The new issue of Trains has a piece on late steam ops in the south. The peice ont he BC&G confused me. I have two questions:

1. What is the list of BC&G survivng steam?

2. Was #14 really a USRA 0-8-0 with a pony truck added, as the article says?

Thanks,

Rob

rdavis@rypn.org

Rob,

You need to get a copy of the book titled "Buffalo Creek and Gauley" by William E. Warden (ISBN 1-878343-03-3).

What remains are the three 2-8-0's #4, 13 & 14. But there are others as the "gob pile" engines were not considered BC&G but Elk River Coal and Lumber but they were all owned but the same company at one point. At least one of these engines is still around. The BC&G also operated a number of geared engines of which I think one or two might still be with us. I will have to do some checking when I get a chance.

Tom

> The new issue of Trains has a piece on late
> steam ops in the south. The peice ont he
> BC&G confused me. I have two questions:

> 1. What is the list of BC&G survivng
> steam?

> 2. Was #14 really a USRA 0-8-0 with a pony
> truck added, as the article says?

> Thanks,

> Rob

Rob: Tom Lawson Jr. in a FROM THE STEAM LOCOMOTIVE ARCHIVES column that use to appear in the old THE SHORT LINE Magazine pretty much killed the idea that BC&G #14 was a converted 0-8-0. At the time, Tom said it was a rumor that just wouldn't go away. Apparently it has not gone away yet!

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

midlandblb@cs.com

The Climax now at Roaring Camp was tied to the BC&G, through their interchange with W.M. Ritter Lumber. Also Ritter Shay #19 Lima C/N 1568, now on display in Ohio was often photographed with the 2-8-0's in the last years of operation. Maybe Tom Shreve will see this and give us some more info on the Climax.
Hope this helps,
Mike

> Rob,

> You need to get a copy of the book titled
> "Buffalo Creek and Gauley" by
> William E. Warden (ISBN 1-878343-03-3).

> What remains are the three 2-8-0's #4, 13
> & 14. But there are others as the
> "gob pile" engines were not
> considered BC&G but Elk River Coal and
> Lumber but they were all owned but the same
> company at one point. At least one of these
> engines is still around. The BC&G also
> operated a number of geared engines of which
> I think one or two might still be with us. I
> will have to do some checking when I get a
> chance.

> Tom


Yenko117@yahoo.com

One of the gob engines is on display in Huntington, WV as a B&O engine. It is a Savannah and Atlanta 2-8-2 but I do not remember the number. The tender frame of another S&A engine is behind the 4 at Spencer. When the old tank went bad a few years ago and was replaced with a new one the old tank was placed on the frame of their ACL 4-6-0 for static display. Thus one tender is serving two locomotives.

jhbohon@yahoo.com

> One of the gob engines is on display in
> Huntington, WV as a B&O engine. It is a
> Savannah and Atlanta 2-8-2 but I do not
> remember the number. The tender frame of
> another S&A engine is behind the 4 at
> Spencer. When the old tank went bad a few
> years ago and was replaced with a new one
> the old tank was placed on the frame of
> their ACL 4-6-0 for static display. Thus one
> tender is serving two locomotives.

The 2-8-2 on display in Huntington, WV is NOT a former Savannah & Atlanta locomotive but is actually former Toledo, Angola & Western Railway #100. There WAS a S&A 2-8-2 saved from the "gob pile" but that engine went to the LA&L in New York where it operated for a while until the LA&L, unfortunately, scrapped it.

Les Beckman (HVRM)

midlandblb@cs.com

> The 2-8-2 on display in Huntington, WV is
> NOT a former Savannah & Atlanta
> locomotive but is actually former Toledo,
> Angola & Western Railway #100. There WAS
> a S&A 2-8-2 saved from the "gob
> pile" but that engine went to the
> LA&L in New York where it operated for a
> while until the LA&L, unfortunately,
> scrapped it.

> Les Beckman (HVRM)

I stand corrected. Does this make the 100 the only surviving TA&W steam locomotive?

John

jhbohon@yahoo.com

> Rob: Tom Lawson Jr. in a FROM THE STEAM
> LOCOMOTIVE ARCHIVES column that use to
> appear in the old THE SHORT LINE Magazine
> pretty much killed the idea that BC&G
> #14 was a converted 0-8-0.

I have that issue of THE SHORT LINE (albeit not at hand) and also a later issue that supossedly rebuffs Mr. Lawson's rebuff of the notion that this engine started out as a 0-8-0. IIRC (I'll check the magazine tonight) the follow up stated (I believe with some degree of certainty) that ALCO built the locomotive to be their 0-8-0 plant switcher "Miss Liberty", but for whatever reason they diverted the engine (reworking it into a 2-8-0) to become Kelleys Creek & Northwestern 1. It was delivered to the KC&N with its switcher-style tender (I have seen a photo of the locomotive with this switcher-style tender on the KC&N in WV, so I tend to believe that 14 DID start out as a 0-8-0, albeit remained so very briefly). The Buffalo Creek & Gauley acquired it in 1954 and renumbered it 14 (BC&G 13 also came from the KC&N, where it had been their #6). IIRC the BC&G replaced 14's original tender with its present one, which I think came off an ex-C&O engine. All trusted sorces (Conrad, steamlocomotive.info, etc) do list the engine as being built for the KC&N as a 2-8-0 with no mention of the 0-8-0 to 2-8-0 conversion. Again, I'll check the information tonight since it's been a while since I read it last.

Regards,
Jim Robinson

> There WAS
> a S&A 2-8-2 saved from the "gob
> pile" but that engine went to the
> LA&L in New York where it operated for a
> while until the LA&L, unfortunately,
> scrapped it.

The ex-S&A 2-8-2 that went to the Livonia Avon & Lakeville RR in NY was former Elk River Coal & Lumber 17. She ran only a season or two during the mid 1960's on the LA&L's tourist trains. 17 trailed an ex-PRR tender which was then placed behind ex-H&BTM 2-8-0 38 when that engine was acquired (from the Rail City Museum) to replace the ailing 17. 17 was scrapped around 1970.

Regards,
Jim Robinson

> I stand corrected. Does this make the 100
> the only surviving TA&W steam
> locomotive?

> John
This is the only known TA&W steam locomotive still in existance. Does anyone know what happened to the TA&W's Alco S-1, I had heard that it left Toledo on a flat car after the railroad was torn up.

Thanks
B.Allan

http://www.cvsr.com
cvsrkahuna@aol.com