Does anyone know anything about this equipment?????

lvrr325 · **Joined:** Tue Jul 26, 2016 2:13 pm **Posts:** 25

Yes, that's one of the two S6's which came from Solvay, NY. They were used to switch a power plant there. One was originally SP, the other South Buffalo.

Somewhere I read they never shipped the second one, it's still in NY. I PM'ed WM303 to confirm but no response.

Overmod · **Joined:** Thu May 24, 2012 1:37 pm **Posts:** 2492

And yes, I see rotating-cap roller bearing on the ex-Solvay unit.

lvrr325 · **Joined:** Tue Jul 26, 2016 2:13 pm **Posts:** 25

so I got messing around with the Google Maps views and I found the other one indeed is still in Solvay. I'm thinking they have one set of roller trucks and would have to swap them back and forth to move each one.

Les Beckman · **Joined:** Tue Aug 02, 2005 1:25 pm **Posts:** 6482

Les Beckman wrote:

Are those vintage two-bay coal hoppers? Are they Western Maryland heritage or.....? Sure hope they go to a railroad museum and don't end up being scrapped.

Les Beckman (Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum/North Judson, IN)

Did some additional digging and found a reference to MPA/WM hopper cars and thence found these photos of MPA # X131:

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPi ... id=2866150

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPi ... id=2543504

Appears that this IS an ex-Western Maryland two-bay open top coal hopper that the Maryland & Pennsylvania changed to a ballast car by removing the hopper type doors. Note the built date of May 1940. The X131 was supposedly to be joined by a sister car, so my guess is that the two cars in the photo are these same two cars.