Good Evening,

Has anyone heard recent information regarding NH&I railroad #9
(ex USA 4023). I seem to remember reading here, that NH&I had no plans to restore and was looking for a good home to send her
- any takers?
I was reading on steamlocomotive.info, that it was being offered for $30,000.

http://www.steamlocomotive.info/vlocomo ... splay=1034

Thanks guys,

Kris Homell

9 is still stored on the quarry track, north of the New Hope station and enginehouse. It's still in its "aborted overhaul state" from the early/mid 1990's. As far as I know it's still available for sale.

Regards,
Jim Robinson

Thanks for the reply.

I would love to get my employeer to purchase #9. We own two of her sister engines (4012, 4076) and run them on a mile of track at a historical village in Calgary Alberta. We have a six stall roundhouse and would love to put another locomotive in it. To have the three sisters together and all steaming would be very exciting.

Thanks again,

Kris

Kris -

Is that a new roundhouse, or one you inherited?

Les

Hi,

The park built the roundhouse in 1980. It was funded with grants from the Alberta government. This was to celebrate Alberta's 75th birthday. It was based on a set of standard C.P.R. plans for a 6 stall brick roundhouse. The roundhouse is divided into two sections. The working side is closed to the public and has two tracks. This is where we maintain our two steamers. This side is equiped with a drop pit (we can drop full driver sets), two overhead lifts and a small machine shop ( for small inhouse jobs - none of us are great machinist:). C.P.R. donated a lot of tools, jigs, and spare parts that were left lying around Alyth & Ogden yards in Calgary. The public side has four tracks and holds different rail equipment (only one other steam locomotive Canmore Mines #4 ex C.P.R. 6144). We have a working turntable behind the roundhouse, and a four track Car Barn on the other side of the yard. The buildings are beautiful to work in!

Here are some pics of the buildings:
http://rides.webshots.com/album/557356604ULBYbA

Take care,

Kris

Do you have the dimensions of the car barn? It looks very nice on the inside, and with at least 3 tracks, I'm wondering what the clear span is. The laminated beams that appear to be the main structural cross members of the roof are quite attractive. How high from top of rail, or from finished floor, to the bottom of the beams? Is this structure also brick?

Kris - Is CP #6144 in such bad shape that you wouldn't consider trying to restore her to service?

Les

Les,

It's a long story for another day; however I will give you the Readers Digest version.

CP 6144 was the first locomotive that Heritage Park acquired. As mentioned before it came from switching service in Canmore Alberta. I believe as of fall 1962 ( not firm on that date ) it had passed hydros and was certified for use. Upon receiving the engine, an in-depth five year inspection revealed several nasty cracks on the footings of the diagonal stays. As the park was to open in 1964, money was extremely tight, and it was decided the most cost effective approach would be to gut the engine and refit it with a diesel engine - caterpillar; not sure of the size. Hindsight now being 20\20, it obviously would have been vastly cheaper to replace the footings and re-tube the engine in 1962 when there was more readily available facilities and boilermakers around. When the park opened in 1964, CP 6144 - renumbered #4, was the sole motive power and pulled the HP train for close to seven years. Reading news articles from back then, it seems as though a diesel engine in a steam locomotive was more of a draw then just a working steamer - I find this funny now:) In 1971, we acquired Pacific Coast Terminals 4076 (ex USA 4076, now CP 2024) and the rights to PCT 4012 (renumbered 2023). 4012 arrived at the park ten years later, around the same time as the completion of our roundhouse facilities. Until five years ago, 6144 was used only as a back-up to the operational steamers and as a yard switcher in the winter months\spring when the engines are not fired up. At that time we acquired a tiny Whitcomb yard switcher from a local chemical plant.

6144's cab remains mostly historical, with the ignition for the diesel mostly out of view. The engineers controls are all functional i.e. throttle, brakes, and reverser. They were all connected inside to the Cat engine. The pistons were removed as with the valve gear (Stephenson). A sprocket was put on the back driver axel and is chain driven. The cab is open during the season for guest.

As to the other question regarding the car barn. I mistyped by describing it as a four stall barn (meant to type three). I don't have the exact measurements; however, you can fit three standard size passenger cars on a track. The laminated beams are beautiful - you can find the same style construction in the roundhouse - those beams would cost a pretty penny today:) The car barn is not a full brick building like the roundhouse. I think only the bottom 1\8th of the building is brick.

All the best,

Kris

Kris -

Thanks for the explanation. BTW, it's nice that you have an example of each of the two builders of the U. S. Army 0-6-0's; Alco and Lima.

Les

Les,

No problem,

It is really neat being able to run both locomotives and pick up the subtleties in each. Although based on the same design, each locomotive builder added their own "flavors". Both locomotives have positives over the other, yet overall I like the Lima a little bit better:) - I hope I don't get flamed by the Alco guys:)

Here are a couple of shots of the two cabs showing a few of the differences. Both cabs have undergone restorations over the last two off seasons. Both are very modern with all the amenities:) - power reverse, air operated bell, air operated whistle (4012), and working dynamos on both.

http://rides.webshots.com/album/557383549UntBGO

For those interested I also added a few photos of the interior "public side" of the roundhouse - the woodwork is great to look at.

http://rides.webshots.com/album/5573566 ... A?start=12

All the best,

Kris

Kris -

Thanks for the additional photos. I should have figured that the Alco and Lima cabs were a bit different. The way I always tell the two locomotives apart are the fact that Alco's have two sand domes and one steam dome whereas the Lima's have just a larger single sand dome. In other words, the Alco has three domes on top of the boiler, whereas the Lima only has two.

I am also envious of your stock car. Very nicely restored! Don't have an extra one laying around unused do you?

Les

Les,

One of our Engineers used to work on the N.A.R. He started with them when he was 18, and got to run a lot of their steam fleet before they dieselized. Anyway, he loves that stockcar- don't think he would let the park sell it for anything:) We have one box car left to restore. We will be starting it in fall 2007.

All the best,

Kris

It is a shame seeing NHIR 9 all apart. I know that engine well, as I learned to fire with coal on her in the '70s. The Army 0-6-0s, if you compare the specs, seemed to be based on the USRA 0-6-0 design, but with somewhat more modern appliances, no superheater, and common freight car trucks under the tender. A very utilitarian machine, but they could pull almost anything, with around 40,000 lbs. of TE. Just keep the speed below 25 or so; supposedly Col. Hill drew up plans for a lead truck as part of the original design. I've often wondered if those plans are still around.

I was along as brakeman one Wednesday night when the 9 was used in freight service, all the way to Ivyland. I don't remember any specifics about the size of the train, but she did well. The interesting thing was that in those days, the interchange was an actual meet with the Reading, which had just become Conrail. As I recall, our 0-6-0 met their SW-1500; quite a contrast.

EDM - I have often wondered the same thing. I know that the Midland Terminal had some of these ex-U.S. Army 0-6-0's and converted three or four of them to 2-6-0's. These converted Moguls were used to haul ore over mountain grades! MT had some additional 0-6-0's on hand that they never converted due to the fact that the railroad was abandoned.

I have often thought that these 0-6-0's never really got their due. I envy you your service as brakeman when Number 9 got to work in freight service. I too would like to see the 9 restored and put back into service.

Les

It occured to me that some folks may not know that the New Hope & Ivyland RR once too had a "matched set" of War Department 0-6-0's. Like Heritage Park, the NH&I once had, in addition to 1942 ALCO-built #9, a 1944 Lima-built example, NH&I #7.

Both locomotives had been acquired from the Virginia Blue Ridge Ry. where they had carried the same numbers. While 9 went into service on the NH&I, the 7 became a parts donor. The locomotive spent most of its time on the NH&I stored on the old quarry siding north of the Upper Mountain Road crossing, between Bycot Station and Buckingham Valley. The 7, which faced north (opposite of the other engines), looked for the world like a "lost" steam locomotive abandoned in the woods.

When 9 was overhauled as part of the railroad's expanded operations during the 1976 Bicentenial (the NH&I ran scheduled passenger service into Warminster Station), 7 was cannibalized for parts. The "remains" were scrapped.

While 7 became history, 9 got a new lease on life and saw much use during the late 1970's. During this time 9 sported a headlight (loaned from RAILFAN magazine's Jim Boyd) mounted on the smokebox door. The bell was moved out onto the old top-mount headlight bracket. This rework was Mr. Boyd's attempt to "beautify an Army 0-6-0". You can draw your own conclusions, but I think there is nothing wrong with a G.I. 0-6-0. The 9 chugged its last during the 1981 season while the tourist trains were operated under the banner of the New Hope Steam Railway, orange and green paint and all.

Regards,
Jim Robinson