Insulation burns on scrapped railcar
No loss reported by railroad museum
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Altoona firefighters Wednesday extinguished a blaze on a railcar that contract workers were cutting up for scrap with acetylene torches in the yard of the Railroaders Memorial Museum.
The fire occurred mid-morning when the torches ignited insulation between the inner and outer shells of the car, according to Interim Fire Chief Adam Free.
There was no loss, because the museum was getting rid of the car anyway, Free said.
The car is one of three pieces of rolling stock that the museum designated for "deaccession" in the summer, because they had been "deemed unsafe and unsalvageable by multiple preservation professionals," according to a news release that was re-sent to the Mirror Wednesday by museum Executive Director Joe DeFrancesco.
The car where the fire occurred Wednesday was the "Birch River," a Pullman sleeper with 10 roomettes and six bedrooms, built in 1949. Damage from vandalism was judged to be irreversible 15 years ago, and the car was slated then for "deconstruction," but that never occurred, according to the news release and DeFrancesco.
"Since then, the car has continued to deteriorate further, while also (occupying) valuable track space," the news release states.
The museum will save the trucks and other fixtures from the car for use in other compatible rolling stock, according to the news release.
The Fire Department put a hold on the salvage contractor's work, pending discussions with the city's fire inspector "to put a few precautions in place," Free said.
Firefighters were at the museum yard for two hours after the 10:20 a.m. alarm, Free said.
The museum also plans to scrap its Elkhart 250-Ton Industrial Brownhoist Crane & Boom Car, built in 1948, according to the news release.
The crane car has been judged to be "non-pertinent to the organization's mission," according to the release.
It was a New York Central possession, based mainly out of Elkhart, Ind., and would require "constant maintenance and substantial funds" if preserved. Two of its sister cranes are being preserved elsewhere -- one at the National New York Central Railroad Museum and one at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, according to the news release. The Altoona museum has offered spare parts from the machine to other museums and preservation groups.
Finally, the museum plans to scrap its Pennsylvania Railroad Business Car No. 7511 -- the "Duquesne" -- built at the Altoona Passenger Car Shops in 1929. Owned previously by the Horseshoe Curve Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society, it was on the market for several years, but had no takers, despite being offered free of charge, according to the news release. It has always been stored outside, which has led to the floor being totally rotten -- making the car "structurally unsound," according to the news release. The museum will salvage the car's handrails, cabinets and other fixtures. Similar railcars are preserved elsewhere, including PRR Business Car No. 120, according to the news release.
Mirror Staff Writer William Kibler is at 814-949-7038.