This past weekend, a Kolben-Danek 0-4-0 operated at the Northfield & Cannon Valley RR in Northfield, MN. This is a private operation, but opens to the public one weekend in October. I thought you might enjoy a picture.

> This past weekend, a Kolben-Danek 0-4-0
> operated at the Northfield & Cannon
> Valley RR in Northfield, MN. This is a
> private operation, but opens to the public
> one weekend in October. I thought you might
> enjoy a picture.

Doug,
Who is responsible for straightening the Purple Martin bird house that is attached to the top of the headlight? It appears to require a little work. LOL. Cute little engine, isn't she? Thanks for sharing the photo.
Don C.

old_fxrs@msn.com

> Who is responsible for straightening the
> Purple Martin bird house that is attached to
> the top of the headlight?

I was thinking the same thing... glad to see I'm not alone in having a weird sense of humor!! It must be a little smokey for our fine feathered friends when they're running tender first! I've seen a steam locomotive with a dog house, but never one with a bird house!

Any how, thanks for the photo of this neat little lok. Any idea what country it was built in and/or operated in?

Regards,
Jim Robinson

> I was thinking the same thing... glad to see
> I'm not alone in having a weird sense of
> humor!! It must be a little smokey for our
> fine feathered friends when they're running
> tender first! I've seen a steam locomotive
> with a dog house, but never one with a bird
> house!

You know, I had this same problem when photographing my kids...they always seemed to have bird houses, telephone poles, street lights or signage protruding from the tops of their heads. Seems my problem extends to photographing steam, as well.

> Any how, thanks for the photo of this neat
> little lok. Any idea what country it was
> built in and/or operated in?

Was built by Kolben-Danek in Czechoslovakia in 1941 (Czech-Moravia I think it was called then). Was delivered to Hans Vattern AG in Mannheim (a steel mill and foundry, I believe) and operated there until 1967 when it was imported into the U.S. by Jim Valesh of Oelwein, IA in the huge cluster of 60cm gauge industrial locomotives that he brought here. Jim Mahacek of Northfield bought this one a couple of weeks after it arrived in the U.S. and has had it ever since. It really is a wonderful little railroad to visit.

> Regards,
> Jim Robinson


dougb@sunserver.com

And isn't it interesting that the birdhouses/ lightpoles/ streetsigns that our kids/ favourite locomotives wear never show up to the naked eye, and only in the lighyt of the flash bulb, or just the right sunlight? I swear, it must be some kids idea of a practical joke! (Note, this last is just my own sense of humor. Please understand that I do not actually hold any teenagers responsible for these acts.)

Sincerely,
David Ackerman

david_ackerman@yahoo.com