THE 80'S PT4

Still in the 80's...

A young Sam (right) talks with Wayne and Mitch in the  parking lot. The tractors behind them are where the shop will one day be located, and the brown Ford Fairmont is Norman's car; 25 years later, he still drives it!
Wayne (middle) retired soon after this photo was taken, after five decades of service. Mitch transfered to the Charleston (W.VA.) Division in 1990 to be closer to his passion -skiing! The APRR still ran winter ski trains into southern West Virginia, even after the formation of Amtrak; surprisingly, they still run under AP&W management!

Mitch and Sam talk some more by one of the utility trucks -and Mitch's Camaro. When Mitch left for West Virginia, he sold his Camaro to Mark Davis. It's the only vehicle in this photo that still exists. Though it doesn't look it, the boom truck is twenty years old! The Hillsdale crew took -and still takes- good care of its vehicles.

Aaron stands by, ready to depart on a run to Cumberland, Md. A desire to spend more time with his family and an opening led him to move to his current job as yard superintendant.

One of the trains that Amtrak got from the the APRR was the Steel City, between Pittsburgh and Wasington, D.C. While never a huge success, the train carried just enough passengers to be worth-while. However, Amtrak dropped it in 1988, so this is one of its last runs; the mail-carrying MCH's on the head-end show why it lasted as long as it did.

Only three passenger cars -one of which is a lounge/snack car- show why Amtrak dropped the train.