Well it took since late August but the ARHS F3 B-unit and FA2 located in south Jersey were inspected and cleared for transport by NS on 12-22-10. They will move to Portland, Pa in special train service due to the lack of allignment control couplers. The work involved finding and fixing all air leaks and reconditioning the 24RL air brakes. Also there was a complete check of all bearings and flushing and filling the TM support bearings with fresh oil.
These two locomotive have languished in New Jersey for years and were often attacked by vandals. It will be a very good day when they arrive in Scranton where the ARHS has many more resourses available. We are anxiously looking forward to working on these locomotives during the next couple years. Other pictures and info can be found on the Anthracite Railroads Historical Society's Facebook page.
As always contributions of time and money will make the projects move along much quicker.

Thanks,
Rich Jahn
ARHS

I just joined your facebook page. The FA looks to be a good project. Was it a NYC engine originally?

I also noticed the Reading RS-3 #467 in your photos, are there any plans on getting that engine running?

No, it is former Long Island #603, ex L&N #315 (ser #81087 blt 6/56).
It was "temporarily" decorated that way about 15 years ago for a special railfan event.

Decisions regarding the repair of RDG #467 rest with the Delaware Lackawanna RR at present. I don't think there are any immediate plans for that.

Rich

I am the only person in the world who is not on facebook or twitter or any of those other information harvesting sites. Do you have a regular website?

Later!
Mr. Ed

Mr. Ed, here you go, http://www.anthraciterailroads.org/

Rich, was the F3 B-unit originally B&M?

Stephen

Yes - #4268B rescued days before the Guilford scrapping operation cleaned out the Billerica deadline. It was interesting, to say the least, to prep this locomotive for shipment while power shears were munching on GP9's, GP7's and RDC's only a few yards away. I have always felt that this locomotive is charmed. Usually no 24RL brake equipted locomotive can sit for 10 years and when charged with air have the brakes work with minimal leakage. If it did not it probably would not have escaped the scrapper.

Thanks for the link. I first saw the FA several years ago when it was moved down the line at Winslow Jct. Not being that able to identify a loco, I did know it was either an FA or a PA but not sure which it was until I queried the Jct. Glad to hear it will be going somewhere it will be safer than it is in Winslow. Good luck in the move.

Later!
Mr. Ed

Billerica was an interesting graveyard. I was up there in the early 1990's to photograph the last days of the Boston Engine Terminal, and made it over to Billerica. There were still milk cars, MOW equipment and the odd portion of an EMD product lying around. Very little got out of the first round of scrapping (maybe 1 or 2 pieces besides your B unit) and I don't think anything got out from the later rounds.

Rob

1988/89 was quite an interesting time. The shops were closed due to the workers strike against Guilford, yet somehow we were able to get to talk to the right people about buying a B-unit. We knew there were three in the dead line- confirmed by the management to be the last ones. I remember the man in charge name was Mike Walsh. He and another white shirt were puzzled as to our interest in such junk and more importantly how we were going to get it off the property. Mr Walsh wanted an offer which I gave pretty quickly based on the best guess for scrap value at that time. He accepted the number without much hesitation and told us to go with the white shirt guy to pick out which one we wanted. #4268 was the only one with an intact diesel engine. #4265 and #4267 were the other two. Walsh who was kind of a no nonsense guy, hated by the rank and file union people, really seemed to warm up to our efforts when he sensed we knew what we were doing. I remember him saying we could help ourselves to any parts from the other locomotives in the dead line or items we could find in the shop. Just stay clear of the scrapping operation!
(I need to write a complete story sometime - maybe someone would be interested)

I think this story would make a great article in Classic Trains.

I think it would make a very good article for RyPN.

dave

Mike Walsh was either the CMO or Superintedent of Motive Power for GTI in the late
'80s.

Dave