Equipment / Rolling Stock

I remember the first time in adult railfanning when I realized how enjoyable it is to track down lost equipment, to discover in one place some piece of rolling stock that one had known in another place and time. It was in Cumberland, Maryland, in the summer of 2003. Despite heavy rain off and on, dad and I had a great visit to the Mountain Thunder line — our first and only together. Inspecting our train for the day's ride to Frostburg, what a joy it was to discover the "Man O' War" combine in the consist. We discussed the possibility that it could be the same Man O' War from so many Southern Railway steam excursions in the late 70s and early 80s. Could it be the same car? On trips out of New Orleans, at least, we always found the combine tucked into the front of the passenger consist, precisely because excursion operators had converted the baggage area of the combine into a photography and sound recording area. It was a Hawkins favorite when I was a kid. I remember dad explaining to me that the name of the car, so memorable, was likely a nod to the old Central of Georgia, whose two crack passenger trains — the Nancy Hanks II and the Man O' War — bore the name of famous racehorses. We boarded the WMSR and made our way to the combine section. Immediately I knew we had found the same carriage. The shelf under the window and the 120 outlet on the wall (for old tape recorders!) confirmed her identity as the well-travelled excursion car of another season. She was acquired by WMSR after the Norfolk Southern steam excursion program ended and many of the maroon passenger cars were sold off. Who are my oldest friends? Some of them are lightweight passenger cars, who spark a little gladness upon every reacquaintance.

UPDATE: Since our visit, Man O' War was purchased from WMSR by Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum. The purchase was a part of their effort to reconstitue a train of Central of Georgia vintage. The car has been repainted from Norfolk Southern excursion maroon back into CG gray and blue.