All dressed up and ready to go at Rail Mechanical!

Workers rolled out another completed train car at Rail Mechanical Services, Inc. in Columbia on Friday. In conjunction with Kinsley Education Center, the company builds and refurbishes train cars for railroad companies and museums. Building the cars affords apprentices the opportunity to learn construction trades as part of an apprenticeship program offered by Kinsley.

Instructor Steve Taylor led a team of over half a dozen apprentices, who built up the vehicle from the steel base of an older train car, using wood from old buildings in York County, as well as newer lumber to finish out the project. The car was built on-site at the Columbia location.

The car pictured here was on its way to Steam Into History, Inc. an organization in New Freedom, PA that operates a steam train and promotes York County’s role in the Civil War.

The completed car about to leave.

The car was pushed from the construction building.

. . . and onto a waiting flatbed trailer.

Workers exercised extreme caution during the loading process, stopping several times to make sure the car was “on track.”

Finally loaded, the car was secured to the trailer bed and transported to New Freedom.

According to a spokesman, train rails will eventually be installed that will connect with existing lines to allow for rail transport of newly built cars, eliminating the need for truck hauling.

The car was built up from an older train car bed, similar to the one shown here.

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