Idler X9

In much better days, here's a photograph of M&PA idler car X9 tied down on a siding in the yard area north of the Baltimore enginehouse. Charlie Mahan took this photo to southeast on July 7, 1956, and less then 3 years after the X9 had been built by the M&P using parts from the wrecked CB&Q boxcar #10111 in December 1953.

Here's a color photo that shows the cut-in-half frame and trucks of Ma & Pa idler car X9, and it was taken just a few years after those parts had been placed close to the northwest corner of "Muddy Creek" steel through-truss bridge #463 by the M&P to stop erosion from the river at the bridge's north end stone abutment. This photo was taken by Harry "Bob" Parks in January 1980, and not very long after the X9's cut-in-half frame and trucks were placed at this location sometime after 1971.

Two separate half's of X9's frame and both sets of its trucks are all visible in this photo. Also visible in this photo is part of steel bridge in upper right corner, and above remain's of X9 some erosion of the stone ballast can be seen under the ties and rail. And that rather extreme erosion going well under track at that location was likely what prompted the railroad to place these remains of the X9 here.