>>The "Rachel" modified by Custom Fabricators was >>done tastefully

Actually Keystone Light Railway in Hermine, Pennsylvania did the Rachel and the Beatrice which were both 0-4-0Ts rebuilt into 2-4-4s. Beautiful job on both. Custom Fabricators was a Tennessee firm that took 0-4-0Ts and rebuilt then as 2-4-0Ts, backdated, but with diesel engines in the tenders. Custom Fabricators delivered a new steam outline diesel to Opryland which ran with Rachel and Beatrice. Unfortunately Beatrice had its frame cut in half and became a diesel too. It now runs at Six Flags America (formerly Wild World with the Bill Norred Lehigh Stone 2-4-0). Rachel is stored in Nashville at Gaylord who has it up for sale despite no ads for it to be found on the web. Elizabeth, the diesel Custom Fabricators built from a diesel critter of sorts, now runs at Six Flags Astroworld in Houston where it has jeopardized the career of the 610 Limited steam locomotive, a Harpur sister to the one in the discussion on Kevin Costner's casino. These were built around 1968. In 1966 Bob Harpur built two steamers for Six Flags Over Georgia in his Wilmington, CA shop.

Keystone also did a "disneyfication" of a N&S Coal Co. 0-4-0T into a beautiful 2-4-4T, aka the "Ward Kimball" and Bill Norred's #1 that is now at Cedar Point.

Some people say that Arthur LaSalle did the work on the Opryland engines. However LaSalle and Keystone kind of merged. I don't remember the name of LaSalle's company, something like American Railroad Equipment Suppliers...it had equipment in there. I was told he specialized in cosmetic, not mechanical work. He restored the "Albert" for Cedar Point. They were located in Hilliard, Florida. Keystone was run by Carl Auel, Walter Teskey, and Walton King. All are deceased today. Joel King, Walton King's son, is on the railfan circuit and I believe works with the Alder Gulch Shortline in Montana which runs a Baldwin 2-8-0 (30" gauge) which sat at Edaville on display and once worked down in Mexico or Guatemala. It is an outside frame model. Charles Bovey ran the Virginia City, Montana operation I believe with one or two Davenport 0-4-0Ts which were destroyed in an enginehouse fire. John Larkin of the Escanaba & Lake Superior Railroad rebuilt the 2-8-0 and also constructed an amusement park-style steam outline engine for non-steam days.

In addition Keystone almost built the replicas of the Golden Spike locomotives. Chad O'Connor got the contract instead. One note says that Auel had already been contracted. He was very elderly at this time. They also tried 19" gauge equipment and concessions. Most of their 19" gauge stuff is at the Swanton Pacific near Santa Cruz, CA with the Overfair Railway steam locomotives. Their other locomotive is missing. They only built a GE U25-B and a Fairbanks-Morse switcher in 19" gauge. The latter is missing today.

Keystone also restored the "Anaka" and "Myrtle" for the Lahaina Kaanapali & Pacific and tested Anaka on the East Broad Top. Myrtle was delivered without a tender and took on a whaleback tender off a scrapped engine. They also restored the Huckleberry Railroad 4-6-0 (Alaskan) #2 and the Henry Ford Greenfield Village "Edison".

A complete history of Keystone can be found at the link below.

-Ed Kelley

Keystone Light Railway Co.
gtngrr@aol.com