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 Post subject: PRR's last B6sb 5244
PostPosted: Fri Dec 01, 2023 10:06 pm 

Joined: Sun Aug 22, 2004 11:26 am
Posts: 4642
Location: Maine
Just a general inquiry. Moderators, perhaps you might leave this on the main page for a couple of weeks?

I am researching the Pennsy's last operating steam locomotive, 0-6-0 B6sb class switcher #5244. After retirement the little engine was moved to Philadelphia and held while a decision was made regarding her fate. The bell, builders ovals, and number plate were removed and enshrined in the company's main office.

-At the time of the Penn Central auction, hundreds of artifacts were sold at bid, including these pieces. Does anyone know where they are today and can point me in their direction?

-Does anyone have images of the locomotive being scrapped?

-Does anyone have original images of the locomotive I might use in a possible article?

Thank you for possible assistance! -Dick

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 Post subject: Re: PRR's last B6sb 5244
PostPosted: Tue Dec 05, 2023 5:44 pm 

Joined: Sun Apr 29, 2007 7:19 pm
Posts: 266
Have you looked at the Hagley Library's collection of PRR negatives recently? In browsing by year (1960-2023) I found this photo that might be the bell you are looking for: https://digital.hagley.org/PRR_22166 (link corrected)

Reaching out to their staff might yield more information as to if they have any caption information. Chris Baer who worked extensively with this collection (and retired in 2019 - https://www.hagley.org/librarynews/happ ... her-t-baer) also might have some ideas.

Something else to look for is photos of the interiors of the PRR's offices or board rooms, as the display might appear in the background.

Hagley staff and Kurt Bell (Railroad Collections Archivist for the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission at the Pennsylvania State Archives in Harrisburg, PA) might have some ideas if those exist somewhere.

Another person to reach out to is Nick Fry at the University of Missouri - St. Louis John W. Barriger III National Railroad Library. https://www.umsl.edu/mercantile/barriger/index.html

They have an extensive photo collection that continues to be scanned: https://www.flickr.com/photos/barrigerlibrary/

Thomas C. Ayers has added several photos of this locomotives to rrpicturearchives.net http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/Locopi ... x?id=98421

Yale has a David Plowden image of the crosshead as part of a collection of his photographs: https://collections.library.yale.edu/catalog/2036567


I hope this helps!


Last edited by Thomas Cornillie on Tue Dec 05, 2023 8:03 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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 Post subject: Re: PRR's last B6sb 5244
PostPosted: Tue Dec 05, 2023 6:45 pm 

Joined: Sun Aug 22, 2004 11:26 am
Posts: 4642
Location: Maine
It couldn't hurt! Thanks for the recommendations!

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 Post subject: Re: PRR's last B6sb 5244
PostPosted: Thu Feb 22, 2024 6:47 pm 

Joined: Sun Aug 22, 2004 11:26 am
Posts: 4642
Location: Maine
I'm on an "Indiana Jones" style quest. My "grail" at the moment is
to locate the missing locomotive number plates from a long scrapped
Pennsylvania Railroad steam locomotive, #5244 (Class B6sb, 0-6-0).

This was the final steam locomotive out of over 4,000 to operate,
and she has a special place in history.

If you want to help, view the Youtube video at
https://youtu.be/kT07A-6APDI .

Please pass the link along to others who
might be able to help. Nothing like a good mystery.

And thanks!

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 Post subject: Re: PRR's last B6sb 5244
PostPosted: Fri Feb 23, 2024 1:34 pm 

Joined: Tue Aug 02, 2005 1:25 pm
Posts: 6400
Dick -

Hope you are successful in your quest for info on the 0-6-0's number plate and builder's plate. I wonder what happened to the B6sb's headlight with the 5244 number boards. Did the PRR sell headlights?


Les


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 Post subject: Re: PRR's last B6sb 5244
PostPosted: Fri Feb 23, 2024 4:52 pm 

Joined: Sun Aug 22, 2004 11:26 am
Posts: 4642
Location: Maine
They did sell headlights and those wonderful four-legged marker lights. Unfortunately, in the mid-1950's, PRR was so crazed with getting rid of any trace of steam, many locomotives went directly to scrap wearing headlights, markers, builder's plates and number plates. In the latter case, these were generally the round freight number plates. Keystones were almost always removed for sale. Most PRR locomotives were stripped of re-sale parts at Altoona, however a huge number went to Coatesville and Medina, Pa. In some cases they stood in the open for months, and collectors jumped the fences and helped themselves. Today we'd call them thieves and vandals, but without them, quite a bit would have been simply tossed into the melting pots.

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