown) but u had a little buzz going. Finally they came clean and u new them well...they had u buffalo'd. We all had a great laugh over that.

Than the time David started showing us a video clip of a accident that happened down on the VRE, a body laying on the ballast, Rodger was cooking and says to David " Why r u showing that when were just about ready to eat!!!!".

Thats just a few that i remember...there were others.


The old PO is looking great.

Fred (Railnuts)

Roger & Dave..all good things come to an end, thanks for having it open as long as you did. Have a great new year.

I stayed there once in June 2000. What a great place. Thanks for sharing it for as long as you could.

Shawn Kline