And how about that firebox ??? I don't see any crown stays in the wrapper, but there's a big row of rivets on the backhead right about the same level as the bottom try cock. Crown bars ???

I've visited this place many times from the 1960s on. When the mystery loco first appeared I inquired of its origin. I was told it "came from some coal company in WV." When I asked about its curious wheel arrangement they told me "what you see is what we got." From that I presume the modification was done elsewhere. It certainly has "that West Virginia look" to it. In all my visits I never saw any indication that any of the stuff, rail or otherwise, was actually operated at the site.

Porter definitely identified their locos with the b/n stamped in various motion parts as well as somewhere on the frame and somewhere on the boiler. Hopefully someone can spot a number.

From what little I have seen at this site, nothing ever ran. There is barely enough track to house the rail equipment, which also includes some EBT hoppers and at least one standard gauge caboose (B&O?). I think there were "plans" that never got past the first few rails.

Here are some photos of the equipment and trackage. There is actually quite a bit of track, although most of it is covered in weeds. In fact, there is a complete loop up past the restaurant and behind the garage, but unless you stand on top of it you'd never know it is there - it's covered in growth.

These photos show the track arrangement near the restaurant. The track that goes past the shed with the satellite dish is the one that makes a tight loop.

Vulcan 0-4-0T with a strange home-built tender, along with a Vulcan gas-mechanical. I also found a pair of drive wheels sitting off in the weeds.

Standard gauge C&O cabooses, including one on EBT trucks. There is also an EBT hopper nearby.

Down at the far end of the property there is a steel boxcar (EBT?) and two EBT flatcars full of rail. There was apparently going to be another loop of track on this end, but it was never constructed.

Jeff -

Thanks very much for the additional photos. The EBT boxcar is interesting. I wonder how many of them there were? I know that the East Broad Top was mainly a coal hauling road but that there were box cars too. Not sure how many, and if this one is a rare car. Also the "pink" caboose on the 3' gauge trucks doesn't look like C&O or B&O to me, but maybe from a railroad that they acquired. Perhaps someone can comment.

Les

What an interesting "collection". I'm going to have to stop there the next time I'm in WV and take a look before it all rots into the ground.

The boxcar definitely looks EBT to me. The EBT is supposed to have had something on the order of 20 boxcars and 23 flats, but I don't know how many are still on EBT property.

I'm curious, has anyone inquired of the owners of Cool Springs if any of the equipment might be for sale?

-Philip Marshall

For what little it may be worth, the ARCHES book "Captive Cabeese" lists the Cool Springs cabeese as:

B&O C2158 (Wood cupola, I think that's class I-5)
B&O C2161 (ditto)
B&O C2645, former Buffalo, Rochester & Pittsburgh 294, wood--the one now on 3' trucks
B&O C2710, earlier B&O X2773, the bay-window one (now missing its bay window)

An additional caboose, B&O C2050, is restored in downtown Rowlesburg nearby, and supposedly came there by way of Cool Springs Park and possibly Round Lake Beach, Illinois.....

The Vulcan gas loco is b/n 4667. It was advertised for sale on several occasions. Is it still at the "park?"

You got to see more track than I have ever seen!! Any time I was there, there was so much vegetation that the boxcar, hopper, flat, and cabooses were nearly overgrown. Looks like quite a bit has been cut!





This site has been discussed on Smokstak, and my experience as well as others have posted, is that nothing was for sale. That may have changed at some point?

Here is the dope on the Vulcan gas loco.

4667 6/1948 B 36” 53 HP 6T G/M Herc
E I DuPont , Parlin, N J
Brady M Boyles, Keyser, W Va
Cool Springs Park, McComber, W Va

Hi,

I don't think she's a Glover. There are six (maybe 7?) Glover's in existence as far as in known. five here in Georgia and one in Puerto Rico.

Glover did put their builder's number on items that started as someone else's and they upgraded/rebuilt it.

When I find my Glover book, I'll check to see if it is there.

My point (that I did not get clear) was that some small shop somewhere may have rebuilt the loco and so the tracking may have been lost without a Porter C/N.

Doug vV

Hi,

Here is a pic of Glover 8141 - a 36" gauge 0-4-0 that went to Stanton Brick in Macon, GA.



As I said, it looks a lot like the 0-4-0t in question.

I looked at what Glover built in 42" gauge. 7121 was sold to a place in Kentucky. No other 42" gauge locos were 0-4-0Ts as far as the is certain. Lots of locos with no known gauge or wheel arrangement.

FWIW.

Doug vV

Hi Doug,

This is pretty clearly a Porter, not a Glover. Specifically it's one of the low-clearance engines Porter built for use in mines, much like the example in the photo below except with a modified cab. If you look in the third picture in this thread you can even almost make out the name 'H. K. Porter' on the smokebox door. 42" gauge ("bastard gauge") was of course the common PA/WV/KY coal mine gauge.

-Philip Marshall