[quote="JimBoylan"]When a horn or similar part is replaced during the life of a locomotive, which is the real one? The original, or the one removed at scrapping?

Both are. Replacing and swapping parts between similar locomotives was/is a very common practice - more so on some railroads than others.

[quote="PaulWWoodring"]It may not be stretching the point to say that most preserved builder's plates, steam-era bells, whistles, headlights and other locomotive "jewelry" were probably preserved via the "midnight railway supply" method.

Maybe, but a good number were also purchased legally. In the case of many PRR and RDG steam locomotives that went to Luria Bros. to be scrapped the keystone and oval number plates and bells could be purchased from Luria Bros. They had a set price (something like $25.00 or $35.00) and they would give you a bill of sale. Many of these items left Luria Bros this way a suveniers.

I agree. I remember hearing back in the late sixties that "collectibles" from old Chicago "L" cars could be purchased at the main office of the CTA Skokie Shops, and going with a rabid trolley fan buddy to check it out. The receptionist handed us a typewritten price list. Some things were available from stock... if I recall correctly after all these years, a brass kingpin cover plate that said Cincinnati Car Co. (these were exposed in the aisle floor of the cars) was $5, and a Westinghouse 12" trombone whistle was $10... of course this was 1969 dollars. Larger items, like seats and controllers, ran into the hundreds, and you had to place your order, pay a deposit, and then wait for the items to be removed on a "time available" basis and return to pick them up. But, it just points out that a lot of this junk could be legally obtained if one knew where to go, and I doubt there was any documentation beyond a simple receipt for the total amount spent.

I wouldn't know... in 1969 I wasn't about to part with ten bucks.

Any of the first generation of steam whistle collectors still alive will tell you, and their successors can agonize:

The standard "going price" for a steam whistle in the days when steam was being scrapped was a box of cigars or a bottle of good spirits, traded with the torch bearers or foreman for the whistle. In later days, the price went upwards to the number of boxes/bottles matching the number of chimes on the whistle.

I'm told a similar approach worked with some shops as late as the 1980s for air horns, as long as the horns were old Westinghouse horns for which they couldn't get/swap parts anymore.

Worthwhile investment? One collector I deal with just sold a SP long-bell three-chime for which he traded a Buckeye 3" and $25thirty or more years ago; it sold for over $4,000.

Abato Bus Sales in Greenville, N.J. was scrapping Modern New York Transit Authority subway cars about 1990. After boldly walking into their office trailer, I was able to remove and take 2 whistles (@$10 each) and 1 whistle valve (@$5) without being bitten or shot! I have their business card as a receipt. Behind me in line at the receptionist was the storekeeper from the Transit Authority's Coney Island Shops. He was buying some of the green "EXP" marker light lenses to put on newer cars!
At one time about 1979, I had a charge account through Weir, Dick & Co. with Mr. Timpany, the bankruptcy trustee for the Central Railroad Company of New Jersey, now Central Jersey Industries. I would call after the fact to tell his office what I had taken and then mail a check. The 1st time, I had called for permission, and the thieves got it in the meantime. Mr. Timpany finally became very happy with my later method, because the thieves never paid.
Relations with the Reading and PennCentral estates were more formal, an agreement had to be written saying what I was allowed to buy, etc. I wanted some cross bucks, so the word "sign" was included in the list. I happened to see the station sign for Craigheads, Pa., and ...... I have written proof that it wasn't stolen!
Metropolitan Transportation Authority - Long Island Rail Road auctioned parts from their old MU cars, and I won the bid for the brake handles. If you buy any, I'll include a photocopy of the auction award notice.
Amtrak offered the Turbo Trains and all of their spare parts separately at public auction, but Naperano Iron & Metal of Newark, N.j. submitted the winning bids for every lot. I later tried to buy the roller destination signs that were above each side door, but he said they were gone when the trains arrived at his scrap yard.

Interesting reading fellas!

Paul, I do acutally have 2-3 reversers rolling around in my grip because in my short time on the railroad, I have seen reversers missing from their supposed "homes". And to think, I'm just a corn-ductor! ;)

Gerald, thanks for the 'atta boy. Wish I could say it was with the just motive of "getting the train to leave on time", something that was formerly noble. But I assure you, no matter how prepared we might be, we'll always waste whatever productivity because somewhere we'll sit at a red signal for 5 hours, or the dispatcher or yardmaster wants to make some backwards-hat dumb move, or the trainmaster and his buddies are hiding in the treelimbs or..... you get the idea.

In my grip, I always keep etra reversers, an extra handset, and extra undies/socks.

Along with a few pens, a stock full of b/o tags, brake c/o tags, spare radio batt, etc.

Take care, all!

At the Northern Pacific Shops in Tacoma, they had tables of whistles, builders plates, gauges and other jewelry for sale at scrap value. This was about 1958 or 59. I bought my first RR collectable there, an air brake gauge from an A class 4-8-4. I was 8 years old, it cost $1 and .04 tax, still on my wall 3' from my keyboard as I type this. The sad part is, I wanted a whistle, and Dad wouldn't loan me $5!

In the late 60's they were delivering the 24' wooden cabooses to the shop, complete with all interior stuff as they came off the jobs. This included lamps, marker lamps, cushions, etc. They pushed them into a pit and burned them for the scrap metal. Somehow, some of these items came home with dad, as he had the seniority to hold the jobs and grab some things just before they were delivered to the shop. At this time, the officials really didn't care, as long as it didn't get too out of hand. The scrap value of cushions, conductors lamps, etc. wasn't enough to worry about.

Later, when the salvage crew was tearing down the shops, a good friend and I gave the foreman a bottle of Crown Royal, and he let us have anything we wanted in the many acres of shop buildings for $25 a truckload! We even had a set of arched doors that were at an track entrance to one of the main buildings.

Those were the days!

Steve

On the CNR, many engines received new number plates as the old ones were destroyed in wrecks or lost etc. I also noticed that builders plates seem to disappear in service. CNR 6167 received a new number plate during the 40's. I originally thought that plate may have been wrecked in the head-on collision with 6166 in 1943, but I found a photo taken after the engine had been returned to service showing the original number plate! What happened to it is the question. Maybe it was given to the family of the engineer that was killed perhaps?

Similar story with the builder's plates. I originally thought they were lost in the wreck, and we suspect that CN had to roll a new smokebox for her. I found another photo that clearly showed the builder's plates still on many years after the wreck, and in a new location too. However a year after this photo was taken (1950) the builder's plates were gone. So what happened to these plates?

Finally, the engine was in service until 1964, pulling fan trips from 1960-1964.

Also regarding the CN Those of us old enough may recall in the early 70s. The CN made available for sale several hundred steam locomotive number plates and builders plates at the cost of $65 for cast iron plates and $75 for brass I started my CN steam plate collection here