Displayed at Noblesville, Indiana, September 1, 1968:

http://abpr.railfan.net/abprphoto.cgi?n ... c+o377.jpg

Was she in tourist service at this point? Does anyone know the details on her in operation? Was she ever overhauled? Did leave the B&O Museum to go out there or had she been out there anyway?

-Alan Levy

Dave Conrad's opus says it was leased in 1969 to the Toledo, Grand Rapids & Western in Ohio, where it operated for a time, so it must have been on display for the C&O at the 1968 exhibit. No doubt someone else could tell us more.

I posted this link of it in its pre-ceremonial state last year. Not sure if it will still work.

http://imagehost.vendio.com/bin/viewima ... idpay&sp=0

http://imagehost.vendio.com/bin/viewima ... idpay&sp=0

In you initial post, you showed #377 with a wooden baggage car behind it. That car is in all likelihood C&O (ex-Hocking Valley) #409 which is now in a stall of honor at the B&O Railroad Museum.

This car, which probably came to the museum with #377 in the mid 70's sat outside under a metal shed behind the roundhouse for many years. After the roof collapse, the North American Railway Foundation (the charity arm of railway labor) paid for it to be fully restored at Strasburg. It is a true "Jim Crow" car, having been used on a Virgnia branch up until about 1950 with separate compartments for blacks and whites.

For the record, C&O 4-6-0 # 377 was originally built by Baldwin in 1902 as Cincinnati, Richmond & Muncie Railroad #108. It became Chicago, Cincinnati & Louisville Railroad #108 in 1903 and then Chesapeake & Ohio Railway Company of Indiana #1108 in 1910, being renumbered back to 108 by the C&O of Indiana in 1915. During these early years, it ran on trackage through North Judson (where our museum is located) on a regular basis. In 1922, the C&O of Indiana leased the locomotive to the Chesapeake & Ohio, first as # 108, and then in 1925 as #377. In 1934, the C&O of Indiana was formally merged into the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway. At some point, the C&O transferred the 377 (and sister # 378) from Indiana to West Virginia, where the two locomotives were assigned to a line that needed light motive power.

Les Beckman (Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum/North Judson, Indiana)

Don't mean to be picky, Les, but 377, 378, and the above mentioned combine were regurlarly assigned to the Craig Valley branch in Virginia, (not West Virginia) running from Eagle Rock Va. to New Castle Va. The locomotives were based in Clifton Forge. This line was very near my home in Roanoke.

Gary:

You're not being picky. I appreciate the correction. I wasn't sure if it was West Virginia or Virginia. Thanks for setting it straight!

Les

The 377 was leased to the Toledo, Lake Erie & Western when they were running on the Toledo, Angola & Western, a 8.5 mile shortline that used to run from Toledo out to Silica, Ohio. The engine was returned to the B&O museum before the TLE & W moved to there current location out of Waterville, Ohio in 1974. I have heard that she returned to the museum under steam.

B. Allan

If it steamed part of the trip, I don't know, but I do know that by and odd turn of circumstances, I work with a guy who was a conductor on a freight train some where in ohio that it was being shipped back on. The odd part about it, for a Railroader claims not to have any interest in trains, he sure had a lot of pictures of it cut in infront of his cab!
Infact, that particular trip he claims to have ridden the entire trip in the loco.

At Baltimore:

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPi ... ?id=328295

I am pleased to report that 377, and Allegheny 1604 behind it in that photo, are now inside the car shop in the rear of the photo, safe from further deterioration. Also inside the car shop are B&O 4-6-2 5300, B&O EA #51, and C&O 4-6-4 490. All of them sat outside for way too many years. These engines are soon to be joined by B&O 2-8-2 4500.

And.... here she is, still at the rear of the car shop at the B&O Railroad Museum. Figured I'd simply recall this thread vs start another. Photographed, in need of a fresh coat of paint, though protected indoors, on February 28th, 2016. I've confirmed that the B&O EA unit has been moved to the restoration shop for evaluation - we'll likely see the engine returned to it's full (cosmetic) glory. No doubt, #377 is on the list - a long list, no doubt, but on track.

Question - I read that #377 was leased by the Lake Erie & Western Railroad in 1969. A site states they learned the "5 year lease" would not be renewed by the C&O in 1974, so they sought another engine. According to the B&O RR Museum site, the locomotive arrived at the Museum, donated I presume?, in 1971.

http://www.geocities.ws/cubbie_vance/history.html

How long did the locomotive operate at the Lake Erie & Western Railroad? And did the engine, in fact, arrive "early" in 1971 despite the said 5 year lease? Or is that information sketchy?

Second question - the Museum's web site states this about #377:

"... the city of Logan, West Virginia issued a request to the C&O asking for the use of a vintage C&O train which might have resembled the one that arrived in 1904 with the completion of the Logan Branch. The C&O agreed to age the No. 377 by installing an oil headlight, flanged stack, cylinder head stars, wooden pilot and old style paint scheme."

http://www.borail.org/CO-No-377.aspx

How much of that "aging" remains today? Does anyone have a link or pics of the engine as she actually ran in service? Seems the pilot? is wood, though the cowl? is metal. The fanged stack seems to have been left?, wonder if the original survived? The stars on the cylinder heads remain, as does the old style paint scheme, though I didn't get a good look at the headlight to determine if it's the "aged" oil lamp.

/Mitch

I had not been aware of this thread before now, so I guess some will consider me a bit late to this conversation. I am curious about the combine. If it is true that the car originated on the Hocking Valley (an Ohio road), I assume it was not originally built as a Jim Crow car. Can anybody give a more detailed history of this car, including rebuildings?

Tom

Mitch -

Please note my comments MUCH earlier in this thread (May 12, 2006) pointing out that the 377 was originally built in 1902 for the CR&M, a Chesapeake & Ohio of Indiana predecessor.

It's also interesting that she has no Baltimore & Ohio heritage, that there are three other Ten-Wheelers at the B&O Museum and if the museum figures it needs a C&O engine for the collection to represent that railroad, there are three others on the roster even after sending C&O 2-6-6-2 #1309 to the Western Maryland Scenic.

Les

Did I imply it was not built in 1902 for the CR&M? Not sure why this engine is part of the B&O Railroad Museum collection, like the Clinchfield engine, the CNJ Camelback or the other C&O engines, though assume some were just fortunate (for the Museum) acquisitions (like the CNJ engine(s)) and others, like the GG1 and above mentioned, simply represent the the future timeline of the B&O from Chessie through to the CSX umbrella.

Thoughts of trades run rampant, but I'll leave that for another thread!

/Mitch