About 1990, there were 2 Boston & Maine RDC-9s and another RDC at Ivyland, Pa. on the New Hope & Ivyland RR. Could all these sightings be of the same pair?

I was talking to my friend Dave last night, He told me that they couldn't use the devalt line because Conrail was still using that line for stone and general freight service.
He said that they would have joint operations with Conrail from Perk Jct. to Steel Jct. then from there they would use the PRR Schuylkill Valley Branch to Spring City.
The biggest problem was the tunnel and many wash out through out the line.
He said the scenic train would have been push, pull.

That's all I know.
Len.

Well I know that the red passenger coach went to Reading & Northern, because it is an ex GM&N coach.

Len.

The R&N GM&O coach came from Jim Thorpe, I believe it was purchased from Jim Hicks.

Mike Tillger

Just how many red ex-GM&O or GM&N cars are around this part of the world, anyhow? When I was over there, (when no tunnels were involved), there was a red GM&O business car, "Cardinal", gutted and being worked on by it's owner. I later saw that car at Black River; have no idea if it went to Jim Thorpe at any time . May be the same car, may not be- The owner's name was Jim, but not Jim Hicks.

The R&N car is a former open window coach which had been modernized with Air conditioning and was used by Amtrak in its early days. The R&N started refurbishing the coach a year or so ago.

Mike Tillger

Does anyone know the background story on this little loco? I remember it running at Steamtown, VT, and think that it was an industrial switcher in northern Vermont.

Thank you in advance!

Romi Romano

This equipment is privately owned by a local resident. A friend of mine and I were interested in acquiring some of the equipment, but the owner was unwilling to entertain any offers. Its a shame all this history is just sitting there rotting away.

I just happened to drive by the Oaks rail equipment TODAY. Bulldozers and construction crews were actively working at clearing away all of the old pavement and brush right up to the edge of the ties. The rail equipment itself did not appear to be touched, but its now surrounded by a large plot of mud and cleared ground where something new is to be built. It seems obvious the equipment will be moved elsewhere very shortly or else scrapped on site.

Equipment is still there, many years later. I was last in this region in the mid 1990s. My how it has changed from a pleasant rural area to another part of generic suburbia.\
https://www.google.com/maps/@40.127293,-75.458275,3a,75y,355.58h,70.92t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1s_n5kGnj5dmaJE4FDqI6Mfg!2e0

Our page for this locomotive is http://steamlocomotive.info/vlocomotive ... splay=1049

Back about 1996, I bought some tools and equipment from the guy who was organizing the little excursion railroad there. His name was James______, a retired Army? Colonel. We had some rides on the UMP speeder and on the 44 tonner, and I had offered to buy some of the other equipment. One day he was gone, moved out of his house and not answering the phone. And pre-internet days so no e-mail address. I spent considerable effort trying to track down ownership of the equipment. The people at the industrial park always claimed that they had no knowledge of anything to do with the rail equipment. Seemed like I was hitting the proverbial wall and I gave up. I'm pretty astounded to hear that stuff I still there....must be in VERY bad shape after another 20 years.

Are the narrow-gauge steam locos still at the ironworks guy's place up in Phoenixville? I went up there a few times when I was working in Exton, PA. And then there was Dave Shirey's collection in Geigertown, which is rusting away given some photos I've seen.

The late Bob Ottinger started his metal working/welding shop and collected 3 narrow gauge steamers which he kept at his property on Spring City Rd in Phoenixville. IIRC his son still has them up there. I last saw them 20 years ago and they were pretty rough then.

Alan

Alan,

There are 6+ Lehigh Coal & Navigation locomotives in the Ottinger collection (3 Porters and 3 Vulcans intact, me thinks). Recent photos show them to be restorable, with the requisite amount of cash and elbow grease.

Rob

Please note it is Worcester (Pronounced Wooster), not Worchester. :-)