Dead Places - B&P Motor Express

Dead Places

B & P Motor Express

"Those trucks are the answer," said Roger, as our heroes peered into the distance. The ambitious idea that was to seal the mall, and so much fate, was in the works. There was no turning back… and one of the greatest adventures of Dawn of the Dead was about to take place.

Members of the trucking industry often speak of their business and the role it plays in keeping America going. Perhaps we think of interstate highways as means of everyday travel, but a quick glance at any road in this country is a reminder that these thoroughfares are pipelines for a perpetual flood of the transportation of goods and products. If shopping malls and Wal-Mart Supercenters are the cathedrals of our consumer civilization, the transportation industry is most certainly a zealous crusade of infrastructure. And it permeates everything. The B & P Motor Express (a Qualpeco company), in the late 1970's, was some small part of this.

Speculation was rampant among dedicated Dawn of the Dead fans concerning where, exactly, this old trucking terminal was located. Some locations were fairly easy to recognize… this was an exception. Some claimed that it was a stone's throw from the Monroeville Mall itself, perhaps where the Expo Center is now. Statements by some of the cast and crew, however, revealed that it was nowhere near the mall. Frustrated with the lack of information, and convinced that the old terminal still existed, we set out in the Spring of 2004 to find the truth. And through an interesting mix of conversations and digging around, find it we did: about a ten minute drive South of Monroeville, on Billot Avenue, in Irwin, Pennyslvania.

The Baltimore and Pittsburgh Motor Express, as its name implies, was something of a local-area transportation company in the 1970's. Nationwide by no means, but important nonetheless. Unfortunately, the company fell to bankruptcy sometime in the early 1980's, and dropped off the radar. Workers found new jobs, time passed, and life went on, but the old terminal still stood. And as you can see, it still stands today.

As we see it now, the remnants of the Irwin B&P terminal are occupied by two separate entities. The front portion, consisting of the offices and the docks, is home to a Goodwill Auto Auction. The rear, formerly a shop, and separate from the main building, is now operated by a company called Laidlaw, who provides school bus services to local education systems. The two portions are sectioned off, fenced in, and filled with cars, school busses, and busy people who likely know nothing of the cult history of this location. But to those that have been here before, in another time, it is absolutely unmistakable.

DISCLAIMER: It should be noted that although these two businesses are technically open to the public, respect for the private nature of the property should be reserved, and visitors who do not have official business with the respective companies could be considered trespassers (the Goodwill Auto Auction has signage to this effect). One wishing to look around should by all means ASK, and should NOT feel free to roam around unsupervised. You have been warned.

Looking Eastward from the West end of the property, one first finds the office portion of the terminal. Now housing the offices for the Goodwill Auto Auction, this once served as the front office of the B&P Motor Express. We do not see this particular view in Dawn of the Dead, but it was an integral part of the old terminal.

Slightly North from the above shot, but still looking Eastward, the docks are visible, as is the fenced in-lot which holds Goodwill's automotive inventory. Part of the main section of the terminal, this is another spot that we do not get a clear view of in the film. However, a familiiar sight can be found on the hill in the distance. Just above the roof of the building, among the trees, one can see the two-story white house that is seen several times in shots from the truckyard. The trees are largely overgrown on the hillside thirty years later, but the houses are still there.

This is a ground-level shot of a similar view to what we share with Roger through his binoculars. It is the South side of the main terminal, looking Eastward. We can see the overgrown residential hillside in the distance, as well as the back section of the lot, now operated by Laidlaw. "No Trespassing" signs are clearly posted on this section, as you can see on the left section of the fence.

North of the main terminal, a little further East along the access road, looking Southward. The hill behind the terminal can be seen often in the truckyard scenes of the film, though this particular section is not showcased. This is a more direct view of the docks mentioned earlier.

The rear portion of the terminal from the North side, looking East/Southeast. This section is the most recognizable section to the Romero fan. Now operated by Laidlaw, it appears to have formerly operated as a shop. It is separate from the main terminal by thirty yards or so. Formerly surrounded by trailers, trucks, and equipment that looked to be out of service, it is now surrounded by bright yellow schoolbusses. The residential hillside can also be seen off to the left.

The lot on the North side of the property, looking East. Just above the center line of busses, a brown building can be seen. This is a school which is clearly visible from the helicopter's POV shot over the buildings in the film. On a side note, the highway can also be seen in that shot, complete with moving traffic.

Perhaps the most recognizable angle of the entire location, this view is seen as Peter backs one of the trucks around the lot. This is the rear of the shop portion of the Laidlaw property, looking Northwest. The building, the background, and even the lot itself are all clear and unmistakable. This is the truckyard from Dawn.

"Three more, baby, three more!" An imprecise but recognizable shot, from the East end of the terminal, looking Westward. The device in the center of the lot is a scale for weighing vehicles, now very likely out of order. The hill in the distance is recognizable from the film, as is the building to the left.

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