I just purchased a couple of post cards from the
Wawa&Concordville Railroad. It was a tourist line in Pennsylvania in 1968. Does anyone know haow long they operated?

They used an 0-6-0 saddle tank switcher as their #3; she was built by Vulcan Iron Works in 1943 for the US Navy. And what an ugly duckling she was! Where is she now? And what state has her in J. David's book?
Thanks Ted Miles

ted_miles@NPS.gov

> I just purchased a couple of post cards from
> the Wawa & Concordville Railroad. It was a
> tourist line in Pennsylvania in 1968. Does
> anyone know how long they operated?

Not long..........

> They used an 0-6-0 saddle tank switcher as
> their #3; she was built by Vulcan Iron Works
> in 1943 for the US Navy. And what an ugly
> duckling she was! Where is she now? And what
> state has her in J. David's book?

Second listing for Delaware. Ex-US Navy, last used at Philly Navy Yard. She worked W&C briefly, then migrated to the Wilmington & Western for operation in the 1980s, then down to the Delaware Coast Line for operation on the Queen Anne's RR operation. The latter is now defunct, and #3 now rusts in storage there.

W&C also had an even uglier duckling, #37. Look for the 2-8-2T two listings below #3 in Conrad. She's still stored at the W&W after operating at the W&W during the 1980s.

First article of the series
lner4472@bcpl.net

The W&C operated for only a season or two from what I have been told. The 0-6-0T #3 went to Wilmington and Western RR and later Queen Annes RR both in Delaware. She was a great engine. I was lucky enough to work on her as both shop and engine crew in both locations. She is stored now, and second hand rumor is there is some talk they are going to make another go of it at Queen Annes.

Tom Gears

Forgotten Delaware

tgears1@comcast.net

Here is the photo

Photo of #3 at W&W RR

tgears1@comcast.net

Is never ugly-even those Turkish Skyliners that did pusher service on the Lehigh Valley!

I didn't know that the Queen Anne's Railroad was defunct. Is the physical operation still intact? Do they still have their Pennsy MP-54's?

Frank Hicks

frank@gats.com

I road the Wawa and Concordville as a kid. The had a classic old station which sadly burned and was torn down in the mid 80's.

I remember the crew letting the family dog ride the train. They announced on the PA system something like "We have 28 passengers and one dog on todays train."

The only other steam line that allows pets is W.K.&S. who I believe still allows dogs on it's open car.

As far as number 3 goes, there are quite a few examples of this type running around on Europe's museum lines. They like the fact that they are easy to run, fire and service.

Alan Levy

AlanL759@aol.com

...still others are scattered around the USA; some minus pannier tanks. (I photographed one in OK City about a year ago.)

Still others are among the rolling stock derelict around the island of Greece.

Yet others were operational in China until just a few years ago. They were the XK2 class, and were used at Benxi and Anshan steel up in areas that were too light to hold diesels. Alas, the lightweight diesels finally finally arrived, and they are now out of use.

Finally, like the S-160s and German "Kreigloksmotivs", they were built under license in the former Yugoslavia as the 62 class, and several of these continue to work today. One of these is pictured in "Surviving World Steam Locomotives".

Besides VIW, they were also built by H.K. Porter and Davenport for the US Army during WWII. Like the S-160s, they ended up all over the world. One of the Davenport built examples is also pictured at a tourist RR in Europe in "Surviving World Steam Locomotives".

Hey Dave, whatever happened to that example at Agrirama that had been partly scrapped as part of a diesel conversion, and left that way in a faded shade of *pink*!? Last word I heard, they were trying to find a home for it.

-James Hefner
Hebrews 10:20a

> I road the Wawa and Concordville as a kid.
> The had a classic old station which sadly
> burned and was torn down in the mid 80's.

> I remember the crew letting the family dog
> ride the train. They announced on the PA
> system something like "We have 28
> passengers and one dog on todays
> train."

> The only other steam line that allows pets
> is W.K.&S. who I believe still allows
> dogs on it's open car.

> As far as number 3 goes, there are quite a
> few examples of this type running around on
> Europe's museum lines. They like the fact
> that they are easy to run, fire and service.

> Alan Levy


Surviving World Steam Locomotives
james1@pernet.net

The Wawa & Concordville operated only two seasons, 1967 and 1968. They rented 5 miles of the Pennsy's Octoraro Branch between the two towns. From what I remember hearing they couldn't come to terms with the new landlord, Penn Central, and the equipment went into storage at Concordville after the 1968 season. Also that segment of the Octoraro Branch was damaged by flooding, I think in 1971.

Most War Department locomotives didn't win any beauty contests, but I think the WD 0-6-0T's weren't all that bad looking in their "stock form". When #3 ran on the W&C it wasn't exactly in what you would call "stock form". #3 was painted bright blue with circus style lettering. This 1943 vintage engine was fitted with 1880's style headlight, diamond stack, and cowcatcher pilot. #3's later operations on the W&W and the Queene Anne Railroads seen the engine with a more authentic appearance.

On the other hand, 2-8-2T #37 wore a black paint scheme (albeit with an added cowcatcher pilot) while at the W&C. The W&C acquired an ex-Reading tender and reportedly had plans to convert the hulking saddletank logging mike to a tender engine, including removing the saddletank. The railroad closed before this ever happened.

The W&C used four or five open sided tourist cars that came from Bethlehem Steel, where they had been used for in-plant tours. These cars were originally CNJ wood box cars. One of these open cars went to the W&W with the two steam locomotives and was used in tourist service there for a while. I believe Kurt Bell said that the remains of the other cars are still at Concordville.

Regards,
Jim Robinson

> Hey Dave, whatever happened to that example
> at Agrirama that had been partly scrapped as
> part of a diesel conversion, and left that
> way in a faded shade of *pink*!? Last word I
> heard, they were trying to find a home for
> it.

I will have to drop by the Agrirama and check into it James. It was truly ugly, with a portion of the boiler shell, the cab, and some of the frame and drivers left. If the cylinders and saddle had remained I would have preserved it.

Dave

irondave@bellsouth.net

Question back to you James - is anybody working on repatriating any of the retired examples from China?

Dave


irondave@bellsouth.net

> Question back to you James - is anybody
> working on repatriating any of the retired
> examples from China?

> Dave

Dave,

While the UK has repatriated at least one S-160 (KD6 463 ex US Army 8856) and Vulcan Foundry-built KF1 607; I am not aware of any attempts to repatriate any locomotives to the USA. J. David would know more about such attempts than I would.

Besides these examples, there is a WWII example of a "Russian Decapod" and two narrow-guage Baldwin 0-10-0s remaining in China.

-James Hefner
Hebrews 10:20a

Surviving World Steam Locomotives
james1@pernet.net

In 1997 three of the open-sided CNJ tourist "boxcars" still resided under kudzu in a defunct lumberyard in Concordville, east of where the station once stood. These cars were acquired by the W&C from Bethlehem Steel where they were used for tours of the plant. One of these cars eventually made it to the W&W which is only 10-15 miles away. W&C also rostered three DL&W "Boonton" coaches (one of which I believe now resides at the W&W and the others were scrapped), at least one CNJ steel coach and an ex-NYC wooden caboose used as a restroom. I was told that Ken Souser, one of the founders of the NH&I, started up the W&C. #37 was purchased in 1966 from the Pacific Lumber Co., and was shipped cross-country on a flat car. If anyone else can elaborate on their roster of equipment and early history (which has always remained a big mystery since it seems no one is still around from the original W&C crew), I'm willing to listen.

K.R. Bell
Railroad Museum of PA

> The Wawa & Concordville operated only
> two seasons, 1967 and 1968. They rented 5
> miles of the Pennsy's Octoraro Branch
> between the two towns. From what I remember
> hearing they couldn't come to terms with the
> new landlord, Penn Central, and the
> equipment went into storage at Concordville
> after the 1968 season. Also that segment of
> the Octoraro Branch was damaged by flooding,
> I think in 1971.

> Most War Department locomotives didn't win
> any beauty contests, but I think the WD
> 0-6-0T's weren't all that bad looking in
> their "stock form". When #3 ran on
> the W&C it wasn't exactly in what you
> would call "stock form". #3 was
> painted bright blue with circus style
> lettering. This 1943 vintage engine was
> fitted with 1880's style headlight, diamond
> stack, and cowcatcher pilot. #3's later
> operations on the W&W and the Queene
> Anne Railroads seen the engine with a more
> authentic appearance.

> On the other hand, 2-8-2T #37 wore a black
> paint scheme (albeit with an added
> cowcatcher pilot) while at the W&C. The
> W&C acquired an ex-Reading tender and
> reportedly had plans to convert the hulking
> saddletank logging mike to a tender engine,
> including removing the saddletank. The
> railroad closed before this ever happened.

> The W&C used four or five open sided
> tourist cars that came from Bethlehem Steel,
> where they had been used for in-plant tours.
> These cars were originally CNJ wood box
> cars. One of these open cars went to the
> W&W with the two steam locomotives and
> was used in tourist service there for a
> while. I believe Kurt Bell said that the
> remains of the other cars are still at
> Concordville.

> Regards,
> Jim Robinson

I have some 8mm movies of the W&C and W&W shot in the late 60's. I also might have some information on the equipment. I can tell you that when the steamers left there was only one DL&W coach left. I'll have to check the number.

Also #37 was retubed and prepared for service in the Reading (W&N) Beech Strret roundhouse in Wilmington. She would have been the last steamer serviced there.

Tom

Forgotten Delaware
tgears1@home.com

Guys, Thanks for the information. You all have uncovered far more than I thought possible on a long gone line that operated for all of two years!

The Wilmington & Western has made it back from some severe flood damage. So there is hope that one or the other of the W & C engines may have a chance to run again. Ted

ted_miles@NPS.gov