972/148 Double-Header

tomgears · **Posted:** Wed Mar 30, 2011 12:47 pm

This photo came through on railpictures.net. One thing I find very amazing is many excursion locomotives now have a whole entire post steam history that is worth recording. We've not heard much on either of these girls in some time. I'm assuming that with the economic downturn restoration work is on hold.

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.p ... 3&nseq=132

G. W. Laepple · **Joined:** Mon Aug 23, 2004 5:10 pm **Posts:** 1182

I was on that trip from Bethlehem, PA to Hillside, NJ and return on the Lehigh Valley. The train was a bunch of old Stillwell coaches, and I recall the windows were mostly rusted shut. I found a steel brake shoe backing along the track and was able to use it to pry my window open about 6 inches. On the return trip, we encountered an LV freight with a set of Alcos as both trains converged on one another near the summit inside Muscenetcong (sp?) Tunnel. What a racket two steam engines and three or four Alco 251's made in there. Even though it was a miserable, cold rainy day, it was a memorable trip!

robertjohndavis · **Joined:** Mon Aug 23, 2004 8:10 am **Posts:** 2499

I was on that trip. Lost a tooth when I slammed into a coach wall when the emergency brakes went on during the vandalism incident. G.W. the turning point was South Plainfield, a few miles short of Hillside. What a dreary day that was. I can remember the meet in the tunnel like it was yesterday.

Rob

G. W. Laepple · **Joined:** Mon Aug 23, 2004 5:10 pm **Posts:** 1182

RJD -- Of course, you're correct. While the engines were being turned on the wye was the only time it wasn't raining!

J. Rufus Phogbound · **Posted:** Wed Mar 30, 2011 3:42 pm

If you had ever seen 148's boiler up close you would have stood farther away! Be thankful for the new boiler regs.

S. Weaver · **Posted:** Wed Mar 30, 2011 4:02 pm

No. 972 put on a lot of excursion rare mileage in PA. A fine D10, but she'd make you pray the Rosary on crossovers at track speed ...

There are no plans at present for her restoration.

M.J. Kershner · **Posted:** Wed Mar 30, 2011 5:29 pm

Those cars are all former RDG round-roof suburban cars. That's all George had at that time, and both that combine and the auxiliary tender in the picture (currently painted blue) are property of the Reading and Northern now.

G. W. Laepple · **Joined:** Mon Aug 23, 2004 5:10 pm **Posts:** 1182

No, that's not so. Some of the coaches were George's, but at least half a dozen were old Erie Stillwells. They had been stored somewhere in Jersey for some time, and they smelled musty. They were painted some unknown, faded shade of blue-grey and were still lettered Erie-Lackawanna.

bigjim4life · **Posted:** Wed Mar 30, 2011 6:10 pm

robertjohndavis wrote:

I was on that trip. Lost a tooth when I slammed into a coach wall when the emergency brakes went on during the vandalism incident. G.W. the turning point was South Plainfield, a few miles short of Hillside. What a dreary day that was. I can remember the meet in the tunnel like it was yesterday.

Rob

What vandalism incident?

M.J. Kershner · **Posted:** Wed Mar 30, 2011 6:15 pm

My apologies then. Honestly, I wasn't there and shouldn't have disregarded your memory. I was going off the photos I've seen, which only showed the forward portion of the train, including the RTI stock, and other personal accounts, none of which included former Erie stock.

-Micah

Dave · **Posted:** Wed Mar 30, 2011 6:32 pm

bigjim4life wrote:

robertjohndavis wrote:

I was on that trip. Lost a tooth when I slammed into a coach wall when the emergency brakes went on during the vandalism incident. G.W. the turning point was South Plainfield, a few miles short of Hillside. What a dreary day that was. I can remember the meet in the tunnel like it was yesterday.

Rob

What vandalism incident?

Some guy pried open a window on a Stilwell..........

dave

robertjohndavis · **Joined:** Mon Aug 23, 2004 8:10 am **Posts:** 2499

bigjim4life wrote:

What vandalism incident?

If I remember correctly, it was around Jutland on the return trip. I believe someone had put debris on the track.

Between the weather, the late running, the vandalism and the ALCo's in the tunnel, I am lucky my mother ever took me on another fan trip again!

I have 126 slides of an absolutely miserable run-by at Flemington Jct and turning on the wye at South P.

One really cool good memory of the day was coming back into Bethlehem at night and seeing a molten metal pour at one of the cast houses... little did I know I'd one day get the chance to see that close, close up.

Rob

robertjohndavis · **Joined:** Mon Aug 23, 2004 8:10 am **Posts:** 2499

S. Weaver wrote:

A fine D10, but she'd make you pray the Rosary on crossovers at track speed ...

The only time I have ever been tempted to pull a Sim Webb and dive to the ballast was on #972 when she went into such a gut wrenching slip at speed I swore we were on the ground and headed for the ditch.

After looking around the cab once she regained traction, I realized I was not the only who had considered bailing... neat, but scary.

Rob

robertjohndavis · **Joined:** Mon Aug 23, 2004 8:10 am **Posts:** 2499

G. W. Laepple wrote:

No, that's not so. Some of the coaches were George's, but at least half a dozen were old Erie Stillwells. They had been stored somewhere in Jersey for some time, and they smelled musty. They were painted some unknown, faded shade of blue-grey and were still lettered Erie-Lackawanna.

Were these same Stillwells that #148 had used on the M&E?

steamerdon · **Joined:** Sat Oct 02, 2004 1:45 pm **Posts:** 68

That was quite a trip! At the time I was working for Menair-Fetzter and we did the mechanical overhaul on the 148, which included the application of Nylatron to many of the wearing surfaces; shoes, wedges, hub liners, and crosshead slippers. As this was the engines first trip, Frank Menair dispatched Bob Yuill and myself to look at the locomotive when it arrived back in Bethlehem. We met up with both engines near Steel City or Wilson on the return trip. We were on a parallel road and were so close we could reach out and touch the engines. They were really moving along, albeit coasting, and the 148's running gear was really quiet. The 972 was quite a different story. The rods were banging so hard it gave you the impression from the noise the engine was going all out. I told Bob to pull ahead as I didn't want to get my teeth brushed by flying rods! I wonder how the Nylatron held out during her brief career. Anybody out there who took her apart?
Don Fenstermacher