If I'm not mistaken, it was just about 50 years that fires dropped on the last K4 after a run on the Pemberton Branch. I haven't really seen much of 50th anniversary mentioned for any steam being dropped, and we are currently marking many milestones. I'm guessing that any living engineers who operated BIG steam in regular service must now be at least 80. Maybe a handful slightly younger. If we intend to capture any first hand rememberances now is the last horrah.

Tom

Back in 2004 when the 50th anniversary of the end of Western Maryland steam operations and then later of the pacific 202 being put in the park in Hagerstown, MD I brought up this very subject twice on the WM Yahoo Group. I got no response from either post. Unfortunately it seems few are interested enough in the passing of a generation to make an effort to record any of what they say. I find this truely sad and salute those who do make the effort.

John Bohon

I applaud Tom’s efforts in brining up this milestone. While I do not know any PRR men from the PRR era, I have had the wonder opportunity to listen to some of the stories from a retired LV conductor.

Here’s one of his stories, I hope I do it justice,

He had spent some 40+ years with the Valley and Conrail had just come into being. His caboose or “gig top” as he called it was painted that new Conrail blue. He described that in the haste to get the gig top blue they painted the windows shut, which he could not open much to his displeasure. He also was unhappy about the way the tracks were being maintained. He had told the MoW about a bad spot along the Lehigh River which was never addressed. One day while being routed in the opposite direction on that track with the bad spot and having a new conductor with him they hit that spot. He new instantly that there was trouble and yelled to the “kid, you better hang on”! Well the gig top went on the ground and rolled over on its side and slid down into the river. Better then half of the caboose was submerged including the doors. As he looked around at the situation he noticed the one of those painted shut windows was partly open. He and the “kid” were able to slide the window the rest of the way open and they climbed out to safety. It was that event that told him it was about time to retire.

Funny, myself as a kid, I hated history class, now I can’t get enough.

Tom, thanks again for reminding us about this milestone.

Scott Kwiatkowski

Monday will mark the 50th anniversary of that event, Tom.

Later!
Mr. Ed

better hurry, just like WWll vets, we're loosing these men daily

Many, many retired railroaders were World War II vets who came home and worked out their careers on the railroad. My father-in-law started as a machinist's helper on the PRR at Harrisburg in 1939 after graduating from high school. He was drafted into the Army in Sept. 1941. He returned safely after service in North Africa and Italy. He was a T-1 machinist's gang foreman, where someone must have recognized his potential. He was in the first group of men to go to LaGrange for training on maintaining the E-7's. He retired as assistant shop manager at Enola in 1982. He's 86 now and proud of his service record on the PRR, Penn Central and Conrail. He has helped me out on several occasions with suggestions and recommendations about how to accomplish some aspect of steam and/or diesel maintenance.

My uncle, WWII vet, PRR man, conductor, retired in the late '70's. Long assigned to a local out of Columbus, kept "his" caboose in red to the end even though local management in PC days had decreed the next time it needed to be shopped, it would be painted. Apparently he kept it out of the shop for many years.

Bob

Old firemen could be a little younger. Lenny Smolsky and Jeff Such, somehow connected with SMS (Baldwin) Rail Lines in South Jersey, may be examples.

About 1932, I think the "Lionel Magazine" had an interview with a 90 year old ex-engineer on the State of Pennsylvania's Main Line of Public Works, back before the PRR bought the line. This man's motive power was a horse! He remembered that the horse drawn cars were dispatched at 10:00 a.m. and the steam cars at 2:00 p.m., so they wouldn't interfere with each other. Back then, the Main Line was operated like a turnpike, with lots of private carriers running their own trains.