The Gorre & Daphetid "Heritage Fleet" keeps on growing. I suspect I have nine or ten cars, total, that are identical in make and model to John's cars, and another half dozen cars from private roads that ran on the G&D but don't match the car type. This latest car fits the first category, being a Central Valley ventilated boxcar lettered for the Georgia, Midland and Gulf, number 1254, as seen on the G&D. However, I didn't set out to build a replica of John's car.
A while back I built one of these cars lettered for the Mobile & Ohio and had such an enjoyable time that I decided to look for more. More were found and procured with the intent of making a fleet for the Ocali Creek Railway. Of the cars I found in various states of disrepair, this one - GM&G 1254 - just happened to have the nicest 'bones' and was close to complete. Donor parts from the other cars made up the lost parts. I even decided to use the Central Valley dress-snap truck attachment, not knowing for sure what John did but guessing he might have used the original kit parts.
One bonus specific to this car; it fits my 1920s era perfectly and can see regular operation hauling perishables on the Ocali Creek Railway. Enjoy the images below from the reconstruction process and a picture of the car with its Heritage Fleet brethren.
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| Ocali Creek Mogul 145 does the honors, pulling the current G&D Heritage Fleet cars tailed by an Ocali Creek caboose. |
Looks great!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jim. It is always a good feeling to bring an old car back to life, and especially one with a neat connection to the history of the hobby.
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