Nostalgia & History > Conrail Wrecker on Chicago East Mainline March 1986

Weisburg Hill on the old NYC Chicago East Mainline from Indianapolis to Cincinnati (today's G&W's CIND) is notorious for wrecks in the NYC and PC era.  Even today, remains of cars from wrecks in the 60's and 70's can still be found littering the embankment and Tanners Creek.  But back in March of 1986, Conrail sent a big hook down from Indianapolis in to fish an old 40ft CNW box car out that had been laying over the embankment for nearly 20 years by then. If I remember correctly, the crew told me they did it for training purposes and renew some rigging and recovery qualifications. Attached photos show the wrecking train eastbound through Morris IN.

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Here is the recovered box car sitting in Sunman in Sunman. The trucks the box car is setting on where brought down in the rear gondola of the wrecking train. Car was cut up and loaded in the other gondola over the course of the next couple days.

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What a REALLY interesting series of pictures and story! A google search turns up this site with a story of cars and maybe a crane that are still there, but the pictures turn up blank. Are they really just old wrecked cars still there, are cars used as some sort of berm? I’d love to see pictures of what’s there.

There are some recent picture of some of the wrecks still didn’t there. I’ll try to find some links or repost them. There are both stuff just abandoned over the embankment and stuff that was derailed and subsequently used as a retaining wall rather than being recovered.

Posted from iPhone

"Return to Chadron NE when empty" she says. What type of captive service might this car have been in to need to return there?

If you are on Facebook, go to Abandoned Rails group.  Post from 4/10/16 shows a Picture taken a few days prior of a crumpled NYC box car on embankment. Post was from Rodney Morris. Key words 10 miles east of Sunman. 

Milwaukee Wrote:
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> "Return to Chadron NE when empty" she says. What
> type of captive service might this car have been
> in to need to return there?

I was also surprised by that.  I'm thinking, however, that this car was in wood chip service.  It looks to have a 10 foot door.  

Nick Tharalson,
Marion,IA

That car was only 18 months in fresh paint and a new number when the NYC "bought" it off the CNW!  Car card from the CNWHS Archives.

Jeff Eggert

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blueflag Wrote:
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> That car was only 18 months in fresh paint and a
> new number when the NYC "bought" it off the CNW! 
> Car card from the CNWHS Archives.
>
> Jeff Eggert

Thanks Jeff!  Wow, a fairly intact car laid there 18 1/2 years before being recovered.  

Thanks for sharing that interesting document for this car's history. If I'm understanding what I'm seeing correctly, I think it is stating the NYC had to pay $8,835 for the destroyed car? If so, that would be equal to $67,800 in today's funds which seems expensive. Am I understanding correctly what the $8,835 indicates?