Railway Preservation News
http://www.rypn.org/forums/

Buried Steam Locomotives
http://www.rypn.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=2478		 Page 2 of 7
Author:  James D. Hefner [ Mon Jan 07, 2002 3:26 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Wembley Stadium buried locomotive
Bill,

Many thanks. I thought it was probably a portable steam engine or steam boiler, but a person on the thread I mentioned was adamant that it was a steam locomotive.

-James Hefner
Hebrews 10:20a

> I found this page where a spokesman for the
> sports complex says it's just a steam
> generator, "But he promised that the
> engine would be recovered if it hadn't
> rusted away if workmen uncovered it during
> the £326 million rebuilding programme":

>
> http://www.thisislocallondon.co.uk/loca ... ws7RM.html


Surviving World Steam Locomotives
james1@pernet.net
Author:  ge13031 [ Mon Jan 07, 2002 3:31 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Buried Steam Locomotives
Have they ever located the ship load of locos that sunk in Lake Erie in the 1870s ??


lamontdc@adelphia.net
Author:  Thomas Manz [ Mon Jan 07, 2002 3:38 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Buried Steam Locomotives
>A Chesapeake & Ohio 4-4-0...was left buried >when the tunnel was resealed...

There is a C&O 4-4-0 and several flat cars in the collapsed Church Hill tunnel in Richmond, Virginia. Due to the unstable soil, recovery is highly unlikely.


Church Hill Tunnel
tmanz@afo.net
Author:  Smokebox [ Mon Jan 07, 2002 6:45 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Buried Steam Locomotives
In the upper nw part of Washington state, there's an 0-4-2 1880s Porter that was buried on the grounds of a millitary field, if I remember correctly. It was pulled from the ground, and is now I hear under restoration.

It's not the former Shelton, or McCleary, locomotive.

Smokebox
Author:  Hugh Odom [ Mon Jan 07, 2002 8:26 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Buried Steam Locomotives
Steve:

Do you have any more info on the engines or is there some place we can read about them on the net?

Thanks,
Hugh

> I am not sure, but I think this is one of
> the two locmotives at Jimmy Baird's place
> near Bealton, VA.

> Steve


the Ultimate Steam Page
whodom@awod.com
Author:  Jeff Lisowski [ Tue Jan 08, 2002 12:26 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Buried Steam Locomotives
Is it me, or I could be wrong, but I remember reading (someone help me out here) about the first batch of Chinese 2-8-2s that were destined for the U.S. in the 80's. Being sunk in the ocean somewhere. I think one or two were heading for Knox & Kane??? Anyone rember this???


unfunkyufo76@hotmail.com
Author:  Brian Norden [ Tue Jan 08, 2002 12:32 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Buried Steam Locomotives
> Is it me, or I could be wrong, but I
> remember reading (someone help me out here)
> about the first batch of Chinese 2-8-2s that
> were destined for the U.S. in the 80's.
> Being sunk in the ocean somewhere. I think
> one or two were heading for Knox &
> Kane??? Anyone rember this???

Story that I heard was that a ship with ONE 2-8-2 went down in the Indian Ocean.

BN

bnorden49@earthlink.net
Author:  Jeff Lisowski [ Tue Jan 08, 2002 12:51 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Buried Steam Locomotives
Yep, you hit the spike on the head...thanks for the memory joggler.

unfunkyufo76@hotmail.com
Author:  Phil Mulligan [ Tue Jan 08, 2002 4:12 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Buried Steam Locomotives
> Yep, you hit the spike on the head...thanks
> for the memory joggler.

As I recall, the engine ordered by the NYS&W went down with the ship; The Susquehanna later bought the one built for the Valley RR.

The Electric City Trolley Museum Association
Author:  Jim Adams [ Tue Jan 08, 2002 7:43 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Buried Steam Locomotives
>

Here are a couple that I know about:

> 1. Somewhere out west (Kansas?) there was a
> bridge over a river that due to high winter
> snow meltoff was in danger of being swept
> away. The Santa Fe decided to try to
> "weigh down" the bridge by putting
> a number of retired, out of service, steam
> locomotives on it. Unfortunately, the waters
> took out one of the spans anyway. I believe
> that two 2-8-2 Mikagos and a 2-6-2 Prairie
> ended up in the river. L&RP had an
> article about these engines with a report
> that low water levels in the river one year
> exposed parts of two of the locomotives
> (some parts were "cut away" as a
> danger to navigation.) There was no trace of
> the third locomotive.

I believe this was the Kaw river flood At Kansas City, KS during or shortly after WW2. Several
years later there was a very dry summer with resulting low water that uncovered a portion of the engines. What stick up was burned off level with the mud to eliminate navagation hazards.
I was interested because I had crossed the same bridge while delivering UP Cabooses during WW2.
Jim

> 2. A Chesapeake & Ohio 4-4-0 was
> involved in attempts to reopen an abandoned
> tunnel (I believe in Richmond, VA) as a
> bypass route. Powering a work train, there
> was a cave in and the American Standard was
> left buried when the tunnel was resealed
> off.


rrfanjim@mvn.net
Author:  Ed Mattison [ Thu Jan 10, 2002 3:44 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Buried Steam Locomotives *PIC*
> In the upper nw part of Washington state,
> there's an 0-4-2 1880s Porter that was
> buried on the grounds of a millitary field,
> if I remember correctly. It was pulled from
> the ground, and is now I hear under
> restoration.

> It's not the former Shelton, or McCleary,
> locomotive.

> Smokebox

That would be the Port Townsend Construction & Street Railway number 1. She was built by H. K. Porter Co. in December, 1889 with serial number 1117. She was used to help build Fort Warden in the early 1890's. When no longer needed in 1911 she was buried at the Fort. In 1941 an aircraft hanger was built over her burial site. The Fort is now a state park. In 1973 the demolition of the hanger revealed the little Porter. Since this photo was taken, she has been moved close to the windows and the parts that were found with her displayed along side of her.


Image
crisolite@aol.com
Author:  Steve Gilbert [ Thu Jan 10, 2002 9:08 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Buried Steam Locomotives
There are stories of old engines being shoved into the Philadelphia & Reading's company dump, which was a large strip mine pit, so there could be alot of engines.

The Reading's Catawissa Branch was rumored to have engines buried in the large Ringtown Fill. This line was mostly torn up after Conrail took over, and in the late 1980's this fill was dug out and used for other construction. I never heard about any engines being found, just a few old rusted out lanterns.

In the first Jurrassic Park movie, the bone hunters [sorry I can't spell Paleontologist] used a computer devise which showed the buried dino bones by shooting a shotgun shell into the ground. Does this device really exist ?
If so where can I rent one ?

Lastly, in a conversation at a restaurant several years ago with an old timer who claimed to be retired from the Pennsy [sorry, I didn't demand his credentials] he mentioned that there was once a wreck "up the mountain" west of HorseShoe Curve, where one of the big Pennsy engines [he couldn't recall the class] went down the mountainside so far that the railroad decided not to retrieve it, but just bury it. Anyone else ever hear such a story ? Shall we say metal detectors at fifteen paces ?
Even if it wasn't a Reading engine . . .
Author:  Mark Thomas [ Fri Jan 11, 2002 7:24 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Buried Steam Locomotives
The device exists but it doesn't work the way Hollywod showed it. If it did I would be out of a job. There is a whole lot of work and more than 1 shot to get an image. What you want is a magnetometer or ground penetrating radar which is what is used for looking for buried unexploded ordnance or buried barrels of toxic waste.

> In the first Jurrassic Park movie, the bone
> hunters [sorry I can't spell Paleontologist]
> used a computer devise which showed the
> buried dino bones by shooting a shotgun
> shell into the ground. Does this device
> really exist ?
> If so where can I rent one ?

> Lastly, in a conversation at a restaurant
> several years ago with an old timer who
> claimed to be retired from the Pennsy
> [sorry, I didn't demand his credentials] he
> mentioned that there was once a wreck
> "up the mountain" west of
> HorseShoe Curve, where one of the big Pennsy
> engines [he couldn't recall the class] went
> down the mountainside so far that the
> railroad decided not to retrieve it, but
> just bury it. Anyone else ever hear such a
> story ? Shall we say metal detectors at
> fifteen paces ?
> Even if it wasn't a Reading engine . . .
Author:  Richard [ Fri Jan 11, 2002 11:08 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Buried Steam Locomotives
What a delicious rumor! Did the old timer give a specific location and date for the entombment? Ground penetrating radar is not difficult to use at all, and an effective ground survey could easily be made. The range of GPR is limited, so I'd want to be in a narrow area of exploration. What a coup this would be if grounded in truth as well as soil.


glueck@saturn.caps.maine.edu
Author:  Paul Garwig [ Sat Jan 12, 2002 7:30 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Buried Steam Locomotives
About 5 years ago, John H. White wrote an article for the RLHS newsletter on documented cases of buried locomotives, most by plunging into rivers or inlets. He also commented on recovery possibilities. I don't have the specific reference at hand.

The Confederates, in 1861, threw at least one B&O camel off of the Harpers Ferry bridge and into the Potomac River. That unit was later recovered by the B&O and returned to service. Those same Confederates captured over a dozen locomotives at Martinsburg and moved them south, pulled over public roads by horses and wagons. One of them became a downhill runaway and dove into a river (or lake?) near Winchester, Viginia. This locomotive is apparently still there.

I can get more details if anyone is interested.



pgarwig@lycos.com
Page 2 of 7 All times are UTC - 5 hours [ DST ]
Powered by phpBB © 2000, 2002, 2005, 2007 phpBB Group
http://www.phpbb.com/