Post for a slow news day...

Ran across this pic on Ebay several months ago. No identification on it.

Reminds me of Santa Cruz Portland Cement #2 now running at Niles Canyon. Is this one also a Porter?

By the looks of it (no headlight, no bell) I am guessing this one is retired.

Yes, it looks like a standard H. K. Porter Class 2-B-S "back truck" (i.e. 0-4-2) tank engine of the early 1900s, straight out of the catalog.

-Philip Marshall

I would agree that this locomotive is a Porter. If you look at the side of the cylinder saddle, by the smokebox, you can see a dark area. The outline of that dark area looks like the shape of a Porter Builders plate. That was one of the areas that Porter installed their builders plates.

Greetings:
I THINK this is Coronet Phosphate No. 6 while owned by John E. Thompson being worked on at the Illinois Central roundhouse at Markham, IL being prepared to move (on it's own wheels) to Monee, IL.
IF this is the same locomotive, then it can now be found at North Judson, IN as part of the Hoosier Valley collection.
J.David
ps: YES, it is an H.K.Porter, c/n 5284.

J. David is correct. Attached is a slightly more up-to-date photo of the 0-4-2T as she appears today at HVRM.

Les

Far too well proportioned to be a Glover.

dave

Looks like she is getting a little TLC at HVRM.

Les, is that a side dump car behind her?

Maybe not a Porter; possibly a pale ale.

:-)

David -

In one word.....yes!

A number of years ago, Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana donated one of their self propelled Orton locomotive cranes to Hoosier Valley. While in the process of getting it moved, Harold Lambirth of the "coal crew" at Purdue who was instrumental in getting the crane donated, told us of three old wood bodied dump cars at the Vulcan Materials quarry located next to the universities campus. We found the cars, all covered with vines on what was the only piece of rail still existing on that property. We went over to the office and Vulcan agreed to donate the cars to HVRM with only one minor stipulation. We moved the cars to North Judson, one at a time. Two of the cars each have a set of four wheel trucks (visible in the photo) with CI&L cast in the side frames. There is no evidence that the cars were ever on the CI&L (Monon) Railroad roster, and it is my belief that the cars were "upgraded" from their original arch bar trucks at the Monon's nearby Lafayette Shops with trucks removed from some retired Monon equipment. The third car in the group is a real gem; a 4 wheeled car!

Les

I'm glad to see she's been preserved.

Compare with this photo of an almost identical narrow gauge engine from the 12th edition of the Porter catalog (undated, but I think circa 1920):

Moved on its own wheels. That dates this shot to some years ago. My guess would be 1960's. Is that about right?

The response to the original posting has exceeded my expectations to say the least. I did not expect a preservation tie-in, so that was an unexpected surprise. Thank you for the informed comments.

R.I.Lines -

For additional info, see the thread "Saddle Tank on the move". In that thread, you will find out that three Coronet Phosphate 0-4-2T's and two of their 2-6-2T's still survive. And that one of the 0-4-2T's (this one built by Alco's Cooke Works) is being restored to service!

Les

Greetings:
Well, I was WRONG! No. 6 wasn't in the "on their own wheels" move from Markham to Monee in January 1971, only the 2-6-2T No.9 and 4-6-0 No.319 were.
I have a slide of No.6 at Markham in 1966. By August 1969 it was sitting on a short section of track at the J.E.T. estate at Monee, jacked up so the drivers were off the rails a bit. I don't recall ever seeing it run out there but was told that it had.
Later, it was moved from the estate to the Thompson Farms Winery (too long a story) where H.V. moved it from.
Some day, some one ought to write an article about how a guy with too much money spent much of it on a fleet of steam locomotives, each one worse than the other (but they all survive).
J.David
PS: I am SO glad that color slides have dates on them! I would be hard pressed to put even halfway accurate dates on some of this stuff at this point... JDC

J. David -

Brian Thompson (John's son) told me once that they had indeed steamed up number 6 and run it jacked up with the drivers turning in mid-air. Must have been a sight to see!

Les

How many 0-4-2T's did Thompson have? J. David's book says one in which case this must be the same engine despite the number. Photographed at the Thompson farm property on November 15, 1982.