Sometime ago, a message appeared on this board in which somebody was searching for the ex-Long Island RR wooden bobber caboose that had been on the Carroll Park & Western in Bloomsburg, Pa. In 1979 it was purchased by the Red Caboose Lodge in Strasburg and became the "Honeymoon Caboose." I believe it is still there, on narrow guage trucks from its CP&W days.

K.R. Bell

Kurtrbell@hotmail.com

Kurt,
Many thanks! I probably have a picture of it then.

I really wonder why the gods sent Pine Creek four ex-CP&W coaches and the Vulcan steamer. Oh, and the four foot gauge motor cars, too. Took nearly thirty-five years for it all to show up. Lets see, one coach in 1967, second coach 1977, and then two coaches plus the Vulcan and speeders 2000.

Anyone have a need for a 0-4-0 Vulcan off hand? With tender? 4' gauge. Famous for its role in the Sean Connery film "The Molly Maguires."

J.R.

> Sometime ago, a message appeared on this
> board in which somebody was searching for
> the ex-Long Island RR wooden bobber caboose
> that had been on the Carroll Park &
> Western in Bloomsburg, Pa. In 1979 it was
> purchased by the Red Caboose Lodge in
> Strasburg and became the "Honeymoon
> Caboose." I believe it is still there,
> on narrow guage trucks from its CP&W
> days.

> K.R. Bell


http://www.njmt.org
jrmay@njmt.org

JR -

Allaire has seen it's share of anthracite mining locos come through over the years. Unfortunately, all of them have left the park to wind up outside of anthracite country. (I am *not* blaming Pine Creek for that.)

It would be nice if there was a chance you guys could find the right partner to work with to display the Vulcan back in anthracite country. She was built in Wilkes-Barre, and has never been more than 150 miles from there in her life!

Who knows if the Wanamie engines will ever come back east (and what will be left of them), and the LCN lokie you guys had went to Hugh Moore, right?

Hmmm... what contacts can be made...

Got me thinking... Kurt, you guys need a PA-built anthracite lokie at the museum?

Rob

> I really wonder why the gods sent Pine Creek
> four ex-CP&W coaches and the Vulcan
> steamer. Oh, and the four foot gauge motor
> cars, too. Took nearly thirty-five years for
> it all to show up. Lets see, one coach in
> 1967, second coach 1977, and then two
> coaches plus the Vulcan and speeders 2000.

> Anyone have a need for a 0-4-0 Vulcan off
> hand? With tender? 4' gauge. Famous for its
> role in the Sean Connery film "The
> Molly Maguires."

> J.R.


trains@robertjohndavis.com

As many of you know there is an ongoing effort to preserve the Huber breaker in Ashley, PA

Being located just a few short miles from the Vulcan Iron Works-it would seem to be a perfect spot for a Vulcan-it would be hard to believe a Vulcan didn't shuttle black diamonds around...

I wonder if they used lokies with a 4ft guage.

superheater@beer.com

Super,

The Huber would be a great display site. Ideally, I would love to see one of the Glen Alden Coal (Wanamie) engines returned, or even the last Delaware, Lackawanna & Western coal lokie returned since the Huber was a DL&W and Glen Alden facility.

I am drawing a blank on the history of the Vulcan at Allaire. I seem to remeber that she was from a middle field coal company, was she from Jeddo-Highland Coal?

Rob

trains@robertjohndavis.com

> Super,

> The Huber would be a great display site.
> Ideally, I would love to see one of the Glen
> Alden Coal (Wanamie) engines returned, or
> even the last Delaware, Lackawanna &
> Western coal lokie returned since the Huber
> was a DL&W and Glen Alden facility.

> I am drawing a blank on the history of the
> Vulcan at Allaire. I seem to remeber that
> she was from a middle field coal company,
> was she from Jeddo-Highland Coal?

> Rob
And, of course, as the central breaker for Glen Alden coal in the area, the Huber processed the coal mined at Wanamie. The mine lokies took it to the CNJ at Wanamie, which took it to the Huber where the cars were dumped, and eventually reloaded with processed coal fromt he breaker.

Rob

trains@robertjohndavis.com

> The Huber would be a great display site.
> Ideally, I would love to see one of the Glen
> Alden Coal (Wanamie) engines returned, or
> even the last Delaware, Lackawanna &
> Western coal lokie returned since the Huber
> was a DL&W and Glen Alden facility.

Rob,

Has anyone determined if the hulk of #8 is still at Wanamie, or was it "cleaned up" with the rest of the site?

> I am drawing a blank on the history of the
> Vulcan at Allaire. I seem to remeber that
> she was from a middle field coal company,
> was she from Jeddo-Highland Coal?

According to what I have, she is Jedo Coal #117, VIW 3512/1925.

-James Hefner
Hebrews 10:20a

Surviving World Steam Project
james1@pernet.net

We could be interested in sending the 117 to a good and proper home. Keep in mind we paid to have the asbestos removed at a cost of about $5,000, moved it for roughly $5,000, then had our summer crew scrape and paint the engine. Bottom line is that we have about $12,000 into this engine. I would be hard pressed to just give it away.

As a side note, with help of the local police, we recovered the bell which we had found on sale on ebay. We will use the bell on our Porter #46.

I'm not sure how to post a picture on this board, but can email one to anyone who is interested. The engine looks great today. Email me off line for a picture.

J.R.

> JR -

> Allaire has seen it's share of anthracite
> mining locos come through over the years.
> Unfortunately, all of them have left the
> park to wind up outside of anthracite
> country. (I am *not* blaming Pine Creek for
> that.)

> It would be nice if there was a chance you
> guys could find the right partner to work
> with to display the Vulcan back in
> anthracite country. She was built in
> Wilkes-Barre, and has never been more than
> 150 miles from there in her life!

> Who knows if the Wanamie engines will ever
> come back east (and what will be left of
> them), and the LCN lokie you guys had went
> to Hugh Moore, right?

> Hmmm... what contacts can be made...

> Got me thinking... Kurt, you guys need a
> PA-built anthracite lokie at the museum?

> Rob


http://www,njmt.org
jrmay@njmt.org

Couldn't find a current (since repainting) photo on the web, but see the below link for some pre-repaint photos from Thor's web site. Two corrections to the text: it's 48 inch (not 42 inch) gauge and it was built in 1925, not in the 1860's.

A little 117 history. This locomotive was originally built as a 0-4-0T for the Lehigh Valley Coal Co., later acquired by the Jeddo-Highlands Coal Co. It was used at Jeddo, PA. Carroll Stahl bought the engine in the late 50's and reconfiguired it to its present state as a 0-4-0 tender engine. While operating on his Carroll Park & Western RR near Bloomsburg, PA, 117 wore a colorfull green and red paint job (still partially visible in Thor's photos) and carried the name "Durango". After the CP&W closed in the early 70's following Stahl's death, the 117 (along with some other CP&W rolling stock) went through a couple private owners in PA, a move to New Market, VA as a display at a general store attraction along I-81, a move to Bayville, NJ for storage under private ownership, and finally donation to the NJMT / Pine Creek RR.

Yes, it would great to see 117 returned to the "hard rock country" from which it came. Another possibilty would be Steamtown--they don't have anything narrow gauge and/or representive from the surrounding coal mining industry in the collection. Perhaps a trade of $12k or so worth of heavy machine work? Also--as Rob first said--the RMoP wouldn't be a bad destination either. Kurt was looking for acquisition ideas and the RMoP does lack anything narrow gauge and/or from PA's all-important coal mining history.

The question would be: leave it in present state (a tender engine c. 1960) or restore it back to a tank engine with a replica tank?

Regards,
Jim Robinson


Vulcan 117 @ Pine Creek

James,

I have received so many conflicting reports, I think the only way I'll settle it for myself is to get back up there soon. I know exactly where she was, so it will take me two seconds to see if there's still a pile of culm there or not. It as been awhile since I have been on site (probably ten years) and she was there then.

Love the mysteries!

Rob

> Has anyone determined if the hulk of #8 is
> still at Wanamie, or was it "cleaned
> up" with the rest of the site?



trains@robertjohndavis.com

When I was a student at Bloomsburg State College, 1965-1969, I occasionally helped out at the CP&W. Carroll Stahl, the owner, told me a rather funny story about how he ended up with #117 and a four-foot gauge railroad. He saw the engine at a junkyard near Hazelton and went in and purchased it on the spot. He took a board and measured between the wheels, came back to Bloomsburg and began building track. He put the engine on the track he had built and then went looking for other rolling stock. The first piece he purchased was the PRR four-wheel caboose, in storage at the nearby PRR yard at Northumberland. When the low boy showed up and they built the ramp to roll it off, he was astonished to discover that it didn't fit his track!! The DL&W cabooses he rebuilt into coaches, as well as 117's tender, rode on EBT freight car trucks, which he regauged by simply cutting the axles and welding in sections of pipe to fit. Stahl was a real craftsman, having made his fortune as a builder (a housing development he built nearby is named Carroll Park to this day), but he really didn't know a whole lot about railroads.

K4s1361@hotmail.com

> site. Two corrections to the text: it's 48
> inch (not 42 inch) gauge and it was built in
> 1925, not in the 1860's.

When data is posted on a site, any site, it would be nice if people would make contact with NJMT for the correct facts on our equipment. I can't imagine where the 1860 date ever came from. And no where in the pictures is there a narrow gauge coach. The large car in the background behind the 117 is our PRR Pd 1880s business car "Trenton" #3999. We now store it indoors. The cars on the track behind the 117 are the CP&W coaches build from DL&W cabooses, two each for each car and welded together in the middle. Original caboose numbers are still visible on the steel frames of these cars.

> worth of heavy machine work? Also--as Rob
> first said--the RMoP wouldn't be a bad
> destination either. Kurt was looking for
> acquisition ideas and the RMoP does lack

Hmmm, maybe a package deal....take the 117 and the 3999?

> The question would be: leave it in present
> state (a tender engine c. 1960) or restore
> it back to a tank engine with a replica
> tank?

We have an extra saddle tank in our back yard. Just need the people to work on it.

J.R.

http://www.njmt.org
jrmay@njmt.org