One that I had not heard about before:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/1b293692/756766407/

This Porter was built in April of 1942 as an oil burning saddletank engine for the Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard in Baltimore, Maryland as their #9. A sale to the U.S. Navy followed where it was used in the Norfolk, Virginia shipyards. This boomer engine was later sold to SIX different owners, two each in Virginia, South Carolina and North Carolina. It eventually ended up being purchased by Brown Loflin and after being restored, was put in use at the Old Thresher's Reunion at the Denton Farmpark in Denton, North Carolina. The big (50 ton) Porter now burns coal. Supposedly there are passenger cars and a caboose on the railroad, which operates annually over the July 4th weekend. This coming reunion will be the 38th on the grounds. This is the first I have heard about this particular operation. Additional photos would be welcome, along with info about equipment on the line.

Les

The Handy Dandy Railroad is an interesting operation but not much of a historic preservation effort. The coaches are really freight cars with wooden sides and roofs. I think they have school bus seats but could be wrong about that. The caboose is also looks to be homemade. The last time I was there they had what appeared to be an operating diesel critter on site along with one that has long been there but did not run.

The show itself is a big one. The track circles the show grounds and even has a short section that runs off the main show grounds before comming into the campground area. Some nice photos can be had in this area but the train is going downgrade. The 0-4-0 gets a good workout climbing the steep grade back to the station. In this area the railroad runs through the small equipment display area as well as the huge flea market.

If you are interested in farm equipment there are a lot of tractors, traction engines, and even plowing demonstrations with steam and antique tractors. My favorite display is an operating demonstration of an Erie steam shovel and a steam crane with clam shell bucket moving dirt. Horse people can see numerous farm demonstrations including a thrashing barn where the horses walking on the grain do the job.

There is a lot of good stuff at this show. If you like a variety of equipment you will have a good time. It seems steam whistles are always blowing, usually the train. If you like this sort of thing the show is very worthwhile but be prepared for the NC July heat. The show runs in the days prior to July 4 and 100 degrees is not unknown by any means. Bring your sunscreen and drink lots of water.

John Bohon

A quick search found these images. The "slideshow" on the Exhibits page of their website shows what may be a GE 70 tonner? http://www.threshers.com/farmpark/index.html




Apologies to the photographer, there was no name attached to these.

John and Stephen -

The note on the 70 (or 95) ton GE end cab diesel says HPT&D which I assume means the High Point, Thomasville & Denton Railroad. There is also a number; 1948, which is probably the built date. Can't be much left from this 34 mile short line railroad so from that standpoint, IF this is a genuine HPT&D diesel, I guess that, in itself, would be a piece of historic rail preservation. As for the steam engine, the tender looks interesting. Wonder if this is a genuine steam tender and if so, from what railroad? If built by the operators, it seems to be well done. Also, there seems to be no photo of the caboose, so hard to tell if homemade of not.

Les

Man, what IS it about me that I can't resist a mystery like this?

Yep, 70-tonner. According to:
http://donsdepot.donrossgroup.net/dr656.htm

"201 was a 70 Ton built by General Electric in January, 1948, #29465. In October, 1968, it was purchased by and lettered for Superior Stone Co as 201. It never got to be lettered for the Rockton & Rion. In 1976 it became Birmingham Rail & Locomotive 139. They sold it to McWane Cast Iron Pipe Co. as 70 in February, 1976. It was scrapped in 1984.

202, 70 Ton, was built by General Electric in January 1948, #29466. It was sold as Laurinburg & Southern Ry 105 on October 29, 1968, and later assigned as Franklin County RR 105. It is stored."

Another site says "stored in bad condition in Rural Hall on the Yadkin Valley Railroad as of 7/2001".

The current owners of this loco seem to claim elsewhere that this is a real HPT&D loco, though there are some suggestions that indicate otherwise--the headlight and side louvers don't match 1970's vintage photos of HPT&D/L&S 105, for example, but other photos seem to hint the L&S made these retrofits over time.

Video link, anyone?
http://video.aol.com/video-detail/steam ... /346160224

I'm pretty sure that the cars are ex-SAL 5200-series cabooses (M-4 class?). IIRC there are three coaches and a cab. The entire train was used for a while in the '70s on the Greenville & Northern as the "Jack Rabbit Railroad."

The only time I've been there (in the mid '90s), I rode in one of the coaches so I don't know how original the cab is. The coaches do indeed have school bus seats. The engine was being operated with NO lagging whatsoever on the boiler -- but since this was July in North Carolina, I think that was actually a benefit to steaming. :o)

When I was there in the mid-90s, they also had a working Erie steam shovel which they periodically demonstrated by shoveling dirt from one pile to another. I actually found this more interesting than the train, which is saying something!

Two Superior Stone GE 70-tonners spent a short time on the Rockton & Rion in the '70s, just before the railroad shut down. The 201, described above, was one. The other was #203, which became Atlantic & Western #102. Last I heard the 102 was stored derelict in Sanford. There was an effort by someone to get A&W GE #101 recently, so the 102 may have been disposed of as well. Anybody know for sure?

I've tried for years to get folks at SCRM to seriously pursue the 102, since it's the only surviving diesel known to have operated on the R&R. I haven't made any headway, however.

scrmcurator wrote, "I'm pretty sure that the cars are ex-SAL 5200-series cabooses. The entire train was used for a while in the '70s on the Greenville & Northern as the Jack Rabbit Railroad."



I believe that the name was "Swamp Rabbit Railroad".

Roger -

On the one video referenced, the caboose appears at the end of the clip. It looks as if it could be an original caboose, but reconfigured (or rebuilt) with a different window arrangement. What do your records show?

Les