Abandoned train car buildings demolished – December 2023

Location: Simpson, PA
Camera: Mamiya 645 Pro TL, Canon AE-1 P
Medium: Film

License: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Published:

Last updated:

These abandoned train car buildings in Simpson, PA have been a subject of mine more than once. See also.

I’ve driven by these abandoned buildings for many years wondering what their purpose was originally. In fact, even today, now that they are long gone (this shoot was in December 2023, just after they’d finished demolishing them) I still do not know their original purpose. I’ve asked around. I’ve even asked a few people that I thought would definitely know. They didn’t.

I call them abandoned train car buildings because of what I found when I walked inside them. Enormous pulley systems capable of lifting multiple tons, large hooks that would be used to constrain King Kong, and gearing that I wouldn’t be able to move with a lever and all my might.

I can only assume this was a facility used to build and/or repair train cars.

In late-November of last year while Eliza and I were out for a walk I could hear these buildings being demolished. It caught me by surprise. I’m saddened that they are gone. But I knew right away I wanted to photograph the rubble from the work. I’m happy there was a short period of time between when they raised the buildings and when all the debris was taken away.