Took a tour of the Number Nine Coal Mine in
Lansford, PA - near Jim Thorpe, PA a few weeks
back - I can not more highly recommend a visit.

https://uncoveringpa.com/number-9-coal-mine

While there, I grabbed some shots of this critter -
Lehigh Coal & Navigation Co. 0-4-0T No. 51. A
rather wild looking locomotive. Built by Vulcan
Iron Works in February of 1923. It spent some
time at the Pine Creek Railroad in Freehold, NJ
before being returned and cosmetically restored
and now resides at Lansford.

Does anyone have additional details to share?
Was curious where and when it was restored,
assume it was rather recent and done in Lansford.
Steamlocomotive.info states it was at one point
sold to the City of Easton, PA, having been moved
from Farmingdale in 1965, and the Pine Creek RR
in 1957. What was in Farmingdale? - Was it on
display at Easton? When did it move to Lansford?

Seems to be a very low profile design, but surely it
did not go INTO the mountains so what's with the
low profile design and cab? Seems most 0-4-0T
locomotives had domes that extended above the
tank.

/Mitch

The #51 was purchased by the Pine Creek Railroad in Marlboro, NJ (near Freehold) in the later 1950s. This was an early 3’ gauge tourist railroad which put the #51 on display (its 42” gauge) and in fairly decent looking condition. In the early 1960s, the Pine Creek Railroad was re-organized as the NJ Museum of Transportation and moved to Allaire State Park near Farmingdale, NJ (its actually located in Wall Township, NJ). The #51 was moved to the site in Allaire and was on display, again in fairly decent looking shape, until donated to the canal museum in Easton, PA. Not sure of the year that it went to Easton, late 1980s maybe. It then deteriorated rather badly so good to see it in Lansford and looking half decent once again.

Glover built "low profile" tank engines to fit under a low bridge at Cherokee Brick's plant. Probably this special order was for a similar situation.

Many mine "lokies" were low profile to fit under the colliery structures. See the Wanamie lokies. In NEPA the narrow gauge steamers are "Lokies" not critters.

The Lansford mine was part of the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Empire. Evidently it's 42" gauge, a common gauge in NEPA mining. The display of the lokie at Easton was appropriate as LC&N had built the Canal, the Lehigh and Susquehanna RR and the Lehigh and New England RR which served Lansford. The L&S had been leased to the CNJ/CRP before CNJ withdrew from PA in 1972. A mix of L&S, L&NE and LV are currently operated by RBMN.

Looks like the mine motor used on the tour is an original battery motor. There's a separate thread on a Mancha Mule battery motor.

Phil Mulligan

Definitely looks better than when i last saw it in 2018. I believe they have 2 mine motors for tours.