Three GTW locomotives meet up at the Durand, Michigan depot. That's streamlined Northern # 6409 on the left and Pacific #5633 on the right. In the center, yep, that's GTW #5629, the Richard Jensen locomotive. Seems like even before her excursion service and terrible fate, this locomotive was frequently photographed.
#5629 in Owosso, MI. The Worthington BL feedwater heater, mounted under the running boards over the 3rd axle, is kind of an odd touch. Not something you saw often.
I'm curious what is going on in this photo. There is a single GTW Mikado, #3734 who became #4070 and was the last GTW steam engine operated in normal service, towing a boxcar, another locomotive and then a caboose. No smoke from the stack on the second locomotive indicates she's cold.
2 of the GTW's handsome U-3-b Northerns and one of it's rare O-19-a 0-6-0 switchers at the GTW's Battle Creek shops.
I never really paid the Grand Trunk much attention, but the more I look at their stuff, the more I like it.
A pretty nice assortment of various steam whistles. A lot of railroads designed their own for a unique sound. Of the ones on here, I think the PRR 3-chime and the CNJ 3-chime are my favorites, but the Central of Georgia 6-chime and Norfolk & Western 12" single-chime "hooter" are close behind. Sadly, no PRR Banshee whistles on this vid.
I keep holding out hope that PRR K-4s #1361 will finally operate again one of these years, but it's been 20-something years now of it getting bounced around between places and different plans for her future.
Pennsylvania #1361, one of their K-4 class Pacifics, was built in 1918 and then served through to 1958. At that point it was set aside for preservation (along with sister #3750, which hauled President Warren G Harding's campaign train and funerary train), named the Pennsylvania State Steam Locomotive and stuffed and mounted at Horseshoe Curve in Altoona. In 1985, the #1361 was removed from display and restored to operation by the Railroader's Memorial Museum in Altoona using state money. It entered excursion service in 1986, but by the accounts I've read from some people who worked on it then, it never operated correctly then and was constantly plagued with minor mechanical issues, as well as some crew members who were not the most knowledgeable.
In 1987, it had a minor derailment in York, PA that dislodged the grease cake from the axle bearing. It was rerailed, but nobody crawled underneath and noticed that the axle was no longer in contact with the grease cake. At the lower speeds around York, it was okay, as it never operated fast enough to get the axle hot. But on another excursion over main lines, it began to run hot, as the axle had no lubrication. When they stopped it, the axle grease was on fire, and a crew member grabbed a water hose from the tender and hit the red hot axle with cold water from the tender and cracked the axle. This ended it's year long excursion career and it was limped back to Altoona and put back on display.
In 1996, the #1361 was dismantled and moved to Steamtown to be restored in a joint effort between Steamtown, Railroader's Memorial Museum and University of Scranton, with the state again funding the effort. Over the course of 13 years, the state sank $1.7M into the engine, as almost every component of the locomotive needed repair or overhaul. There was also extensive deliberation over the boiler, which was worn very thing and already heavily patched. Steamtown wanted to replace but RRM wanted to patch the original boiler and keep it more original. In 2007, when funds ran out, and the locomotive was still disassembled, the smaller parts were all shipped back to RRM. In 2010, the plan changed to make the engine "Semi-operable" so that it could be steamed up and blow the whistle and move around RRM property at low speeds, but this was then abandoned because it would still have to pass FRA regulations and the boiler would not pass.
By 2015, all the parts had been removed from Steamtown, and the smaller parts were at RRM, while the bigger parts were being stored at the closed East Broad Top Railroad, with the plan being to just put the engine together to display again. Last year, a wealthy individual with a history of such projects, took charge of the #1361 project and has said that it will be restored to operation, it will be getting a new boiler to put to rest the concerns of the old one, it will be getting converted to roller bearing axles (using a blueprint that Timken drew up for PRR in the 1940s and still has on file!) both to avoid the problems of the first restoration and to make Class Is more conducive to allowing it to operate (some have a strict ban on any friction bearing equipment) and it will be touring the state. Hopefully that all comes true.
#3750 is interred at the Railroad Museum of PA. It's interesting to note the changes that were performed since the top photo. PRR, at some point, swapped the location of the headlight and the turbogenerator, as well as changed it over to a cast-steel pilot with a drop couple.
NickD said:
Pennsylvania #1361, one of their K-4 class Pacifics, was built in 1918 and then served through to 1958. At that point it was set aside for preservation (along with sister #3750, which hauled President Warren G Harding's campaign train and funerary train), named the Pennsylvania State Steam Locomotive and stuffed and mounted at Horseshoe Curve in Altoona. In 1985, the #1361 was removed from display and restored to operation by the Railroader's Memorial Museum in Altoona using state money. It entered excursion service in 1986, but by the accounts I've read from some people who worked on it then, it never operated correctly then and was constantly plagued with minor mechanical issues, as well as some crew members who were not the most knowledgeable.
In 1987, it had a minor derailment in York, PA that dislodged the grease cake from the axle bearing. It was rerailed, but nobody crawled underneath and noticed that the axle was no longer in contact with the grease cake. At the lower speeds around York, it was okay, as it never operated fast enough to get the axle hot. But on another excursion over main lines, it began to run hot, as the axle had no lubrication. When they stopped it, the axle grease was on fire, and a crew member grabbed a water hose from the tender and hit the red hot axle with cold water from the tender and cracked the axle. This ended it's year long excursion career and it was limped back to Altoona and put back on display.
In 1996, the #1361 was dismantled and moved to Steamtown to be restored in a joint effort between Steamtown, Railroader's Memorial Museum and University of Scranton, with the state again funding the effort. Over the course of 13 years, the state sank $1.7M into the engine, as almost every component of the locomotive needed repair or overhaul. There was also extensive deliberation over the boiler, which was worn very thing and already heavily patched. Steamtown wanted to replace but RRM wanted to patch the original boiler and keep it more original. In 2007, when funds ran out, and the locomotive was still disassembled, the smaller parts were all shipped back to RRM. In 2010, the plan changed to make the engine "Semi-operable" so that it could be steamed up and blow the whistle and move around RRM property at low speeds, but this was then abandoned because it would still have to pass FRA regulations and the boiler would not pass.
By 2015, all the parts had been removed from Steamtown, and the smaller parts were at RRM, while the bigger parts were being stored at the closed East Broad Top Railroad, with the plan being to just put the engine together to display again. Last year, a wealthy individual with a history of such projects, took charge of the #1361 project and has said that it will be restored to operation, it will be getting a new boiler to put to rest the concerns of the old one, it will be getting converted to roller bearing axles (using a blueprint that Timken drew up for PRR in the 1940s and still has on file!) both to avoid the problems of the first restoration and to make Class Is more conducive to allowing it to operate (some have a strict ban on any friction bearing equipment) and it will be touring the state. Hopefully that all comes true.
My great grandfather was aboard that train as an engineer when they ran it for the first time after restoration.
We drove through town and tried to keep pace with it. That is a pretty cool memory. At the time (I was 6 years old) I didn't realize there were so few steam engines.
In reply to wvumtnbkr :
That is pretty cool. I'd settle for just getting to see it operate. That, and maybe a doubleheader with LIRR #39.
Just wanted to drop in and let you know how much I'm enjoying this thread. I work for a forestry company that's 125 years old, and the railroad has been a huge factor in that history. In fact, we were the last private logging railroad in America. In our offices scattered around the west coast, there's historical photos everywhere, and I know you train heads would really enjoy looking it all over.
Someday I'd like to share a bunch of those images here, but it'll take some time to get it all together. Meanwhile, here's some history a local train buff compiled: Active & Abandoned Railroads of the Pacific Northwest
Also worth a look: The Roundhouse Podcast
Here's a few images I shamelessly hotlinked:
This very strange locomotive is homed with the LeMay museum, which is a pretty famous car collection. They have a train or two added for fun.
Here's one of the older locomotives, Tollie 7, now housed as a public display in downtown Shelton, WA:
In reply to Mezzanine :
Very cool. I'm guessing that red center cab diesel is maybe a Whitcomb or a Davenport. Doesn't look like a GE.
PNW is also home to the famous Deep River Valley 2-4-4-2 Skookum.
Sad looking vett.
thought you guys might get a kick out of this. one of my favorite adventure threads ever on Expedition Portal. couple of guys take some 4WD toyotas deep into the Maine wilderness to find some abandoned steam engines.
train goodness starts on page 4. there's lots of interesting history to read about on Maine's Bureau of Parks and Lands site. the 2 engines belonged to the The Eagle Lake & West Branch Railroad, hauling lumber. a 4-6-0 and a 2-8-0, they ceased operation in '33 and have slumbered in the remote Allagash forest ever since.
genuinely worth reading the whole account, its incredible where they managed to squeeze these trucks through and just how far off the beaten path they went.
You'll need to log in to post.
