donald sutphin
02-24-2015, 10:15 PM
I decided to go ahead and post this article. I found this mining cart back in 1980 and after research it was part of the construction for the Loudoun branch and Manassas Gap Railroad.I had known about this cart for when my father was a young boy he would dive of it and told us boys before he died that he always wanted to bring it home. He had given us the general location and we decided one day to do some fishing on some property a friend of his owned , and just by luck I spotted a part of the wheel on the bank and in the water, for later I was told that when the soldiers passed thru they tore up the tracks and dumped it in the creek and its location was on his buddies property all those years just enough out of site for when the water depth was normal they could not be seen and this was in the summer and that is how I saw them. Had my stone mason friends along who where bulls and I had a old radio shack detector and found both sets of wheels under the water , so 46040so much for the detector but that is how I found the rail and axel sockets to hold the wheels. ANY way the wheels were placed in a boat and brought down where it was closer to the truck to load them . Damn near sunk the boat for the wheels where solid steel weight about 325-375 pounds per axel. These 2 bulls carried these things one set at a time on there shoulders for about 150 yards to load and to this day how they did it is amazing . I got it home notified a museum they where not interested tried the Smithsonian they said no and so I decided to clean them up for I knew out of water the air would not take long to start corroding them. Placed them in a shed at my mothers property and they were there to 1986 when my brother passed from alcohol disease. Before he passed I would ask about the cart and he always said they were there safe but after his passing went to find them and they were gone he took the mystery to the grave with him. I have searched and searched and still to this day have not found them . I even made up posters and flyers to no avail and the last location was in the Shenandoah Retreat in Clarke County Va.After full filling a dream for my father I guess it all ends unless it is found and if not and after I am gone the boys will have to keep looking if they are still interested. I did not mean to write a story but I would love to get my hands on this cart again, by the way the picture was taken by a friend of mine who worked for the Loudoun times mirror and this is the only know photo of this item. The railroad construction started in 1853 voted to extend to harpers ferry in 1856 but do to over budget stopped work in 1857. Were to start again in 1860 but civil war erupted and they stopped again and after the war never decided to finish.vanzutphen