Anyone have any information on the engine?
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPi ... x?id=12278
I would think that it would make a great museum piece.
Eric

Yes, it's rusting away at the old Niagara Mohawk powerplant south of Albany, NY (where the photo was taken), along with NYC S-motor #100, seen coupled to the 278. The NRHS chapter that owns both locos has, according to numerous reliable reports, basically imploded, and is down to fewer than 25 members. Offers by other groups (not RMNE, by the way) to take over the equipment and get it to a better home have not been sucessful. The 278 and 100 should be displayed in the New York area, perhaps at Danbury. They will both be very tough to move, and may not be allowed to go on their own wheels.

Both the T and S motors should be a part of the upcoming (in 2013) Grand Central Terminal centennial celebrations, but I doubt they will exist by then.

HP
White Plains (where both 278 and 100 once ran)

Weren't these used in Cleveland as well, coming into Terminal Tower?

TJG

Was this the class of NYC electric where a number of examples were sold to the Chicago South Shore & South Bend? The South Shore actually put a number in service (perhaps 6 or 7.) Perhaps someone can clarify.

Les

TJ and Les

No and no.

The CUT motors, which later migrated to GCT, were a later design, having a 2-C+C-2 wheel arrangement. They were P class.
The motors that went to the South Shore were R class freight units, C+C wheel arrangement, without steam generators. These were built for the West Side freight line, now the Amtrak route from the Empire Corridor to Penn Station.

The T class motors were B+B-B+B wheel arrangement.

Thanks, Art! Did any of the P or R classes survive?

TJG

Unfortunately no P or R classes survive.

Most surviving NYC electric equipment is listed here:

http://www.bera.org/pnaerc.html

What is the current status of the AC MU's that did not go to Danbury Railroad Musuem?

Tom Cornillie

[quote="Howard P."]Offers by other groups (not RMNE, by the way) to take over the equipment and get it to a better home have not been successful.[/quote]

Why so??

Sadly, many groups believe once a piece of equipment is in their hands, it must remain so forever. Every year the grand plan gets pushed back one more year - then we'll build the museum, tourist railroad, exhibit, etc. Kind of like Chang-Kai-Shek announcing to Taiwan each year that next year his army would retake the mainland.

The real bad part is that every time someone asks this group about the T3 they think "wow, everyone wants our toy. It must really be valuable! No way will we part with it!"

A lot of these groups are getting older and smaller. Very soon we will see what happens when one of these groups just ceases to exist - especially if there is money left in the bank account.

I wonder if the two locomotives were ever offered to the group(s) involved with the preservation of the ex-NYC High Line on the West Side ?
I suspect they could probably write the big check and make the requisite phone calls. What could be more appropriate than display of actual railroad artifacts within a representative railroad context ?

The fact that the world has changed so much since those items were first stored at the power plant site surely accounts for the fact that they haven't been moved.

No doubt the various people who allowed and facilitated the transportation and storage of these items are long gone from the scene-not to mention the connecting trackage.

So, to reverse the process without the same degree of cooperation appears to be a doubtful proposition.

Dave

I have been informed by the President of the M&H Chapter that the two electrics will be going to the Danbury Ry Museum. I have spoken to a trustee of the Danbury Ry Museum and it was confirmed that as soon as arragements can be made to haul them out of the track that they sit on, they will be part of the museums collection.

Well, that's good news. And an appropriate new home for them. Now, they might even be able to show up in Grand Central for the 100th anniversary celebrations in 2013.

I have been to danbury and I think it is good news that they are going there.

As far as Chapters of the NRHS go; isn't it true that there have to be a specifi number of paying members active, like maybe eight, or else the Chapter has to hand in their charter papers?

Sad to say any number of non-profits groups have gone out of business.

Ted Miles

The NRHS national organization can take over a chapter if it has 5 or fewer members. Part of this process is they gain control of all assets - including the bank account.

I am working with one northeast NRHS Chapter right now that has 14 members and a large amount of cash in the bank (raised in the 60s and 70s when they ran a lot of fantrips). They want to give away the money to preservation projects before they fall to the "magic" number of 5.

Taking a look at the NRHS Chapter directory, I can identify at least 12 chapters that may only exist on paper today. Who knows what assets (artifacts and money) they may have.

So, how does one go about submitting to this organization, a request for a grant??? :-)