WARNING: By reading the following post you will encounter the following:
* evidence that multiple rail preservation groups can work together for a common goal
* proof that local and federal governments can cooperate with preservationists... with stunning results
* irrefutable proof that for-profit railroads and historical societies can share common goals

This past weekend marked the Anthracite Railroads Historical Society (ARHS) convention in Scranton, PA. It was much more than a gathering of like-minded historians and buffs... I dare say it was a celebration of what happens when things go right.

But there's more to the story...

Sunday at 8am two F3's painted for the Lackawanna left Scranton on a photo fan trip up the former Lackawanna mainline hauling two restored Lackawanna coaches. One of the F's is owned and maintained by the ARHS. The other is owned and maintained by the Tri-State Chapter of the NRHS. They were restored on-site at Steamtown under agreement with the National Park Service. The coaches are owned by the Steamtown National Historic Site. The train ran over tracks owned by the county rail commission, operated by the Delaware-Lackawanna shortline.

Got that?

For two old growlers and a couple of coaches to hit the road, it took two historical societies (ARHS and Tri-State), a county rail program, a for-profit operator and a federal park.

Upon returning to Scranton, visitors were treated to short rides across the city behind the ARHS's newly restored CNJ RS-3 #1554 hauling a fully restored CNJ combine and CNJ coach from the Steamtown collection. At one point, the trips crossed over the original CNJ alignment into Scranton. The RS-3 was restored by the Delaware-Lackawanna and fully repainted CNJ as part of a deal between the ARHS and shortline.

Got that?

For one old CNJ loco to be reunited with two authentic CNJ coaches running short excursions, it took one historical society (ARHS), a county rail program, a for-profit operator and a federal park.

Over by the turntable, Lehigh Valley C-420 #414 stood resplendent in her as-delivered "yellow jacket" paint. While still needing a few cracked windows fixed and a few other things, she is also part of the ARHS/D-L arrangement. #414 was down in Winslow Jct. NJ on the Southern RR of NJ when management changes made it difficult to keep her there. Scranton was the best destination for her.

Got that?

One old LV loco was at risk in NJ, so one historical society (ARHS) and one shortline teamed up to find her work in a new home on county-owned track. She was displayed Sunday in a national park.

Intrepid visitors probably noticed Lackawanna #565 in the roundhouse undergoing cosmetic restoration. As many of you know, this is a relic owned by the federal government being restored by a group of volunteers dedicated to that project.

In the backshop was B&M #3713, a federally-owned 4-6-2 being restored with funds raised by the L&WV Chapter of the NRHS.

And in the yard, two fully restored and operational Reading FP7's sat enjoying a break after a mainline run the weekend before up to the Nicholson Bridge and are also in Scranton under agreement with the park service.

Got the details of that trip? (If you do, you know more than me! See corrections down thread)

Two old Reading locos, fully restored by non-profits pulled a train of equipment from a national park over the county-owned, shortline operated rails to the connection with the Class One Canadian Pacific which allowed the train to operate over its mainline.


I could probably list a few more things, but suffice it to say that visitors to Steamtown on Sunday enjoy the sights and sounds of railroading as preserved by the federal gov't, county gov't, local railroads and no less than 5 different historic groups.

That, my friends, is pretty special.

Rob

PS: Railfest is set for Scranton on Labor Day weekend. If ya' havent made your plans yet, do it now! :-)

PPS: Made a few corrections... didn't mention the ARHS B-unit, RDG RS-3. the DL&W EMC, City of Lima, LV 353 and all the other wonderful pieces at Steamtown that did not start out in VT with Mr. Blount but certainly add to the experience!

I am having hard drive issues on my primary machine, so I can't share my pictures but some nice shots and videos have been posted by others.

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=365354&nseq=22

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbJANX6Qm9o

On Facebook? Look at the pages for Steamtown, Tri-State NRHS and the ARHS

To the best of my knowledge, the Reading units did not make the Nicholson trip due to a broken spring or similar problem, and the trip was instead headed by 3254. No harm though, the point still stands; the Reading units are scheduled to pull a number of excursions this year.

While all of this is good news, it is also tempered by the continued tone from the Feds (ie, those who directly oversee Kip Hagen) that the nature of the museum is to showcase steam IN THE MUSEUM. The feds consider the excursions to be something that detracts from the grounds and unnecessary to the experience.

This was recently backed up by persons involved with the Lackawanna F3 run, who stated that until the Baldwin is back under steam, 3254 is to remain on site as much as possible to conform to the guidelines established by the feds. This gives a window for the diesels to take to the main line.

This begs the question, why not just make it a priority to not be reduced to only one steam engine? Are they so short sighted to not see that the excursions are what bring visitors from far and wide?

I think Kip is doing the best he can given the situation. He is an area native, so I do trust that his intention is to keep the excursions going as long as he can. And I do enjoy seeing the diesels around the yard, the Lackawanna units in particular. But without big steam and a good roster of excursions to chose from, it will be hard to maintain visitor stats, let alone increase them.

All of this has been hashed and rehashed before, I almost didn't type it. There is a lot going on at Steamtown right now to be excited about, and I applaud everyone who has given their best to revive the place over the past few years. But there is still a long way to go to get it where it needs to be, and unfortunately the federal attitude is not promising.

Thanks to everyone involved. If a return trip to Wimmers is planned, I'm on board.

Question, what in the good god is the "city of lima"? I've never heard of it before. I'm assuming it was the EMC that was referenced.

Thank you. A friend just sent me a note on that, too. That tells an even more unique
tale of F-units being replaced by a Mikado in 2011! :-)



I heard the same second hand. I can understand where the thought comes from.[/quote]



I think finishing #26 is the top priority right now. That's the impression I got. But, of course, it would have ideal to have it done before #2317 went down.

Pretty cool times in Scranton.

Rob

Just goes to prove that multiple non-profits and government can work together. Probably has a lot to do with the ability to comminicate and compromise. The two big Cs that many groups have lost ability in. Nice story!

Later!
Mr. Ed

I think finishing #26 is the top priority right now. That's the impression I got. But, of course, it would have ideal to have it done before #2317 went down.

Pretty cool times in Scranton.

Rob[/quote]
Then, with the #26 back in service, we'll see way more of the shop resources devoted to the 3713, or is that to be totally funded by the Wyoming Valley group?

[quote="daylight4449]Then, with the #26 back in service, we'll see way more of the shop resources devoted to the 3713, or is that to be totally funded by the Wyoming Valley group?[/quote]

I don't think they have a choice at this point. 3254 has been plagued by bearing issues from running in reverse, and has to be coming up on the end of her service dates within the next few years. The Baldwin can pull the weekly limited runs, but I doubt she can pull the usual 5 car excursion consists.

3713 is seeing attention, although things are moving slowly. The word is that they are waiting to get approval for a few repairs needed on the boiler. Supposedly after the Baldwin is proven reliable then it's full-on for 3713.

I don't know what an EMC is but I know what the City Of Lima sleeping car is, http://www.eldiner.org/pages/equip_col.html

Thanks for the kind words Rob.
I would just like to say that a small group of volunteers from both the ARHS and TriState spent hundreds of hours since early April inspecting and checking out the various systems to meet the criteria of an FRA 92 day inspection. It was a joy and a great sence of pride to see this pair out on the road again and they performed better than I anticipated. Previous service had them operating on track limited to 20 mph or less so the transition system was anticipated not to function. The surprise came near Dunmore when the relays kicked in and the speed increased to nearly 40 mph. As ARHS CMO and long time affiliation with these F3's this was the first time I was in the cab when we did that kind of speed. I'd like to thank all of those who came out to support us with this trip. It was great to see a good number of friends. With the small group we had we were able to do some things that would be difficult with a larger group. If all goes as anticipated this pair should see some more running time this year.

Rich Jahn
ARHS

Rich, as I said I was unable to make the trip to Wimmers, but I'm definately in if you do a second. And it bears repeating, thanks again to everyone for their efforts.

Just to inform on Sunday's trip, the Lackawanna F3s did not go to Wimmers. That is a town, on the way to Hamlin, PA that the Erie line once stopped at. The Wimmers station was relocated to Hamlin, and is a library. Sunday's trip went to Winton siding. This is not in the town of Winton, but the location of a yard which once had a DL&W line going to Winton, PA Winton is now a portion of Jessup, PA. The siding is "just a name" to mark a location on the current railroad line owned by Pennsylvania Northeast Regional Rail Authority.

That's what I get for posting at 2am. Thanks for the correction, Tim.

Some scenes from around the Steamtown yard. The Lackawanna Fs posing on Bridge 60 in the early morning.

RS3 no. 1554 sitting on the South Turntable Lead after her final "Limited" of the day. Comments were made about how accurate the colors are. I also heard folks say they've never seen a CNJ diesel clean, so they couldn't comment.

The sun shows up after the 2:30 train. We catch some rays on the RS3 while she shoves cars toward the turntable.

Even a passenger car on the turntable draws a crowd. C420 414 would also see her time on the table before the park closes.

It's after five o'clock and the three Anthracite Alcos sit on the west end of the yard. REading 467 will return to display space, while the Alco Doctor gives the other two some more work to get ready for hauling freight this year.

Rob:

Very well put. What was the issue with the paint on the RS-3.

Michael Thomas