I vaguely recall seeing many years ago a steam locomotive (Southern 2839) in excursion. Is this correct? Was there also a conveyor.

I've seen several pics of the specially modified hopper you saw in the picture.

As I understood it, 2839 and/or other steamers that used the arrangement did not use the car during regular weekend excursions, but did haul and use it on longer-distance ferry moves. I don't think it stuck around after the NS merger and the introduction of 611 and 1218.

I recall a loader being used post-2839 in Chattanooga. I can't remember who I heard it from, but I was told it was not as reliable as they hoped. You can see a picture at this link:
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPi ... id=1654926

The Southern built a coal loader, SOU 900096, at the Coster Shops in Knoxville, it was a gondola with hydraulically operated hoppers and conveyors to move the coal up and into the loco tender. As the locos got larger, like 2839, the conveyor couldn't quite reach the coal space. That combined with the condition of the coal loader and the tonnages of coal the larger locos used, the coal loader was retired.

On the 21st Century Steam Trip ferry moves I do remember seeing gondolas of coal with a small excavator inside the gondola.

I don't think that's what the OP remembers seeing, but a solution nevertheless! haha.

Hi all
Here is a trip many people from Boston, Mass should recall October 27,& 28th 1973 Boston, Mass to Montpelier, Vt behind NKP # 759. I did not ride the trip but I heard about the coal problem at Montpelier, Vt.. from the club members of the Live Steam that I belong too..

As for the photos the first photo is from the book High Iron 3rd edition by Howard Pincus ..Note photos are as noted,, and thank you Howard, for providing them...

The next photo read comes from the Mass Bay RRE newsletter the Callboy, from the April/May issue of the newsletter by Dave Brown in 2022, recalling the trip.. and the problem of recoaling the locomotive at Montpelier, Vt..

Does the loader still exist in preservation?

Wesley

Thanks, Pat.

That upside-down drumhead on the C&O hopper car summed up the "Robert Barbera Era" at Steamtown in Vermont.

Howard P.

The gondola with the conveyor was a Southern Railway kitbash. It was just that: a gondola with a conveyor. You swung the conveyor over the tender, started it up and it moved coal up from the gon and dropped into the tender.

The rear-end hopper car was on a trip from Boston to Montpelier and return. The hopper was on the rear going out but at Montpelier for the overnight they turned the 759 and ran the hopper car and the first two cars (Combo CNJ 303 and a coach) around the train with the hopper as first car. I should note the 303 and coach were for Important People, but the coach had room and they seated regular people in the back, with a curtain (bedsheets) keeping the Important People from the groundlings. (see Howard's comment) Returning, the groundlings were closer to the engine than the IP's so they were reaseated in steerage with the rest of us shlubs. (steerage was perfectly good CNJ coaches)

It was cold that night and in the AM there was frost on the cars. And a hopper car between the passenger cars and steam heat from the engine. Down the line, they set the hopper car out and lifted coal into the tender with a loader. The hopper car stayed put, being closer to Bellows Falls there.

I've always wondered if the B&M crew claimed the higher mixed train pay over the passenger rate.

Phil Mulligan