Alex Huff wrote:
If the numbers are still raised metal, they are all that remains of one of the NKP Hudsons. One of the long time engineer brothers on the Mississippian told me they salvaged them off the Hudsons that ended up in the Spence collection of locomotives and were then scrapped.
Alex,
The numbers you're referring to were on the 77's plate, not 76's. 76 arrived on the Mississippian sporting a cast Frisco plate (with class details cast in), but 77 arrived without a number plate. So a "coonskin" plate was made up with very simple "7s."
When the Spence collection was being dispersed, the Carlisle brothers went down to pick up parts for 76 and 77. That's when Frank got the 7s for "his" number plate.
That plate is probably in Huntsville - no. 77 was renumbered "9" when running on the old NC&StL there, and of course to 41 when it moved to Canada.
Photo by Mike Eagleson