The recent inquiry about the locomotive cab/back head exhibt at Chicago reminded me of the similar exhibit at the Railroaders' Memorial Museum in Altoona.

Was the exhibit at Altoona made out out various parts to look like a cab?

For that matter, who else has similar exhibits?

Brian Norden

bnorden@gateway.net

>> For that matter, who else has similar
> exhibits?

Well, Brian, after we (finally) get the plumbing done and move our ticket office / gift shop / visitors center to its new location, immediately out the door will be a handicapped accessible wheelchair ramp leading up into the cab of a steam locomotive which is missing its tender. We aren't, however, going to seperate the backhead from the rest of the engine.

The right side of the locomotive is open space for photos of junior in the cab, and behind it is the initial orientation / interpretive area for the roundhouse and shops tour, flanked by our 2-8-0 which we are proposing to cosmetically restore this fall.

Currently haven't funded these improvements, but stay tuned........

Dave


lathro19@idt.net

> The recent inquiry about the locomotive
> cab/back head exhibt at Chicago reminded me
> of the similar exhibit at the Railroaders'
> Memorial Museum in Altoona.

> Was the exhibit at Altoona made out out
> various parts to look like a cab?

> For that matter, who else has similar
> exhibits?

> Brian Norden
The Illinois Railway Museum has a cab and the rear 18" or so of boiler from one of the aforementioned GTW 0-8-0 switchers from Northwestern Steel & Wire. I believe this is from one of the 8 that the museum sent to scrap in exchange for the CB&Q 2-8-2 4963. There has not been any work done on it that I know, but it is my understanding that they are planing a display with it. Just takes time and it is one thing that is in short supply.

SACarlso@scj.com

> The recent inquiry about the locomotive
> cab/back head exhibt at Chicago reminded me
> of the similar exhibit at the Railroaders'
> Memorial Museum in Altoona.

> Was the exhibit at Altoona made out out
> various parts to look like a cab?

> For that matter, who else has similar
> exhibits?

> Brian Norden

There was (is?) a complete cab/backhead assembly for a Norfolk & Western 'J' in existence. I saw it behind a building of a concrete company in Portsmouth, Ohio in ~1984, shortly after 611's first excursion run on this part of the system. The owner didn't seem to really know what he had- he had been told it was a "spare" cab which could be bolted on an engine (complete with backhead, gages, butterfly firedoors, etc.!).

I later found out from some of the older men at the N&W shops in town (where I worked at the time) that the cab had been built as a display for a local hobby shop owner in the early 60's at the orders of the master mechanic at the time. It was absolutely complete, with cab, seats, backhead all valves, gages, brakestand, and Franklin butterfly doors. I understood that Bill Purdie, Jr. was told about it on the excursion, checked it out, and purchased it on the spot as a source of spares for the 611. I don't know what became of it after that. I wonder if it's in Roanoke or if it's still sitting out in the weather up there in Portsmouth?

Good Steaming,
Hugh Odom


The Ultimate Steam Page
whodom@awod.com

> There was (is?) a complete cab/backhead
> assembly for a Norfolk & Western 'J' in
> existence. I saw it behind a building of a
> concrete company in Portsmouth, Ohio in
> ~1984, shortly after 611's first excursion
> run on this part of the system. The owner
> didn't seem to really know what he had- he
> had been told it was a "spare" cab
> which could be bolted on an engine (complete
> with backhead, gages, butterfly firedoors,
> etc.!).

> I later found out from some of the older men
> at the N&W shops in town (where I worked
> at the time) that the cab had been built as
> a display for a local hobby shop owner in
> the early 60's at the orders of the master
> mechanic at the time. It was absolutely
> complete, with cab, seats, backhead all
> valves, gages, brakestand, and Franklin
> butterfly doors. I understood that Bill
> Purdie, Jr. was told about it on the
> excursion, checked it out, and purchased it
> on the spot as a source of spares for the
> 611. I don't know what became of it after
> that. I wonder if it's in Roanoke or if it's
> still sitting out in the weather up there in
> Portsmouth?

> Good Steaming,
> Hugh Odom

Hugh, I recall it outside the steam shop in Irondale, Ala., back in the early 90s; as I recall, at the auction, it was sold to a private collector in Western North Carolina.

http://nctrans.org
Wrinnbo@aol.com

There is an excellent backhead/partial boiler exhibit at the museum at the Mt Washington Cog Railway, which, correct me if I'm wrong, was put together from a de-commissioned cog steamer. I believe the frame is present as well. There are also two backheads at steamtown national historic site of a rather cartoon nature. They were patterned from the Baldwin 26 locomotive, but take it from a guy who fired her for three years, they're way off. Still, an interesting exhibit. Dave Crosby in Scranton.

bing@epix.net

At one time at the Edaville Railroad in MA. there was a cab/boiler backhead on display from the Rutland Railroad #100, an old slide-valve 0-6-0 built in the early 19 'aughties. Don't know if it is still there.

> There was (is?) a complete cab/backhead
> assembly for a Norfolk & Western 'J' in
> existence. I saw it behind a building of a
> concrete company in Portsmouth, Ohio in
> ~1984, shortly after 611's first excursion
> run on this part of the system. The owner
> didn't seem to really know what he had- he
> had been told it was a "spare" cab
> which could be bolted on an engine (complete
> with backhead, gages, butterfly firedoors,
> etc.!).

> I later found out from some of the older men
> at the N&W shops in town (where I worked
> at the time) that the cab had been built as
> a display for a local hobby shop owner in
> the early 60's at the orders of the master
> mechanic at the time. It was absolutely
> complete, with cab, seats, backhead all
> valves, gages, brakestand, and Franklin
> butterfly doors. I understood that Bill
> Purdie, Jr. was told about it on the
> excursion, checked it out, and purchased it
> on the spot as a source of spares for the
> 611. I don't know what became of it after
> that. I wonder if it's in Roanoke or if it's
> still sitting out in the weather up there in
> Portsmouth?

> Good Steaming,
> Hugh Odom


gbrail@yahoo.com

> At one time at the Edaville Railroad in MA.
> there was a cab/boiler backhead on display
> from the Rutland Railroad #100, an old
> slide-valve 0-6-0 built in the early 19
> 'aughties. Don't know if it is still there.

This cab was brought up to steamtown in bellows falls in 1983 by the late Don Ball. Don wanted it to be included in the collection on its way to Scranton. However it was left behind, sold at the VT site Auction to a local group, and ended up the property of the Green Mountain Railroad. they were interested in locating it in downtown Bellows Falls near the old roundhouse but have not yet done so. I suspect it is still stored at the old Steamtown site.

Al P.


ALP@CHESHIRE.NET

>I thought the backhead exhibits I saw at Steamtown five years ago were modeled after the C&NW 1385 which portrayed a PRR engine for the video demonstrations of the job of the fireman and engineer. Is that the backhead display you are talking about? The backheads seemed pretty accurate to the 1385 as I remembered it.


edselinsky@prodigy.net

Hello

The backheads at Steamtown were definitely modeled after the Baldwin 26 0-6-0, I was there when they took the measurements. The CNW 1385 was never used for physical exhibit purposes, only as a Lackawanna painted stand-in for the park's exhibit films. I've always wanted to see a picture of a standard (non-camelback) Lackawanna 4-6-0, but have never been able to find a photo of one. Funny.

Dave Crosby

bing@epix.net