Does anyone have the current status and or photos of the Long Island Railroad steam rotary at Steamtown? Is there a long term plan to restore her to operation? Thanks, David Notarius, London UK, ex New Hope Pa

No idea of the long term plan, other than, of course, to get to her when funds and time permits. The plow itself has a long and distinguished history of clearing the main on Long Island, where winter storms, heavy with ocean water, could clog the tracks like concrete. She was built in response to the blizzard of 1888, and earned her keep for decades thereafter. She currently tows an ex-PRR design tender, either off an E6s or H6sb. The last time I looked inside her, there was some damage, but nothing too terrible. Like all boilers, it needs needle scaling and paint. The tender was full of coal, which is not doing her any good. A couple of volunteers should be able to shovel her out in an hour or so.
If you are referring to operating her, I think it's unlikely. She's an expensive machine to run, and dangerous, to boot. Better to bring back a steam locomotive for the costs involved.

That plow was used by the LIRR into the late 1950s, possibly even later. It was sold to steam photographer Ron Ziel about 1964; Ziel also bought one of the BEDT 0-6-0 tank engines as part of a plan to rebuild the abandoned (since 1939) LIRR Sag Harbor branch and operate the "Sag Harbor & Scuttle Hole RR" tourist railway.

The LIRR rotary was later moved to storage at Black River & Western at Flemington, NJ. I saw the thing there in 1979 and it was pretty crusty at that time. I think the boiler was basically a PRR H-3 boiler; don't recall if it had a Belpaire firebox or not. No, I didn't take any pictures inside the thing, but now I wish I had.

Howard P.
Long Ago & Far Away, NY

Shes not in the worst shape outside, some very easy metal work is needed to replace the rotted sections. A few weekends worth of work could make her looking really well again.

As for returning to operation, I think the big boy might have a better chance. Any and everything inside is gone. Yeah, I know everything is possible with money, but in this case, Why?

Paul

The boiler is the original, and not off a Camelback. I don't recall it being a Wooten firebox. The interior is stripped and the parts are long gone. I agree with "Nova55", she could be made to look great with some directed TLC and shelter, once completed.

For what its worth, Im pretty sure she has a wagontop boiler.

A number of parts was cut off by using a gas torch by the BR&W in the mid 1970's and were stored in the "sand house" building that was next to the old water tank in Ringoes for safe keeping. I was part of a crew that unloaded the parts into the sand house. I'm not sure what happend to these parts after I'd left the BR&W in 1979, which included injectors & lubicators, along with other bits and pieces. This was done after someone was chased of the rotary who was trying to remove some parts for the brass. And the tender still had a load of coal in it from the Long Island! It would be nice to see a rotary operating in the east, and I'm sure both the Deleware Lackawanna & Steamtown would benefit from her use in future heavy winters in the Poconos.

Have fun - David Notarius, London UK, ex New Hope Pa

Anyone have a photo of this rotary at Steamtown or on LIRR?

Wesley

Here's a few I took over the years, Flemington, NJ & Scranton, PA:
http://trainspot.rrpicturearchives.net/rsPicture.aspx?id=10388

I realize this thread is already a few years old now, but here's a picture of the rotary in New Hyde Park, NY on the LIRR Main Line in January 1899 (yes, 1899):

http://www.arrts-arrchives.com/images/qqnhp1899.jpg

Another view in Oyster Bay, NY, undated but maybe 1930s:

http://www.arrts-arrchives.com/images/qqsnow8.jpg

And at the LIRR roundhouse at Morris Park, probably in the 1940s:

http://www.arrts-arrchives.com/images/qqrtry193.jpg

All of these are from the collection of LIRR historian Art Huneke.

Some exterior shots from May, 2011.

Some interior shots from May, 2011.

Sure looks like a Belpaire firebox to me. Perhaps she was refitted with a pennsy boiler some time during her long life.

I was thinking the same thing myself. The rotary is a Cooke product of 1898, and a Belpaire firebox just doesn't sound right for Cooke.

Perhaps a comparison with the White Pass & Yukon's 1899 Cooke rotary could shed some light on this.

Alternatively, do the dimensions of the boiler match those of any standard Pennsy designs?

The rotary was re-boilered at some point during its life on the LIRR. The original tender was replaced with a PRR design tender with Dolphin trucks. It might be an old E6s tender, but I think the conversion was done in the thirties, just about the time LIRR was dropping their H6sb fleet. This is from memory, so I may be wrong about dates.
What I am not wrong about is that Steamtown took the initiative to shovel the tender out. It was full of coal when it arrived, and I wrote a letter advising them to empty it. Apparently somebody took note, and should be commended for taking action.