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Lightning strikes Strasburg passenger car
I live nearby, and heard the call on my scanner. First I thought it was at the RR Museum across the street. Glad the damage was limited, but a SRR official said some items would have to be replaced before they run the already partially booked Christmas Trains.
Pictures show that the car struck was a wooden box car which was used to store the railroad’s Christmas decorations used to decorate the railroad for the Christmas season. Box car suffered some damage; however I believe the contents were totally destroyed.
The local TV news did a report on the fire.
http://fox43.com/2013/08/13/lightning-strike-causes-fire-at-strasburg-railroad/#axzz2cYk4ifYU
It was definitely a passenger car. You can see the clerestory roof and end platform railings in the video. It was stored on the track behind the Choo Choo Barn near the end of track. They had put an aluminum ‘cocoon’ on the car to protect it until its time came for restoration. The printed story on he site said they estimated $10,000 to $12,000 in damage to the Christmas decorations.