I'm posting these pictures for Bernie Perch.

Attached are photos of it in its original Lehigh Valley Coal 123 livery with Bob Kimmel of CNJ 113 fame in the cab who spearheaded the restoration, and a photo of it changed to Henry Clay #1 as it will be returned to the “Tunnel”.

Photos by Scott Herring

So the Lokie's running again?

Phil Mulligan

Nice.

What work was done?

Sorry about the delay answering this, but yesterday I was on site while CNJ 113 was receiving its annual inspection and I was doing what I could to help.

I did not do any physical work on the locomotive (Henry Clay #1, formerly LVCC #123), so the following is what I got from those working on it. I handled the correspondance betweep parties and that helped.

The boiler was removed from the frame and the tank and cab removed from the boiler. The boiler is new from the early 2000s, so the only work done on it was renew the dry pipe, T, and delivery pipes to the cylinders. When the new boiler was made, some of the dimensions were different than the original, so there was alignment problems with the stack and petticoat that had to be adderssed during assembly. The throttle assembly was totally rebuilt. Wasted parts in the smokebox had to be rebuilt or replaced.

New driving boxes were made and the drive wheels and journals turned. All pipes were replaced. Rod bearings were replaced. The jam brake cylinders were renewed or rebuilt along with the operating valve. The brake rods were rebuilt and adjusted.

These were the major issues addressed. There were numerous other wear and tear issues that had to be addressed which knowledgeable steam people understand.

The locomotive has been returned to the "Tunnel". It still needs to be tweaked as is necessary in all rebuilds like this. Today (July 11) a mechanic knowledgeable on valve gear adjustment will supervise adjusting these parts.

Overall the locomotive is in good condition but there are more issues which need to be addressed at the end of the operating season.

Bernie

For the many who must be scratching their heads, clueless about just what's being discussed her (in part because the first couple posts didn't elaborate):

LV 123 is one of two "mine gauge" 0-4-0T's owned by the long-running Pioneer Coal Mine Tunnel at the city park in Ashland, Pa., both presented one at a time as "The Henry Clay." The "Henry Clay" powers several open passenger cars out and back along a ridge overlooking Ashland, to the site of a tailing dump and replica "bootleg mine."

Alexander - thanks for filling in the blanks as I was wondering what and where the "Tunnel" was.

And now you see what editors are for. <;-)

Thanks, Sandy.

It's locally known as "The Lokie" See http://www.pioneertunnel.com/

It's worth a visit; gauge is 3'6", a common "mine gauge" in the Eastern PA anthracite coal regions. They have two operations on a single line, the steam "Lokie" and a battery mine motor each with mine cars converted to passenger. The mine is a "drift mine" meaning the coal seam is at the surface so the electric mine train can go right in. They go some 1800 feet in and explain what went on. You come back out, then the steam lokie takes a different train around the mountain and back.

In mining days, pretty much the same happened. The electrics worked inside the mine and pulled the jimmies out. Then a steam lokie took the raw coal over to the railroad (in this case RDG) where they transferred the coal to a standard gauge hopper car. The RR took the raw coal to a breaker where the coal was washed, the slate picked out, the coal sorted by size and reloaded into hopper cars for customer delivery.

CNJ 0-6-0 113 worked at the nearby Locust Summit breaker.

Phil Mulligan

Actually, as I well recall from many trips into that mine over the decades, the shaft may be horizontal, but they take you 1800 feet past six separate diagonal, folded veins--named Orchard, Primrose, Holmes, Mammoth, Seven Foot, and Lykens Valley. The miner chopped out coal from both above and below the shaft, and looking up and down those empty veins gives you a whole new perspective.

The term "drift mining" has shifted from being a term for following a horizontal vein to any horizontal shaft mine. The anthracite mines, however, tend to be a bit different.

You said there were two lokies, now you have to tell us about the other.

The other Lokie is ex-LV Coal 119, also a 42" gauge Vulcan 0-4-0T. According to steamlocomotive.info, 119 needs a new boiler. Henry Clay #1 (LV Coal 123) had previously gotten a new boiler.

I think the original plan had been to run one lokie while overhauling the other one.

Phil Mulligan

Ashland isn't too far from the abandoned town of Centralia where an underground mine fire has been burning since 1962.

And, Ashland was the location of Willis Barron's Ashland Motel, the home of CNR 2-8-2 #3254 from 1962 until 1977.

Howard P.

Centralia is across the valley from Ashland. Centralia is not completely abandoned; the 2010 census showed 10 residents. They all have Carbon Monoxide detectors. PA Coal Crackers are as hard-headed as the coal.

As to Sandy's comments, YES! Ashland (and Centralia) are in an area of mountain building eons ago with heavily faulted and twisted strata. So while the tunnel may be straight the miners had to go up down and around to access the coal seams.

If you visit the Pioneer Tunnel (recommended) you may want to visit Lackawanna County's Mine Museum in McDade Park. This one is s a deep mine and the strata are level. Vastly different mines.

https://www.lackawannacounty.org/index. ... /coal-mine

By the way, the temperature in both mines is in the 50's year round. Be prepared.

Phil Mulligan

Phil Mulligan