There was a news article this past Oct 2009 about the Becker Farms engine being returned to Roseland, NJ and displayed inside the Borough Hall at Eagle Rock and Harrison Avenues. Has anything happened yet?

Becker Farm?

My former employer had/has a facility on "Becker Farm Road" in Roseland, I believe..

Any connection?

Yes, the farm was where I-280 and those office buildings on Becker Farm Road are today. Some of us have mixed feelings about this model coming home to Roseland - the town was hostile in later years to the farm and did everything possible to drive it out of business. Now Roseland is another faceless suburb with cookie-cutter office buildings - I hope they like how they ended up.

Can we just, for the official record, confirm that what we're talking about here is a miniature scale live steamer or the like, and NOT an ACTUAL DL&W 4-8-4? This is probably how some ridiculous rumors get started....................

Yes, its a mini..

There is a story that when the Lackawanna was sending its steam off in funeral trains, they offered the city of Scranton one of the remaining Poconos-which was refused. Author/Videographer Henry Peterson owns some jewelry off #1643 and I believe the whistle and bell were aboard Milwaukee Road #261 when it was masquerading as the faux "Lackawanna 1661"

There are two remaining DL&W locomotives, 2-6-0 #565, 4-4-0 #952, both the subject of extensive discussion here. NO POCONOS.

the town was hostile in later years to the farm and did everything possible to drive it out of business.

Nothing quite like dealing with "enlightened experts", er petty tyrants. Knowing what I do about that former employers weird private/political organization- I would wonder if the animus you cite was the result of "town fathers" acting on behalf of that organization promising jobs...

I take it this is the engine in question:

http://www.trainweb.org/prrh/c_s/cs24.html

Legend has it the exact same thing happened in nearby Sayre, PA..
the Lehigh Valley was scrapping all their modern 4-8-4 Wyomings, when they offered one to Sayre to display in the park right next to the Sayre station..
the town turned down the offer..

today not one single LV steam engine survives..

Scot

I've always thought that this is one of the handsomest live steam locomotives ever built. If you want to read another account (other than the linked ones on the C&S web page) about the origins of the farm railroad and locomotive, dig up an old copy of one of my favorite childhood books, Great Little Railroads (or Railways?) of the World, published in either the late '50's or early '60's. Used copies sometimes turn up at train shows.

It would be really great if the Pocono model would end up being operated by the Phillipsburg group. In reading about it's design and construction, it's really amazing to find out that the locomotive was designed and built by H. K. Porter, and the boiler (all-welded to boot) was built by Alco!

Paul,

A noted and skilled builder of live steam locomotives on Long Island has recently completed a 4-6-4 Hudson from the same castings as the original C&SW No.1500 4-8-4 was built from. Rumor has it that the owner will be taking the engine south and may set up an operation in warmer climates. Too bad the group in Phillipsburgh that has the rest of the C&SW equipment doesn't have enough real estate to establish a real operation there.

Rob

Can you give anymore information on this 4-6-4?

Highspeedrailnow,

I only know of what I have shared second hand. I understand the engine has been steamed. I really shouldn't go into any more detail than that. While I don't believe it is a duplicate of a NYC Hudson, I believe the tender was built to duplicate the tenders used by the NYC behind the Hudsons. The locomotive was built with castings (drivers, cylinders, etc.) from the original patterns for the C&SW 4-8-4 which was based loosely on bolth the NYC Hudsons and the DL&W 4-8-4's. The engine was designed by Henry Becker and one of the engineers from HK Porter. The patterns are still in NJ. I know Dave Sclavi started this second engine as a duplicate of the C&SW 4-8-4 but after the ultimate builder took over the project, the frames got cut down for a Hudson or were replaced with new frames altogether. I've been told the frames for the 4-8-4 were modified for the 4-6-4. How exactly this done, or WHY, I do not know. Dave is a good man and the subject is a tough one for him as he worked VERY hard through the years to get the 1500 and the entire C&SW returned to Monmouth County and re-established in one of their parks. It was a very self-less endeavor and I personally think it would have been the best fate for the entire collection.

I would be curious to know how and why 1500 is now returning to NJ. It was donated originally to the Henry Ford Museum by Mr. Becker, then deaccessioned at auction and sold to one of brothers of Dominoe's Pizza fame, then to a wealthy collector in Detroit. I understand that efforts have been made almost ever since 1500 originally made its way to Michigan to get it returned to NJ. I look forward to learning how this is coming to pass.

Rob Gardner

Highspeedrailnow,

I only know of what I have shared second hand. I understand the engine has been steamed. I really shouldn't go into any more detail than that. While I don't believe it is a duplicate of a NYC Hudson, I believe the tender was built to duplicate the tenders used by the NYC behind the Hudsons. The locomotive was built with castings (drivers, cylinders, etc.) from the original patterns for the C&SW 4-8-4 which was based loosely on bolth the NYC Hudsons and the DL&W 4-8-4's. The engine was designed by Henry Becker and one of the engineers from HK Porter. The patterns are still in NJ. I know Dave Sclavi started this second engine as a duplicate of the C&SW 4-8-4 but after the ultimate builder took over the project, the frames got cut down for a Hudson or were replaced with new frames altogether. I've been told the frames for the 4-8-4 were modified for the 4-6-4. How exactly this done, or WHY, I do not know. Dave is a good man and the subject is a tough one for him as he worked VERY hard through the years to get the 1500 and the entire C&SW returned to Monmouth County and re-established in one of their parks. It was a very self-less endeavor and I personally think it would have been the best fate for the entire collection.

I would be curious to know how and why 1501 is now returning to NJ. It was donated originally to the Henry Ford Museum by Mr. Becker, then deaccessioned at auction and sold to one of brothers of Dominoe's Pizza fame, then to a wealthy collector in Detroit. I understand that efforts have been made almost ever since 1501 originally made its way to Michigan to get it returned to NJ. I look forward to learning how this is coming to pass.

Rob Gardner