The other day I saw two old Chesapeake Railroad center cabs on flat cars at Belt Line Junction in Reading, PA. They looked to be in bad shape. Where they headed to their grave? (scrapper) They were positioned right behind two N&W engines. From a distance they actually looked liked they were part of the working motive power.

fanofdduck@aol.com

> The other day I saw two old Chesapeake
> Railroad center cabs on flat cars at Belt
> Line Junction in Reading, PA. They looked to
> be in bad shape. Where they headed to their
> grave? (scrapper) They were positioned right
> behind two N&W engines. From a distance
> they actually looked liked they were part of
> the working motive power.

Both engines have been purchased by some employees at SMS Rail Services. I believe both of them are old Whitcomb 65-tonners that were formerly used in Texas years ago.

> Both engines have been purchased by some
> employees at SMS Rail Services. I believe
> both of them are old Whitcomb 65-tonners
> that were formerly used in Texas years ago.

Not quite. My recollection is that 75 and 85 were both ex-Beaufort & Morehead in North Carolina. The Shortline Ry. Guide has them listed as Whitcomb 80-tonners; 75 is c/n 60739 3/47 and 85 is 60511, 6-44. (I'm not sure what happened to 95; I think she was the parts donor when I saw them in N.C. in 1988.) I have a nagging suspicion that the B&M got them from the Army, but I cannot confirm this and it may be some confusion with another Whitcomb somewhere.

The Baldwin fanatics at SMS would want them because, even though they were built in Rochelle, Ill., they were a Baldwin division after BLW acquired the company in a foreclosure sale in 1930-31. Note that the builder's numbers nicely dovetail with Baldwin's.

LNER4472-NOSPAM-@bcpl.net