> HP:

> Any background on why the Branford and
> Warehouse Point folks didn't try to stash
> the 3016? Even if it didn't fit into their
> "strategic plan", at a minimum it
> could have provided some kind of future swap
> potential.

> The Stauffer book "New Haven
> Power" led me to believe that 1950's
> NIMBYs and old biddies in Essex didn't want
> the 3016, and that was primarily why she
> wasn't saved.

> Grrr.....

True enough about the old biddies in Essex.... they still don't like the dirty railroad.

According to Bob McKernan, the trolley museums simply weren't interested. Also, being land-locked, it would have been very expensive to move 3016 there just to store her for some future display plan elsewhere. The Warehouse Point folks also turned away an EP-5 "Jet" in 1977, which had been turned away from Valley RR in Essex, as "too new and not in keeping with our 1920s steam railroad". So, no Jets left, either.

hpincus@mindspring.com

I just talked to an older friend of mine who is associated with the Connecticut Trolley Museum. He says that the New Haven engine was never offered to the museum.

They tryed to buy a NH engine from the scraper; but he would not deal. And a museum group also traveled down to Pennsylvania to try to get hold of an EP-5 that Amtrak had on their roster.

He is pleased that there are now three steam preservation groups in his state that compliment the two traction museums.

My comment is that it is really too bad that no New Haven steam survived!

Ted Miles


ted_miles@nps.gov

> I just talked to an older friend of mine who
> is associated with the Connecticut Trolley
> Museum. He says that the New Haven engine
> was never offered to the museum.

> They tryed to buy a NH engine from the
> scraper; but he would not deal. And a museum
> group also traveled down to Pennsylvania to
> try to get hold of an EP-5 that Amtrak had
> on their roster.

> He is pleased that there are now three steam
> preservation groups in his state that
> compliment the two traction museums.

> My comment is that it is really too bad that
> no New Haven steam survived!

> Ted Miles

Ted:

I don't want to turn this into a "he said-she said" thing, but, for the record, AMTK did not get any NH electrics--- the EP-5s went to PC. PC scrapped four at Guilford, CT in late 1972, and used three or four in freight service on the PRR routes until 1976. The last two were finally sold to Naporano (scrapper) in 1978, after the preservation scheme fell apart (because there was no place that would take the unit). The LIRR tried to buy the two PC-NH EP-5s from Naporano (to use for East River tunnel work trains, third-rail-powered), but would not pay "Nappys" hyper-inflated price of $100K each. PC had asked $25K from the preservation guys for one. So, many razor blades resulted.

As to 3016's story, 16-17 years ago, I interviewed Bob McKernan extensively about this, and have no reason to doubt him.



hpincus@mindspring.com

The hint of those guys in Cambridge (their fair city) MA was the giveaway.

Electric City Trolley Museum Association