Stewartstown Railroad Acquires ex-Erie Railbus, plans Restoration

[mruanejr]

The Stewartstown Railroad has acquired an ex-Erie, ex-New Hope and Ivy railbus. Believed to have originally been built for the Erie Railroad in the 1930’s, the railbus was moved to the Stewartstown property in late January, 2014, from the Walkersville Southern Railroad. Immediate plans include photographing and cataloging the railbus, and then developing a restoration plan. The Railbus as it exists now is comprised of the wheeled frame, engine, transmission and dashboard/control panel. Side panels and doors are currently stored separately. The roof was destroyed over twenty years ago during a move to the Walkersville Southern, and will need to be rebuilt from scratch. Photos seem to show that the railbus, which is powered by a Chevrolet ‘Stovebolt’ 6-cylinder engine with a three speed manual transmission, originally sat twelve passengers. The railbus appears to have been manufactured by the Kalamazoo Railway Supply company, though that is not certain. Pictures of the railbus can be found at the Stewartstown Railroad’s Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/stewartstownrailroad We’d love to hear from anyone with any information that may help us determine the history and origins of this unique railcar. If you have any information regarding this railbus, or would like to volunteer on the railroad or assist in our restoration efforts, please contact the Stewartstown Railroad. We look forward to restoring this unique piece of railroading history to its former glory. Be sure to watch for updates in the future!

[Firelock76]

That Erie railbus has got to be one rare piece of equipment.  I've looked through my Erie books and can't find a picture anywhere.

Best of luck on the restoration!

[NorthWest]

Good luck on the restoration! Looks very interesting, almost speeder-like.

[Anonymous]

with any luck u will be able to find the funds, manpower and resolve to keep a unique peice of history alive for future generations to see living and breathing a little bit of fire and smoke. ha. ha