Does anyone know when Ross Rowland's High Iron Company ran their last excursion? I seem to recall it was in the late 1970s (before the Chessie Steam Specials). Also, has anyone compiled an all-time list of HICO excursions? I know "High Iron 1971" edited by Howard Pincus has a list of all trips from 1966-1970, however can someone supply a list from 1970 to the end? Any information would be greatly appreciated and will be gratefully added to our NKP 757 file.

K.R. Bell
RR Museum of PA

c-kbell@state.pa.us

HICO's later trips:

Jan. 1971, WM Ry. "Teacher's Specials" for Balto. area school teachers, Balto.-Hagerstown (not a "public" trip).

Feb. 1971, the N&W Hagerstown-Roanoke weekend round-trip that got as far as Sheperdstown, WVA (13 miles) before 759 punched out her left cylinder head. Train continued on with diesel power (filthy N&W SD-45 robbed from a NB freight).

April 1971, freight deadhead from Hagerstown to Roanoke, to get into position for---
April 30, 1971, the last N&W passenger train, the "Pocahontas", Roanoke to Norfolk.
Early May 1971, deadhead back to Hagerstown.

Early August 1971, Friday pusher moves and light engine moves for WM Ry. VP-Operations Geo. Leilich-- he made some absolutely superb 16mm films of those moves. Next two days, deadhead with all 7 HICO cars back to NJ (via Allentown), to get ready for the next weekend--
The last "classic" HICO trip, August 14-15, 1971, Hoboken-Binghamton over EL Ry.

The following week, 759 and some cars then made freight movements from Hoboken to Binghamton (EL), Binghamton to Whitehall, NY (D&H), D&H to Rutland, VT and Green Mountain Ry. Rutland to Riverside (Steamtown).

The 2102 trips in 1972, over CNJ and CNJ-RDG-B&O were joint HICO-Steam Tours (and NY RRE) trips. The Memorial Day weekend 1973, Hoboken-Binghamton EL Ry. 2102 ("D&H 302") trip was also a joint HICO-Steam Tours trip. The July 1973 759 Hoboken-Scranton trip was a HICO-Freedom Train jaunt. The last 759 run, Boston-Montpelier, VT, October 1973, was Steamtown Foundation all the way.

The above dates correct as to month; since this is all off the top of my head, I did not look up the actual days.


hpincus@mindspring.com

> Does anyone know when Ross Rowland's High
> Iron Company ran their last excursion?

As Howard mentioned, HICO's last trip was the Hoboken-Scranton roundtrip over the EL behind 759. The date was July 22, 1973. It was both a fan trip and a "PR" trip for the upcoming American Freedom Train. 759 was running under a one year flue extension that year.

This excursion was the infamous "Devils Hole Curve Incident" trip where 759 stalled on the Pocono grade at Devils Hole Curve.

[Just to show that the "Railfan Rumor Mill" long predates today's internet discussion forums, "word" got around back then that someone had greased the railheads for a photo op! In fact it was the ol' gravity + curvature + tonnage vs. tractive effort contest and 759 lost.]

The EL dispatched a pair of Geeps to assist 759 up the hill. If you have volume 1 number 1 of RAILFAN magazine, the drama of 759's stalling out was preserved on the cover of this their first issue. A few years back, when RAILFAN celebrated its 25th anniversary with the now-also-infamous Steamtown "hard couple" excursion, the magazine restaged the cover photo scene using 2317.

I believe following the 7-22-73 trip, Ross Rowland consentrated all of his efforts towards the AFT project and I guess HICO pretty much faded into railfan history at that time.

Regards,
Jim Robinson

I was on that train; the grease rumor was told on the train that day. As I recall the Geeps came down the hill right away and coupled on to the 759 so the E-L had to have prepositioned them anticipating a stall.



Electric City Trolley Museum Association

> HICO's later trips:

> Jan. 1971, WM Ry. "Teacher's
> Specials" for Balto. area school
> teachers, Balto.-Hagerstown (not a
> "public" trip).

> Feb. 1971, the N&W Hagerstown-Roanoke
> weekend round-trip that got as far as
> Sheperdstown, WVA (13 miles) before 759
> punched out her left cylinder head. Train
> continued on with diesel power (filthy
> N&W SD-45 robbed from a NB freight).

> April 1971, freight deadhead from Hagerstown
> to Roanoke, to get into position for---
> April 30, 1971, the last N&W passenger
> train, the "Pocahontas", Roanoke
> to Norfolk.
> Early May 1971, deadhead back to Hagerstown.

> Early August 1971, Friday pusher moves and
> light engine moves for WM Ry. VP-Operations
> Geo. Leilich-- he made some absolutely
> superb 16mm films of those moves. Next two
> days, deadhead with all 7 HICO cars back to
> NJ (via Allentown), to get ready for the
> next weekend--
> The last "classic" HICO trip,
> August 14-15, 1971, Hoboken-Binghamton over
> EL Ry.

> The following week, 759 and some cars then
> made freight movements from Hoboken to
> Binghamton (EL), Binghamton to Whitehall, NY
> (D&H), D&H to Rutland, VT and Green
> Mountain Ry. Rutland to Riverside
> (Steamtown).

> The 2102 trips in 1972, over CNJ and
> CNJ-RDG-B&O were joint HICO-Steam Tours
> (and NY RRE) trips. The Memorial Day weekend
> 1973, Hoboken-Binghamton EL Ry. 2102
> ("D&H 302") trip was also a
> joint HICO-Steam Tours trip. The July 1973
> 759 Hoboken-Scranton trip was a HICO-Freedom
> Train jaunt. The last 759 run,
> Boston-Montpelier, VT, October 1973, was
> Steamtown Foundation all the way.

> The above dates correct as to month; since
> this is all off the top of my head, I did
> not look up the actual days.
Well I hope this mite be the answer according to the book High Iron that was put out by Howard Pincus the last High Iron excurtion was the exNKP 759 on Oct 27-28 the Boston to Montpelier, Vt tripin 1973, NKP #759 last movement back then was on Nov 13-14 the engine was deadheaded to Rouses Point, NY on the D&H to the roundhouse for winter storeage. It was hoped that and extension on the flues would happen, and did not,,so the locomotive was returned to Steamtown in Bellows Falls,VT in June of 1974.. I hope that this is a help,, PAT CPRH1b@attbi.com ...

cprh1b@attbi.com

I don't believe HICO had anything to do with 759's final trips in October 1973. I believe the Steamtown Foundation itself sponsered the Boston-Montpelier excursion (a fundraiser for future 759 operation??). 759 was already on its first flue extension when it ran in 1973. As I recall when 759 was stored at Rouses Point, it wasn't drained properly for the winter and it received some freeze damage after being moved outside.

Kurt Bell can correct me if I'm wrong, but I think I remember 759 utilizing the (RRMoP's) NKP 757's cylinder head (and maybe Piston??) following the 1971 incident when 759's cylinder head was knocked out.

Regards,
Jim Robinson

Would anyone have photos of 759 in or near the roundhouse at Rouses Point, which, incidently, is the last extant D&H roundhouse?

ryarger@rypn.org

A little more info... taken from the STEAMTOWN SPECIAL HISTORY STUDY (now available on line, see link below).

759 was stored at Rouses Point for a possible excursion on the D&H, tentatively scheduled for April 1974. Negotiations for this trip broke down and the D&H moved the not-completely-drained 759 out of the heated roundhouse into the cold weather. Steamtown filed a lawsuit to recover damages from the D&H and 759 was returned to Bellows Falls.

The D&H settled the lawsuit and contracted out to repair some of the freeze damage. 759's last gasp of life came on July 6, 1975 when she was fired up and tested on the Steamtown enginehouse lead.

759 sat idle until the Spring of 1977 when work resumed to ready the engine for a planned mainline excursion. Steamtown was going for another flue extension and in the process of doing a hydro, a flue burst. A complete retubing was called for and a contractor removed all of the old tubes and new ones were ordered. Then the sponsership for the trip dropped out and with that work on 759 was stopped and the tube material order cancelled.

According to the history study write up on 759, the locomotive remains in this status (tubes removed) to the present day. BTW: the study calls the locomotive "basically sound" and goes on to recommend that it be restored to operating condition in the future.

Regards,
Jim Robinson



Steamtown Special History Study

Thank you Howard, Pat, Jim et al. I can really count on you guys for the information I need and appreciate it greatly!:)

Yes, in 1971 when 759 blew out one of her cylinder heads, Ross Rowland called George Hart (he was working at the PHMC offices at the William Penn Memorial Museum in Harrisburg; the Museum was not yet built and the engines and rolling stock were lined up on two pararell tracks along rt. 741 and on the 17 turntable ring tracks at the museum site in Strasburg) to get a quick loan of NKP 757's cylinder heads, piston stem and other associated parts to keep 759 running. SRR towed 757 up to the Bishop Road crossing where one of the HICO mechanics disassembled the needed parts and they were taken to Hagerstown, MD for reinstallation on 757. Our files indicate that most of the parts were returned by HICO, except one of the cylinder heads. I believe 757 has not been moved since that time.

K.R. Bell
RR Museum of PA

> Kurt Bell can correct me if I'm wrong, but I
> think I remember 759 utilizing the (RRMoP's)
> NKP 757's cylinder head (and maybe Piston??)
> following the 1971 incident when 759's
> cylinder head was knocked out.

> Regards,
> Jim Robinson


http://rrmuseumpa.org
c-kbell@state.pa.us