Got a heads-up from a friend who grew up near New Castle. He got a call yesterday from someone still there, who told him that the Bessemer Concrete company that is located in that town is officially going out of business this coming Friday, 2/20/09. What is MV related about this, is that they had a White half-track there for years, abandoned on the property. With the closing of the company imminent, it might behoove someone to stop on by and see if it's still there, and if they would sell it on the cheap.
I'd hate to see a piece of history scrapped out due to unfortunate circumstances. Anyone in that area willing to stop by and see?
__________________
Mike
maddawg308
FCC # W1AMR Extra Class
MVPA #33431
NRA Life member
2003 Dodge Durango SLT 4.7L V-8 parts hauler
1967 Stevens M416 trailer
owner of the "Dawg House" travelling Vietnam radio hooch display
avatar: Capt. Malcolm Reynolds from Firefly/Serenity
It depends which New Castle it is. According to mapquest there are three New Castles in Pa. There is a New Castle in Lawrence county that is about a half an hour away from me.
"Make your attacker advance through a wall of bullets. I may get killed with my own gun, but he's gonna have to beat me to death with it, cause it's going to be empty."
Hello Mike,
That halftrack may be long gone? I'm originally from that area and know the concrete plant and limestone quarries well.
Here is the story as I know it and related by Phil Nelson of Columbiana, Ohio (Nelson's Jeep Parts). There were several White Halftracks used in the quarries and Mr. Nelson knew of them well and tried to purchase them several times without luck. Apparently the halftracks were scrapped except one that was stored in a shop building. Mr Nelson was able to purchase this halftrack and related this story. When he went to pick up the halftrack the local Teamsters union would not let the crain crew he hired load the halftrack. Instead he had to wait until a "union crew could load it" they ended up dropping the front of the halftrack about 3 feet on to a trailer. This halftrack was an M16 minus quad mount, it was completely covered with a 1/2" layer of concrete. The locker boxes recessed in the floor were filled with metal balls to increase it's traction. Between the layer of concrete and extra ballast may have explained why the union boys dropped the halftrack.
Phil Nelson did a cosmetic restore on this one after removing the layer of concrete. I looked at this halftrack when I was looking to buy one, but did not want an M16, if I remember he wanted $18K and it sold around 2005
The story gets better! The Bessemer plant purchased these from Sam Winer in Akron Ohio in the early 1970s. It is reported that the local Sheriff barrowed some halftracks from Sam Winer to help control rioting in the wake of the Kent State shootings during May of 1970. Phil Nelson was told the last remaining halftrack he removed from the plant was used at Kent State.
A part of one of the scrapped Bessemer halftracks will live on as part of our halftrack project. Phil was able to retrieve some parts that were laying around including a winch front bumper. I needed a new center section for our M2 halftrack and Phil let me cut the middle section out. The white residue on the bumper in the picture is good old Bessemer cement.
Could there be another unknown halftrack hidden in the plant?
Don't know, Karl. Maybe there's another one, all I was told by my friend, was that there was a halftrack there. Perhaps the one you mention, that was restored, is the one.
__________________
Mike
maddawg308
FCC # W1AMR Extra Class
MVPA #33431
NRA Life member
2003 Dodge Durango SLT 4.7L V-8 parts hauler
1967 Stevens M416 trailer
owner of the "Dawg House" travelling Vietnam radio hooch display
avatar: Capt. Malcolm Reynolds from Firefly/Serenity
Anyone near New Castle, PA?
