Historic NYC subway car Found in Springfield

[deathstar]

Where is that located at? I wanted to look on Google Maps, and possibly see if its in Street View.

[heights unknown]

Historic NYC subway car Found in Springfield



MetroJacksonville has confirmed that a historic New York City subway car has been discovered in the Springfield neighborhood.

Full Article
http://www.metrojacksonville.com/content/view/723

But.......it's probably so weak and rusted out that it may fall apart if it is moved; my guess is that they'll have to refurbish it where it is, restrengthen it, and then try to move it.

Heights Unknown

[soxfan]

I've been over there and looked at it. I didn't get up close as it is fenced in, but from the fence it doesn't look like it's in all that bad of shape. Eventhough the outside is rusted over, it still looks pretty solid. I didn't see any holes or flaking of any kind. I could've missed it, but there wasn't any that was obvious. I would love to see it be used somehow. I like the diner idea. Back home (Worcester, Ma.) we had a couple of diners built in old rail cars. They were pretty cool. They were THE spot to go for breakfast, especially after a night out.

[Ocklawaha]

But.......it's probably so weak and rusted out that it may fall apart if it is moved; my guess is that they'll have to refurbish it where it is, restrengthen it, and then try to move it.

Heights Unknown

Marching on into the modern era as a 3rd rail high speed car.


Today it's back under the trolley wires and has two poles for bi-directional operation

Placed on a set of trucks, that old car could roll to the shops tomorrow. It is rock solid with some body rust in a couple of lower pannels. This car is in 100x better shape then most streetcars that are restored. TRUST ME ON THAT! In fact on a massive steel structure like the frame that is probably half buried in the dirt, the rust coat will protect it to a degree from further decay. This is why it's illegal to paint freight car trucks, or couplers.

This cool part is a bit techie, but I'll try. Subways - EL's - Streetcars - LRT - Interurbans, all grew from the same root which was a purely American experiment in Richmond Virginia, by one Mr. Sprague. He tried the "What-IF" you could feed the electric motor from the new electric wires with a sort of trolley wheel-monorail gadget attached by a long cord that was simply tugged along. Within a couple of years, that was perfected into the trolley pole, trolley wire and high speed pantograph or 3rd rail. So what I am saying is that ANY of the above COULD, CAN, and sometimes do operate on eachothers lines. Those brill bullets in Philly, once had trolley poles and were converted to 3rd rail, then retired and converted back to trolley poles! The trolley in New Branford CT. is a former Chicago CTA EL, 3rd rail car, with a trolley pole added! So conversion can go either way. IF this car were saved by the city, we could restore it as a community project and it could run on special occasions along our streetcar line. Wouldn't THAT be cool to see?

OCKLAWAHA

[Ocklawaha]

...and you think OURS is hopeless? Look what some rail nuts and TLC did...



OCKLAWAHA

[thekillingwax]

Hah, I love that old car. We used to play in the field behind this property (I live on Walnut) and that car has always been there. When we were younger, the fence wasn't overgrown with weeds or covered with a tarp and you could see right into it. When new kids would come over to see it, I told them that the car was involved in a horrible accident and that everyone on board had died and they moved it to Florida to confuse the ghosts in it. I'm not 100% sure, but I think that at some point there was either another car or a bus back there because I remember seeing something silver and long next to it for a while but that was ~20 years ago.

[Lucasjj]

If you use Streetview on Google at 1854 Ionia St, you can see the top of the car that sticks up over the fence.

[Rockinvox]

I know it's been a small forever since anyone posted on this thread, but I was wondering if anyone knows what happened to the locomotive that was on display at the old Phillips Mall on Phillips Hwy back in the 70's just outside of the San Marco area (some may still think of that as being San Marco!).  It's was in excellent condition and I would really like to know what happened to it.

[Reshon09]

I hate jacksonville...through out my 12 years of school, history teachers always told me we never could have subways because we can only dig so far untill we hit water...This is awesome noe that we used to have a subway system here in jacksonville. they should pump all the water out and and try to open it up as a museum for the historic subway. I bet Jacksonville iisnt going to do that.

[jbroadglide]

I know it's been a small forever since anyone posted on this thread, but I was wondering if anyone knows what happened to the locomotive that was on display at the old Phillips Mall on Phillips Hwy back in the 70's just outside of the San Marco area (some may still think of that as being San Marco!).  It's was in excellent condition and I would really like to know what happened to it.

I don't know if its the same one but is that the one thats now out at JaxBeach at the museum out there?

[untarded]

Is this still in Springfield?

[thelakelander]

yes.

[Ocklawaha]

I hate jacksonville...through out my 12 years of school, history teachers always told me we never could have subways because we can only dig so far untill we hit water...This is awesome noe that we used to have a subway system here in jacksonville. they should pump all the water out and and try to open it up as a museum for the historic subway. I bet Jacksonville iisnt going to do that.

Welcome. Sorry to say the car is from the New York Subway System, we never had a subway. Had we ever had a Subway, most of it would have been above ground like the Skyway. Even back in the old days of unlimited dreams for Jacksonville, I doubt they would have tunneled anywhere but perhaps the downtown hill. There ARE TUNNELS all under the streets, but they were never used for anything but foot traffic. Somebody probably got that car for free (which was common) and had it hauled down here for some dream pub or something. Sad thing is, it is quite the historic item, very few of it's class were preserved and only one or two museums have any. As usual, we have a treasure and were too dumb to act on it.

I know it's been a small forever since anyone posted on this thread, but I was wondering if anyone knows what happened to the locomotive that was on display at the old Phillips Mall on Phillips Hwy back in the 70's just outside of the San Marco area (some may still think of that as being San Marco!).  It's was in excellent condition and I would really like to know what happened to it.

From the HK Porter Catalog

Not the one at the beach guys, This locomotive was painted green (every inch of it, yuck) which was very faded. It was an A. K. Porter Company product, with a railroad designation wheel type of 0 - 4 - 0 T. About 1983, the mall offered it free to anyone who would take it away, but it still sat for a long time until it vanished. I imagine one of our local NRHS guys knows where it is, I know the local chapter has some equipment stored someplace around here.

OCKLAWAHA

[Cliffs_Daughter]

Ock,
the steamlocomotive.com lists it here:

No.   F.M. Whyte         Gauge          Railroad Line                  Location   
1      0-4-0T          4'-8½"            Solvay Process Works     Whistle Stop Antique Mall, Franklin, NC
   
Status   Notes
unknown    from N FL Chapter NRHS, Jacksonville, FL, sold to dealer in Georgia in 2006

[Ocklawaha]

Wow thanks any photos to go with that?  It had Porter builders plates on it at one time, but of course Mall Security turned their head one day and ZAP. Someone stole two $500 dollar collectors items.

There is a sad side to this story, having worked with antique Steam Locomotives in Colombia. (Don't go 3rd world on me, they'd put our city to shame) With a very small scrap metal demand and every mineral known on the face of the earth, we have 90 of various classes to PLAY WITH . I think every fair sized city in the country that has rails, has a toy. The mall engine might have been in perfect condition, but I highly doubt it. Like the 1504 downtown, left to the elements irreparable damage can knock them dead forever. This is why I am concerned about the engine at the "Jacksonville Terminal." Can't we at least allow some buffs in to cap the stack and repaint?





Just to pressure up to low power to check out the instruments takes Federal and/or State permission. Reason? On either engine that's a huge boiler! Anyone see Myth Busters showing how water heaters can blow your house to atoms? Same principal on a massive scale. Steam under pressure (like a pressure cooker) in a solid container is safe to play with, but the instant it hits atmospheric pressure it will literally in a split second expand 10,000 times. So lets say some yahoos got in and filled the old boiler and lit her up, chances are, without a million or so in rebuilding, that old engine would blow half of waterever is left in LaVilla, flat as a mat. I doubt I-95 would survive it, and we could expect 5 and 10 thousand pound pieces to rain down on the City, up to 5 miles away.

In the front row, photographer J.C. Deane whirls around, his face bloody, one eye gouged out, a bolt and washer buried in his head. Louis Bergstrom, another member of the photography team is knocked unconscious by a plank.

A boy, identified as Ernest Darnall, son of Col. Darnall of Bremond, was sitting in a tree is killed instantly by a heavy hook on the end of wrecking chain that caught him between the eyes and split his skull. DeWitt Barnes of Hewitt standing between his wife and another woman is struck and killed by a flying fragment while neither of the women is injured.

Many others are burned by steam and flying hot metal. A Confederate soldier at the event said it was like a Civil War battle with people falling all around him.

The concussion caused by the explosion caused even 1 ton trucks to be turned end over end for three hundred yards. It was a chaotic scene.

Sad because either the Porter or the 1504, would be beautiful as restored ambassadors for Jacksonville. Ditto for the old Subway car. Damn JTA or Parks and Recreation for not already having it sitting on blocks where restoration volunteers could work. That faint gold color, "City of New York", is REAL GOLD LEAF.

OCKLAWAHA