THE END OF THE LINE
I've often wondered, what happens to old cars when their time is up. Well, today I found out.
After a stop at the hobby store, I ventured by the I&O "yard" here in Lancaster, planning to take some more photos of the seemingly abandoned CSX covered hopper, filled with sand.
As I drove by, I saw that the car wasn't alone anymore. It was being cut up for scrap. Why?
According to the two men from Indiana, the car had derailed, the bottom had split and the railroad had decided to sell the car for scrap instead of repairing it.

Here are some photos of the process of the car.

The man with the torch (on the top of the car at the left of the photo) has cut a hole in the side of the car.







Here is all the sand from that hole in the side. The cutter told me there was still more inside! The sand was destined for the Anchor Hocking glass plant in town.










Ever wonder what the inside of a covered hopper looks like? Well, here is your chance. Take a look! At the top you can see the bottom of the hatch where the sand was poured in.











Here is one of the chutes that the sand would have been emptied out of the hopper through.










Looking behind the brake wheel, is the date of manufacture. It says 1966. The car is 41 years old! One of the workers told me that it seems that railroads will scrap cars when they get this old. With the wear and tear on the cars, the life is basically over. One car they cut up for scrap had just broken into two pieces as the train started off!



Here is the front truck. Look closely and you can see the damage from the derailment that started the downfall of this car. The wheels are full of dirt from the derailment.








It was time to go, so I said goodbye to the workers and started home. One asked me if I wanted some sand. No thanks! I replied and drove away.
Here is one more shot of the covered hopper. The next time I drive by, there probably will be only a pile of sand left.
So goes the life a of railroad car.