On the Ahead of the Torch (AOTT) site, a couple of photos of a 40' steel single door boxcar built 4/47. The car is in a nice two tone (white and blue) paint scheme lettered for the now abandoned Black River Paper Company in Watertown, New York. The building is being converted into apartments and the boxcar is "available". The car is marked on the side with EL 71508 and the truck marked DL&W. Not sure what the original DL&W number might have been. The car appears in very good condition, still on its trucks with at least one coupler in place (no photo of the other end) although the roof walk has apparently been removed and ladders cut (except at the brake wheel end). There is some surface rust at the top but does not appear to have any heavy rust along the bottom of the body. This seems to be a great one for preservation, especially if it was a car that carried the "Route of Phoebe Snow" in large lettering, which would make it a "talking piece" for visitors if so repainted. Current owners have apparently offered it for sale, but would they perhaps consider a donation?

Les

Discussion among EL-DL&W experts on that FB page indicate it may be an Erie car, with DL&W trucks under it due to an EL-era rebuilding program.

It's still a good car for some group to rescue- not many pre-1960 40' steel boxcars out there unclaimed.

Howard P.

Howard -

That's interesting. An Erie box car. Not much Erie freight equipment saved. Is there any way the EL road number (71508) could determine whether it really IS an Erie car? Either Erie or DL&W, I agree with you that the car needs to be preserved.

Les Beckman,
Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum (located on Erie Railroad right-of-way in northern Indiana)