Newspapers / The News-Journal (Raeford, N.C.) / Feb. 7, 1985, edition 1 / Page 9
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rack is home for former resident w By P*t Wilson ideaJU waTrlrht ?r just ? of those thTnKS tSti,COmbmation Dusty Hnley Jfmlki ?t,vated purchase whii* h. unusual ?p ' 8U"?I of^S.""? '"'"'"d, With a lot Priv.2Pc?ch ^ word,, ,one ..frim Bc^hTn^rnhSr 10- Officers Adva^d ?hoi onto Hoke County"^,?? it whUe stationcd a"por^ Anchorage while its owner is ad his uncommon home. While in the state Finim/'c -i S?n:"??.wSS! tention in its setting near Aber h^wiLr?1^ ?1.a Sidc rail which Rockfkh l?? Aberdeen and ?<u,ro.ad- At the Ashley Heights location, where th#. railroad tracks cross NC Highway wi'rh S regu,arly rumbled by car. tWO fect of Passenger The rail car is blue and vellow ore 'Th5^ R^!road's ofr,ciaI col ors. The coach's interior today in rn? ?y- rescmbles the gutted out coach is was when bought five ET310- "U Was a total wreck then. No one could have visualized ?^he'pt^MbilitiK," Finley says. . A lot of effort has gone into making the shell into a home, and FiLv' h^., 15 stiU not fin?hed. :'n|ey has kept track of all those makinBnt[hbUtCd l'mC and talent to dwX. car a comfortable 0vS"ISiS lisI of pco'lle includes ftfeLi?? J*' lt ***** with mends from his unit, the famed Battalion (Airborne), Jth infantry, stationed at For J2ES11-. Those folks ripped ci anCH CrL?rating intcrior of the S0m hreadled il to become a cu^H l? SUit its future oc" haJhS8 tHe COach into a home s<Sl " 3 Pr?iCCt ,4aJmost with FWh according to Finley. dr^T ^?aUSe ?,hcrs shared his aream, they contributed ideas FfSj" Noughts, to include not on. <?unty nei?hbors who not only welcomed him and his allowedV neighborhood but wa?r^ him t?hook into their water system They also helped him with the welding ind mechanical work involved in refur bishing the undercarriage. "Living in a passenger car demands interesting concessions," Finley says. For example, he has to make special arrangements for water and power hook-ups. But these concessions are balanced by special benefits. For instance, the rail car home has its own generator and can be a totally comfortable, self-contained structure. Finley can and does travel in the car when it is moved from one place to another. The rail car is usually hooked behind a train and travels with the freight traffic. For its trip back to Alaska, the coach was shipped to Memphis on Seaboard System Railroad. From Memphis, the car will ride the rails with Burlington Northern to Seat tle, Washington, and from there it will be loaded onto an ocean barge -- destination Goodyear, Alaska. There the rail car will be on home territory and will once again travel the Alaskan wilderness on its way to Anchorage. Finley's rail car was built in the early 1940s by American Standard Car Company and was to be part of a hospital train. After the war, it was rebuilt for passengers and sent by barge to Alaska. The car operated between Anchorage and Mt. McKinley, remaining in active service until 1979. The rail car weighs 85 tons when empty, is 85 feet long and 10 feet wide. It once held 66 passenger seats. Finley explains that passenger cars in use today are not as heavy or as long as those manufactured in previous years. There are only about 200 private coaches left in the country, he says. Right now he knows of no one else who lives and travels in one. A tour of Finley's rail car at its Hoke County location last month began with a greeting by the two special young ladies that add more character to the home. They're "Misty" and "Missy,"" Finley's cocker spaniels. One has to step high to reach the bottom step which takes visitors into the mud room or the foyer of the coach. The first room is the kit chen then into the comfortable liv ing room. Next is a utility/laundry room, which also contains a bunk. If need be, in the frigid Alaskan winters, Finley can live comfor tably, if not a bit cramped, in just this room and the accompanying bath. There is a walk-in closet, a master bedroom, and at the end is Finley's study. The entire coach consists of about 850 square feet of living space. Each room is uniquely decorated and adapted to Finley's lifestyle and a respect for the rail car's heritage. Finley's description of his rail car home as "a pearl in an oyster, rough on the outside and elegant on the inside" is an accurate one. And he and others took pains to polish the interior. Much of the decoration was done professional ly . Paneling in the living room is of West Virginia blue mountain rustic pine, hand stained and hand rub ,ed. Elsewhere, walls are covered with an entire map of the North American continent. Set in the living room walls is an , old telegraph set from the 1800's which is still functional. There is an electric panel box, also on the living room wall. That blew the electrician's mind when he came to connect the rail car to power lines, Finley says. The panel box is, however, not operable. Housed within the coach car is a large collection of stoneware and some of Finley's own art work. Some of his hobbies include photography, painting and, of course, model railroads. One item is the pride of the soldier who served with the Man chus for two and one-half years. That is a stained glass window handmade by Mary Ann Harrison, wife of an officer Finley served at Fort Wainwright. The window depicts the dragon, symbol of the Manchus, and is mounted in the master bedroom. The window over 120 pieces of carefully fitted stained glass. Finley, now a captain, maintains he is not eccentric; he just enjoys his home. "In the military, moving is a pain, an inconvenience," he says. "I saw the rail car as an op portunity to build a home over the years that I could take pride in, not give up every three years." "The magic of it all is living in the car when it's in transit." He recalls an experience he had during - his move to Fort Bragg. It was late at night when the train pulled into a small Georgia town. The elderly station master looked out and in a few minutes came shuffling out with fresh towels, toiletries, and a newspaper. The man was giving services that had been traditionally offered on rail coaches in the past. "I've never been greeted in an adverse manner," Finley says. Finely admits he didn't know a lot about some of the work re quired to make the rail car into the self-sufficient home it is. For he needed the help and encourage ment of others. That didn't come prior to his purchase of the coach. When he formulated the idea of buying the rail car in the late 1970s, he was told it wouldn't work, he couldn't do it. But it did work and a positive outlook paid off. "A person can do anything they want if they direct their energies," he states. Dusty Finley grew up in the midwest and his travels throughout the country on passenger trains as a child are what created his interest in trains. His interest in railroads is shared by many, those who heed the beckoning call of trains as tons of steel and iron have hurtled through the 19th and 20th cen turies. But not many are as for tunate as Finley, who has reached out and taken a little bit of the romance and adventure of the rails to hold onto. ?j. ? . (n,.. iJH i. i.. Coach d^r Flnlty's cocktr spmnM companions. Misty and Missy ,gr?t visitors who drop by the coach cor. The dogs pose for this photograph before departing with their master for Alaska. (Photo, by Cary A. WUson) Down the tracks Finley had a view of rural Hoke County and the special spur installed by the Aberdeen and Rockfish Railroad to accommodate his remodeled car. Over 400 friends helped with the refurbishing of the circa 1940 car, which has now been moved to Alaska. Symbol of pride This stained glass window, which is mounted in the master bedroom, was crafted by the wife of a fellow officer. The window depicts the dragon, which is the ?j r??" un" r,n"y """" f IS L Sleeper car FhtkjrH master bedroom contains booksMvtt and a woHt-in closet.
The News-Journal (Raeford, N.C.)
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Feb. 7, 1985, edition 1
9
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