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Harlansburg (Pa.) Station Museum Up For Auction
https://rypn.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=48918		 Page 1 of 1
Author:  Alexander D. Mitchell IV [ Mon Aug 11, 2025 5:03 pm ]
Post subject:  Harlansburg (Pa.) Station Museum Up For Auction
Includes four passenger cars, all of which have been discussed several times in various "heavyweight survivors" and other passenger car threads here over the years by "Ranier Rails" and others:

https://www.liveauctioneers.com/catalog ... on-museum/

The usual "I have no financial interest in this" disclaimer, yadda yadda yadda......

A web page for someone else's visit in July 2020:
https://hawkinsrails.net/preservation/hsmt/hsmt.html

I will note that this is one private "museum" that stayed off the radar--never listed in Kalmbach's Tourist Trains Guidebook or the predecessor Steam Passenger Service Directory as far as my quick check shows. (Well, for that matter, neither is nearby Youngstown Steel Heritage's J&L demo railway....) The "station" is a replica of no particular design, and the "collection" is truly a random bunch of clutter, including even some old British signs and a replica(?) British diesel nameplate........

Image

Good luck, wannabe rail barons.......
Author:  70000 [ Tue Aug 12, 2025 1:08 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Harlansburg (Pa.) Station Museum Up For Auction
They certainly had a diverse collecting policy!
That "Warship" nameplate might be a genuine one as I remember seeing one off the original (D600s) batch on the wall of the "Victoria Station" restaurant in Denver, CO, back in the early 1980s.
Those locos were being withdrawn about the time that chain started buying a lot of UK railwayana for their restaurants so would have been readilly available for purchase. The "Claydon" maroon station sign most probably came from the same source (and the SR target style station one as well).
Author:  philip.marshall [ Tue Aug 12, 2025 1:00 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Harlansburg (Pa.) Station Museum Up For Auction
I expect the Irish cast iron Great Southern & Western 'Ormsby' trespass sign (Lot 0434) is a replica, or what might be better described as an outright fake. I've seen multiple examples of this design on the market in the US (and even own one myself!), but it doesn't correspond with known genuine examples of GS&WR lineside signs which feature top and bottom attachment lugs rather than corner screw holes (see discussion at https://www.lennan.eu/New%20folder/pa306.htmand compare with genuine https://www.lennan.eu/pa104b.htm). Furthermore, the casting is very rough and the (misplaced) screw holes appear to be unreamed.

-Philip Marshall
Author:  Chris Webster [ Sun Sep 07, 2025 6:27 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Harlansburg (Pa.) Station Museum Up For Auction
WKBN-27 did a 2-minute long video segment about Don Barnes, his museum and the auction:
Collection of a lifetime - Local man says goodbye to thousands of treasured pieces
Author:  Alexander D. Mitchell IV [ Wed Sep 10, 2025 9:36 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Harlansburg (Pa.) Station Museum Up For Auction
Update:

The two heavyweights sold for $250 and $600.

The two gutted "ex-PC" coaches, 2419 and 2421, both believed to be ex-ATSF, brought $3.500 and $750, respectively.

There were some surprises. A full wig-wag crossing signal brought $3,000. The BR Warship nameplate we debated here brought $350. The derelict live steam toys/models brought hundreds; a B&O CPL signal head brought $650; a very old EMD throttle stand brought a mere $40. It was probably a classic case of "so much for sale at once the buyers could only afford so much at one time"............

Might be worth logging in with the auction page to review the realized prices for reference......
Author:  cjvrr [ Fri Sep 12, 2025 4:21 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Harlansburg (Pa.) Station Museum Up For Auction
Auction went from 10am until well after 7pm. I wouldn't doubt some lost interest.

I had a bid on the wig wag but once it got over $1k I was out.

I was quite surprised at the amounts bid for the travel agency desk airplane models....
Author:  K.R. Bell [ Thu Sep 25, 2025 8:12 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Harlansburg (Pa.) Station Museum Up For Auction
Any idea who bought the heavyweights? One was ex-P&LE sleeper "White Cloud" that had been the "Pequea Valley" on the Strasburg RR from 1958-1986.

K.R. Bell
Author:  Richard Glueck [ Fri Sep 26, 2025 10:05 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Harlansburg (Pa.) Station Museum Up For Auction
Please tell me the heavyweights aren't destined for scrap. In the image they looked pretty good.
Author:  Rainier Rails [ Sat Sep 27, 2025 4:08 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Harlansburg (Pa.) Station Museum Up For Auction
Richard Glueck wrote:
Please tell me the heavyweights aren't destined for scrap. In the image they looked pretty good.
Unfortunately appearances are deceiving. I have been informed that neither car was in anything resembling good condition. Apparently little was done over the years to insure that the roofs remained watertight, and as a result, the interiors were beyond trashed. At least one car will not make it; it is has been acquired by an individual (who is a member of this forum) who will respectfully disassemble said car, and any/all usable parts will find good homes.

A sad outcome, but rather a parts source than razor blades.
Author:  Richard Glueck [ Tue Sep 30, 2025 11:34 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Harlansburg (Pa.) Station Museum Up For Auction
Acceptable as a parts source to keep others in service. Still sad.
Author:  Alexander D. Mitchell IV [ Wed Mar 25, 2026 11:09 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Harlansburg (Pa.) Station Museum Up For Auction
Rainier Rails wrote:
Richard Glueck wrote:
Please tell me the heavyweights aren't destined for scrap. In the image they looked pretty good.
Unfortunately appearances are deceiving. I have been informed that neither car was in anything resembling good condition. Apparently little was done over the years to insure that the roofs remained watertight, and as a result, the interiors were beyond trashed. At least one car will not make it; it is has been acquired by an individual (who is a member of this forum) who will respectfully disassemble said car, and any/all usable parts will find good homes.

For those trying to keep records: Which one was disassembled, and any word on the fates of the others?
Author:  Randy Gustafson [ Thu Mar 26, 2026 2:25 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Harlansburg (Pa.) Station Museum Up For Auction
I can confirm that the two "PRR" heavyweights were being very carefully disassembled for any parts, fixtures, and details and nothing removable or usable was being scrapped. But the carbodies themselves were heavily rusted with section loss and holes. The trucks were being saved. They may already be reduced to scrap.

The two ex-ATSF/PC/NJDOT Budd coaches are more sound than you'd think for being grounded. Dry and tight for the most part, empty on the inside (used for display space), and not messed up significantly from being grounded, trucks OK. But getting them out of there is complicated by the new property owner limits on access, topography, and that it looks like they built the building AFTER they got the cars in there, very difficult to extract. Maybe with a couple side-boom cranes or a housemover slide girder setup. They were never converted to HEP, still have steam heat lines on them. Would recommend trucking once you got them extracted.
Author:  Alexander D. Mitchell IV [ Wed Jul 15, 2026 11:32 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Harlansburg (Pa.) Station Museum Up For Auction
The end for at least one of the heavyweights:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1654488 ... ently_seen

One of the stainless cars is reportedly headed to a "farm-to-table" dining establishment a couple miles away, Georgetown Eats near Volant/Plain Grove.

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