Does anyone remember a steam engine outside a restaurant on the Hamburg Turnpike in New Jersey? I remember it was moved maybe around the early 80's. There is a restaurant with a dinner car is still there.

Thanks in advance.

It could have been Lackawanna 565, now at Steamtown. It was owned by Tony Citro for awhile, and he had a restaurant up in that area. I don't know of any other display engines up there.

Found it! Steamtown has it. They are restoring it.

There are still pieces of rolling stock there. A Pullman and a caboose I think.

Rob

Since pieces of 565 are lost (some parts allegedly buried on the site at Steamtown) I find it hard to believe they are "restoring" it. As of now they have not even shown a desire to make cosmetic improvements to it.

At least its inside. Maybe someday they will.

Tony Citro had DL&W 565 at the restaurant, along with PRR Pullman parlor-obs "Queen Mary" and an Erie wood caboose (Magor-built in nearby Clifton, NJ). The parlor and caboose are apparently still there.

It appears that some parts of 565 were "lost" as scrap metal during a yard "clean-up" at Scranton in the mid-1990s. The lead truck has been generally considered the largest piece to fall victim to that operation, with the result that 565 has been an 0-6-0 for quite some time. Hopefully, the parts DO exist in storage.

ALERT-- The following statement is NOT to be construed as "Steamtown-Bashing"---

It is most curious that the only "native" locomotive in the Scranton collection is not accorded more care, if not even a full cosmetic restoration.

By the way, I am just back from a trip to Jacksonville; on a side trip to St Mary's GA and a visit to the NPS Cumberland Island Museum, the resident NPS ranger and I got to chatting, and Scranton came up-- she visited Steamtown NPS last year and had full-bore raves for it. And she's right-- it's a pretty neat place.

Howard P.
No-Sweet-Tea, NY

PS
Those "prah-leens" are pretty good, y'all !

I was always under the impression (and this was from my days at New Hope) that the lead truck and other parts never made it to Scranton.

565 was taken apart in preperation for rebuilding to be used (with 148) on the original Adirondak operation. Part of that rebuilding included conversion to oil, and I remember seeing an oil tank sitting in the coal bunker, with a US&S or GRS relay box door as a filler!

I think things fizzled, and/or they decided to use RS-3s, and the 565 sat in pieces for some time at New Hope. Then it went to Scranton?

I'm really not sure of its history, but DL&W, D&MM, BR&W, Tony Citro, MCC, NHIR and Steamtown seems about right- Corrections welcome-

I've always been an advocate of restoring that engine. While a little too light for the road, at least with the trains they used to run (and it has been awhile since I've been up there-) 565 could alternate with the 26 around the yard. And as HP stated, it is native. Food for thought-

I believe it was around 1974 or 75 that Tony Citro sold his "Gaslight 1900" railroad restaurant in Wayne, NJ and removed 565. He had bought into the Morris County Central RR and became its VP. Citro had planned to use 565 on the MCC at Newfoundland and sent the engine from Wayne to the New Hope & Ivyland RR for an overhaul by a contractor. Ironically before going for display at Citro's restaurant, 565 was briefly a (non-operating) part of the MCC RR at Whippany. 565 was at the time owned by another party involved with the MCC, John Maris.

BTW, most of 565's missing parts went missing while she was at New Hope. Some stuff was found while other pieces are probably gone for good. I thought someone from Steamtown said they do have the lead truck.

Regards,
Jim Robinson

I hope to go up to Steamtown this summer. My two sons and me want to see the Big Boy. From what I hear the pics don't do it justice. I will have to see 565 while I'm there too. I remember 565 when it was at Wayne.

Thanks everyone for the info.

Yes the parlor car and caboose are still at the site. For a long time the restaurant was named "Victoria Station" then changed to a tex - mex place. With that the visible side of the caboose was re-sheathed, painted red with a Santa Fe logo. The outside of the Pennsy car was also painted. That restaurant failed within a few years. The site sat vacant for a year or two and then was reopened as "Partners In Research".

http://www.pirnj.com/

If you go to the website they have an outside view of the site as well as an interior view of the parlor car. From the outside, I believe the caboose is used as an office.

I am unsure whom own the building.

I live about 10 minutes away from the site and pass it a few times per month on shopping trips. There are no railines within 3-5 miles of it. I would be curious as to how the parlor car got there.

Chris

J. Supor Trucking? :) HEHEHE

somebody sure hacked up the Queen Mary