In a ravine in the woods of rural Pennsylvania sits an impressive collection of decaying trolleys and railcars. It is on private property, owned by a man who set out to restore and possibly resell them. Unfortunately, once word of these cars leaked out, it was only a matter of time before they inevitably were vandalized and tagged.
It was a healthy hike from our parking spot, first down a forest path and then through the trees down a steep descent, using branches and tree trunks as handholds. The upside was that when we finally reached the ravine, I was warm enough to take off a couple layers despite the bitter cold. It was a warmup we’d get even more intensely on the way out, reaching the car panting and sweating.
The old man’s workshop sits on the far end of the property, and we made sure to keep a healthy distance. There is said to be security with dogs patrolling the property. Luckily we had no encounters with either. It takes a bit mental compartmentalizing to break into a property like this; I try to excuse myself in that I’m not the one spraypainting and vandalizing. I know that to the old man, though, that’s an arbitrary distinction. Once the cat is out of the bag, the waves of urbexers, taggers, vandals, and general shitheads will do their thing.
After this, it was off to Philadelphia and DC for a few more days of shooting. Photos to come!
