I recently transferred a variety of slides to jpeg.
Can anyone provide background and history of this baggage car in the Ma & Pa Red Lion, PA yard?

Thank you!

Wesley

Wesley,

How sure are you that this is Red Lion? Given the view showing the Reading steel sided car in the background, I don't believe this is Red Lion.

That being said, I believe this is one of the many Reading cars purchased by George Hart for use by his Rail Tours operation. Rail Tours started operating on the Ma & Pa in the 1960's and that's when equipment such as this started showing up.

Note that on the wooden car you can clearly see the painted-over "Reading" on the side of the car and considering the paint scheme, it was most likely used as part of a MOW train.

John,

The image was with a slide of the Red Lion station. I recall seeing cars in the yard back in those days when my family went to Stewartstown during peach season.

But I could be persuaded otherwise.

Wesley

From my Rail Tours all-time equipment roster history:

No. 52 Wooden baggage [builder?], c.1900-1905 [car length?]
Former Philadelphia & Reading Company wooden baggage car No. [?]. Used on St. Clair wreck train as tool car #90886. Purchased by RTI for $945.00 on November 13, 1963. Shipped to Northeastern Lumber Co. siding, Reading, Pa., September 25, 1964; to York, [date ?]. Shipped from York to Strasburg RR July 1975. Rebuilt by Strasburg Rail Road for RTI in summer 1975. Ex-RTI #31. Renumbered RTI #52 in March 1976. Stored in Jim Thorpe, Pa. Transferred to RCT&HS, Hamburg, Pa., 2009. Dismantled?

The car could very well have been stored in Red Lion, as Hart's equipment from time to time was stored on various sidings and side tracks up and down the M&P during the 1960s, not just in York.

K.R. Bell

Any chance of an ID on the car in the background from the Rail Tours roster?

Wesley

It may be one of Hart's two steel ex-RDG baggage cars (Nos. 1755 & 1756), one of which Strasburg RR later converted into an open air car. Hart always bought his equipment in pairs; one for use, the other as a parts source.

-K.R. Bell

Here is a second slide image showing the other baggage car in the yard at Red Lion.

Thanks for making an identification.

Wesley