H K Porter 0-4-0T and bobber caboose available

Cordicron · **Joined:** Sat Aug 11, 2007 4:24 pm **Posts:** 58

By Bobby Cherry
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Published: Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2013, 9:00 p.m.
Updated 15 hours ago

It's the end of the line for two historic railroad cars in one Sewickley, (PA) park.

By the end of the year, an 1897-built H.K. Porter 0-4-0T Locomotive and Pennsylvania & Lake Erie Bobber Caboose dating to the late 1800s no longer will be part of the borough's Riverfront Park along Chadwick Street, borough Manager Kevin Flannery said.

“While it was a nice donation to put them in, it has created a safety hazard,” he said.

Flannery said he hopes to find a buyer for the locomotive and caboose.

Read more: http://triblive.com/neighborhoods/yours ... z2ieqQ3U5B

Les Beckman · **Joined:** Tue Aug 02, 2005 1:25 pm **Posts:** 6482

Some info on the Porter from J. David Conrad's book:

Built 4/97 as s/n 1726 for Carnegie Steel Company number unknown. Later U.S. Steel #727 at Duquesne, PA. Locomotive weighs 23-1/2 tons and rides on 31" drivers.

Might the caboose be from the Pittsburgh & Lake Erie or Bessemer & Lake Erie? Obviously, they have the name wrong in the newspaper article.

Les

Benjamin J True · **Joined:** Sat Apr 23, 2011 7:53 am **Posts:** 79

What gauge are they?
Couldn't find them in steamlocomotive.info

NKP1155 · **Joined:** Tue Sep 03, 2013 9:50 am **Posts:** 94

B&Le or P&LE, both were/are standard gauge. The Porter looks the same.

whodom · **Posted:** Thu Oct 24, 2013 2:42 pm

Les Beckman wrote:

Some info on the Porter from J. David Conrad's book:

Built 4/97 as s/n 1726 for Carnegie Steel Company number unknown. Later U.S. Steel #727 at Duquesne, PA. Locomotive weighs 23-1/2 tons and rides on 31" drivers.

If that locomotive was built in 1897, it was heavily rebuilt since then. Welded steel cab, welded saddletank, etc. would seem to indicate a much newer locomotive.

It's a nice little engine at any rate.

Dave · **Posted:** Thu Oct 24, 2013 2:44 pm

Standard gage......if the CN is correct, I'm a bit confused as there's a Station Square in urban Pittsburgh but Sewickley is out in the boonies beyond Coraopolis. Of course I haven't been there for over 20 years so my knowledge is certainly out of date.

Dave

Cordicron · **Joined:** Sat Aug 11, 2007 4:24 pm **Posts:** 58

They are standard gauge. I found it listed under Riverfront Park after the Steamtown listings and before the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania. Click on Riverfront Park to take you to their home page

Emmo213 · **Posted:** Thu Oct 24, 2013 3:48 pm

This is one of those times you want to make an offer of like $5k or $10k and see what happens.

Richard Glueck · **Posted:** Thu Oct 24, 2013 5:01 pm

If you have a place to bring the loco and caboose, consider doing just that. If the bobber is in decent shape, I'd think it would be worth that alone. I doubt the city wants to see them destroyed. Just plan to get them aboard a flatbed truck and put them someplace safe!

p51 · **Posted:** Thu Oct 24, 2013 6:14 pm

Emmo213 wrote:

This is one of those times you want to make an offer of like $5k or $10k and see what happens.

Okay, so what happenes if they reply, "SOLD!" Would you be capable of getting them off the property?
Owning isn't the problem for items like this for many people , nor is storage (heck I have plenty of room for something like this on my own property). It's moving the thing that most people can't accomplish...

steaminfo · **Posted:** Thu Oct 24, 2013 8:09 pm

On steamlocomotive.info:

http://steamlocomotive.info/vlocomotive ... splay=1666

Sorry, I've never had a photo of this one.

Ron Travis · **Joined:** Sun May 15, 2005 2:22 pm **Posts:** 1543

It is interesting that the official in the linked article cannot allow the displayed railroad pieces without the forgone conclusion that they must also be children's playground equipment.

Howard P. · **Posted:** Thu Oct 24, 2013 10:04 pm

Original (1895-1900 era) name of B&LE: Pittsburg, Bessemer & Lake Erie. Perhaps that's the source of the confusion?

(Dave Hamley, did I get that right?)

Howard P.

G. W. Laepple · **Joined:** Mon Aug 23, 2004 5:10 pm **Posts:** 1182

That "bobber caboose" looks an awful lot like a Pennsylvania Railroad ND cabin car. I wonder if the reporter (and the city official) have incorrect information?

Emmo213 · **Posted:** Fri Oct 25, 2013 7:42 am

Relax guys, I didn't actually make an offer. But something that size I would think could be moved on and off a semi without using cranes. If I had some land I probably would make an offer.

Which kind of is unfortunate when things like this come available. There are probably other people out there too with means but are just missing a piece or two before being able to acquire something like this. It'll be disheartening if it gets scrapped.