OK,OK... for exactly 17 years I have maintained that there was a 42" gauge steam locomotive buried under a pile of culm (coal tailings) at the former Glen Alden Coal Comapny mine in Wanamie, PA.

I would love to share some of the comments that I have gotten. Most started with "another ghost story..." except, of course, that I saw the top of the engine poking out of the culm pile in 1984.

Anyway, a note appeared on the Yahoo Group "Antrhactie History" over the weekend of someone who was at the mine site a couple of yeas ago when the engine was uncovered by contractors working the site.

Of course, the poster does not know what happened to it. Anyone else know?

Rob Davis

trains@robertjohndavis.com

> OK,OK... for exactly 17 years I have
> maintained that there was a 42" gauge
> steam locomotive buried under a pile of culm
> (coal tailings) at the former Glen Alden
> Coal Comapny mine in Wanamie, PA.

I think that you have two stories crossed there. The Wanamie lokies were/are 36" gauge. I think it was #8 that was "left over" after the other two were sold to Pine Creek RR in New Jersey.
There WAS a 42" gauge tanker that was uncovered from a coal pile in the St.Clair area a couple of years back. I think it had blown up or something.

schwartzsj@juno.com

Hi Steve,

Yes, there was an engine pulled from a culm bank near Gilberton.

The one I am referring to is the one left at Wanamie after the others left (the Pine Creek pair now in Oregon, and the rest). It was buried in the early 1980's. The fellow on the Yahoo Group I mentioned claims he watched it get dug out when they bulldozed Wanamie flat a couple of years ago.

So, the questions remains as to where she went.

Vulcan heaven?

Hmmm...

Rob

PS: I guess I had the gauge wrong. I always thought Wanamie was 42" (the anthracite "standard" for mine lokies).

> I think that you have two stories crossed
> there. The Wanamie lokies were/are 36"
> gauge. I think it was #8 that was "left
> over" after the other two were sold to
> Pine Creek RR in New Jersey.
> There WAS a 42" gauge tanker that was
> uncovered from a coal pile in the St.Clair
> area a couple of years back. I think it had
> blown up or something.


trains@robertjohndavis.com

Rob,

Here again is the second of two photographs sent to me by Paul Shiptoski in 1999. The other one is a three quarters view taken from the right side that I sent out in a Surviving World Steam Locomotive update back then, and that I think I will add to this May's update as well, since so few people got to see it. (This update is also already featuring other dumped locomotive photographs from Bolivia and elsewhere, so it will fit right in.)

You can see that while it is surrounded by culm, it was only partially buried. You can also see the dent in the edge of the cab roof; after repeatedly watching the Hawk Mountain video of the Wanamie operation, I concluded back then that this is Wanamie #8; which is listed in J. David's directory as the fourth locomotive under Unknown on page 335.

The front view shows the locomotive to be badly derelict; with the smokebox door, cylinder covers, and no doubt other parts missing.

Your poster confirmed that after years of cleaning up Wanamie Mine (which I believe was a Superfund site), the locomotive is still there as of two years ago. I too, wonder if it is still there.

-James Hefner (up with a bad case of heartburn)
Hebrews 10:20a

> OK,OK... for exactly 17 years I have
> maintained that there was a 42" gauge
> steam locomotive buried under a pile of culm
> (coal tailings) at the former Glen Alden
> Coal Comapny mine in Wanamie, PA.

> I would love to share some of the comments
> that I have gotten. Most started with
> "another ghost story..." except,
> of course, that I saw the top of the engine
> poking out of the culm pile in 1984.

> Anyway, a note appeared on the Yahoo Group
> "Antrhactie History" over the
> weekend of someone who was at the mine site
> a couple of yeas ago when the engine was
> uncovered by contractors working the site.

> Of course, the poster does not know what
> happened to it. Anyone else know?

> Rob Davis


Surviving World Steam Locomotives

james1@pernet.net

Does anyone have a link or picture of the two Wanamie engines that had been at Pine Creek. I'd like to know what exactly happened to them.

Also, as far as a standard for mine locomotives, we have a 4 foot gauge Vulcan sitting here.

Thanks,
J.R.

> Hi Steve,

> Yes, there was an engine pulled from a culm
> bank near Gilberton.

> The one I am referring to is the one left at
> Wanamie after the others left (the Pine
> Creek pair now in Oregon, and the rest). It
> was buried in the early 1980's. The fellow
> on the Yahoo Group I mentioned claims he
> watched it get dug out when they bulldozed
> Wanamie flat a couple of years ago.

> So, the questions remains as to where she
> went.

> Vulcan heaven?

> Hmmm...

> Rob

> PS: I guess I had the gauge wrong. I always
> thought Wanamie was 42" (the anthracite
> "standard" for mine lokies).


http://www.njmt.org
jrmay@njmt.org

JR,

Best I can tell from the info I have recieved in the past year, they are now in private hands in Oregon. Ironic, because the ex DL&W coal lokie that ran at Wanamie is also out there in the Keppner collection.

Rob

rdavis@rypn.org

We have recently been to the wanamie colliery remains to explore the recently uncovered mine opening. We didnt see the lokie anywhere. looked around for it cause it seems to be a big mystery. later

chris

Exploring PAs abandoned coal mines and structers.

chris@undergroundminers.com

MY Wanamie Lokie Story: Wanamie was on the way to my grandmother's house in Glen Lyon where we would go on various holidays to have dinner. One Easter, in the 1960's, after dinner, my dad, two brothers and I headed to Wanamie to see and maybe explore a little. Sure enough, the three Wanamie lokies were there simmering away. We looked around, and all of a sudden, this elder guy in denim overalls shows up wanting to know what we were doing there. After explaining, he says, "C'mon, I'll take ya's fer a ride". And off we went,in our Easter clothes, down the track, riding on number 8, waddling down the track, which must have been the best of them, since it was freshly-painted with a silver stripe, and silvered cylinder covers, and "Wanamie" in silver on the tank. I was rather surprised when I learned that they were in the Pine Creek collection in NJ, and can't for the life of me figure out why they're in Oregon now.



schwartzsj@jumo.com