Now, has anyone heard of the 3025? It's one of the Chinese SY mikados that were imported in the 1980s. She originally was imported by the Knox and Kane Railroad in 1989, and ran as their number 58. She last ran for her Quaker owners in 2006, the year of the Knox and Kane's demise. In 2008, any hopes of revival were dashed when the K&K engine house on Biddle Street was burned by arsonists. Soon after, the K&K property was purchased by the Kovalchick Family, owners of the East Broad Top Railroad. Her stablemate went to the Western Maryland Scenic, where she is being restored to operation. Now owned by the Valley Railroad company, which can be credited as a product of RMNE predecessors Connecticut Valley Railroad Museum, the old 58 is being restored as a New Haven class J1a, following the number sequence of the New Haven's J1 class, which covered numbers 3000-3024. The link following takes you to the page in The Engine House, the Valley Railroad's blog that gives an update on their progress with the equipment, although it's only updated a few times a year, it explains the reasoning behind taking the #58 from Knox and Kane to make New York, New Haven, and Hartford #3025

http://theenginehouse.blogspot.com/2008 ... -3025.html

I believe their have been multiple topics on this subject, a simple search would have shown this.

Well, did RMNE's (I'm surprised that it always wasn't RMNE) #103 not start out the Valley Railroad's operations? Eve if she didn't, most of the current RMNE equipment saw operations on the Valley in it's earliest years. That includes the RS3, and the 0401, along with the 103. If I happen to be wrong, then I apologize for the mis-information.

103 was on the Valley's operations in the early to mid 70's but the Valley stopped using her in 75 or 76. They needed a larger engine to pull the trains. The 103 was transferred to RMNE ownership in the 80s. It has never ran as a RMNE owned piece.

The 0401 has never actually run on the Valley either, and can't, since it lacked traction motors from the Long Island days. It has traction motors now but that was done while it has been taken apart for restoration, and that's how it sits today as other projects have become higher priority. Due to the amount of work still needed the 0401's spot in the restoration que is down low.

As for RS-3 #529 I don't know of it ever pulling a Valley train, it may have, but not many. Howard would be best on this info. Remember that RMNE and the Valley shared some space together but were separate entities.

U25B #2525 would have been active down there with the 529 as well. I did hear of that engine running a special train over to Danbury but don't know the full info.

(I am a very active RMNE member and posted the info I know and also mentioned what I don't know)

Seeing that this is becoming a history lesson, I've found pics of RMNE equipment on the Valley.
The 0401:
http://rrpicturearchives.net/showPictur ... id=1512726
Our favorite U25B, the 2525:
http://rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=132140
http://rrpicturearchives.net/showPictur ... id=1962246
Not on the Valley, but good to see it when 2525 was running:
http://rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=676654
Does this count as encounters of another kind? The 529 on the VRR
http://rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=286708
Isn't the E8 owned by DRM? How'd it get here?
http://rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=270136

Where do I start?

The E8 since that's an easy one. It's privately owned by Ed Bowers and was originally on loan/display at Essex before being moved to display at Danbury when they got up and running with thier museum. That E8 is not capable of running, and hasn't since retirement in 1983 from Autotrain. Howard P painted that unit himself when it was at the Valley. In that pic of it with the RS-3 batteries were installed so the lights would work, it is missing engine parts from what I know and can't run.

On that same sense the 0401 couldn't move under it's own power since it had no traction motors. The 244 would run and "make the lights work" and that's it. It had a rough body and has a "mop job" quickie paint job done to it to look good for the pics. It was taken apart afterward for full restoration and got traction motors from our "4th" RS-3, the Amtrak #140, our parts unit. The 140 will also supply parts for the other 3 RS-3s in the future, the NH 529, MEC 557, and B&M 1508 (the latter two still in the restoration que).

The NH 2525 did run some special trains as I mentioned in my previous post and that one in Waterbury was one of them. I don't have full info on this, ask Howard.

The 529 also had a quick paint job before being stripped to bare metal and being redone correctly. Look at some of those pics you found, notice the upper cab windows are still blanked out from Amtrak days? They were opened up and had the glass reinstalled when the engine was repainted correctly.

Clouded only by reason, rational thought, logic, and proven reality. That's not elitist in any sense, but it does burst that dream bubble of humanity-created utopia on earth. Salvation is not collective.



I claim only cursory knowledge of RMNE, but can, without a doubt, say they are well served by one Mr. Howard Pincus, a great and dedicated fellow. He is truly one of "good guys." I still think that G5 could be moved up in priority, though that 103 is a neat, neat little kettle. Then again, I'm biased in favor of real locomotives instead of toasters on wheels...

Still having trouble with that quote feature, I see...

Mike
Lightning Stripes, Indiana (for now)

[quote="Newriver400"] I claim only cursory knowledge of RMNE, but can, without a doubt, say they are well served by one Mr. Howard Pincus, a great and dedicated fellow. He is truly one of "good guys." [/quote]

I knew that sooner or later, you and I would find something we'd agree on.

[quote="Newriver400"] I still think that G5 could be moved up in priority [/quote]

Me too; as the said Mr. Pincus would surely say, it just takes cubic hundred-dollar bills.

[quote="Newriver400"] Still having trouble with that quote feature, I see... [/quote]

I wasn't the one who suggested that I believe I know everything ... perhaps it's my computer? I'd be very grateful if you'd set me straight as to how it's done.

It appears as though it may be how your options are set. The tech nerds can confirm if I am correct, but BBCode must be enabled for this feature to work properly. When you go to the User Control Panel, on the left is your "Options" box. Clicking on "Board Preferences" yields three more sub-option choices. Click on "Edit Posting Defaults" and you should see the menu to "enable BBCode by default." Selecting and saving this should fix the problem as best as I can determine.

Best,
Mike

First, I'm loving the feedback. When it comes to the G3 (She's not a G5, as I found out recently), the crews at Steamtown "rode her hard an put her away wet". She's, mechanically speaking, worn out. She could be made operational, but that would take years and lots of money. The same would go for 103, although smaller (and possibly in better shape). If RMNE gets her running, I'd be down there in a heartbeat. But even if they got the steamers running, they don't have the facilities to fuel them or properly maintain them, i.e no ash pits, coal dock, watertower, ect.
So, while great for the traveling public and the image of RMNE, we're talking a huge capital investment just to maintain the steamers. If they had a tank engine like Flagg Coal #75, maybe they would be running steam. Just don't expect to see the steamers running regularly on the Naugy soon.
Another thought, but what happens when all the parts are used of Amtrak #140? Find another Alco parts unit?

This question, Daylight, would best be posted on the new RMNE topic started yesterday.

The Valley RR started out with no "coal dock" simply a pile of coal loaded into the tender with the old H-50 crane which was also used to unload the very cars the coal came in. The "ash pit" you refer to is simply a piece of steel secured between the rails not a "pit" per se. All readily available and doable for the RMNE if they chose to run steam having acquired the needed cubic dollars and manpower to restore any steam. The VRR's coal dock (ramp) was not built til much later when we acquired a small bucket loader that we could use for coaling instead of requiring a crane operator. The ramp was also added on for the first SY which was taller. The water came and still does come from a large hose not a tower. Both groups have fine engine houses. I would suggest rather than making blanket statements that you try to acquire "The Valley Railroad Story" that was published years ago which will inform you well. Re: 103, I don't believe you're in a qualified to speculate on it's condition. Your enthusiasm is good, but you need more education on the subject. Go find that engine in the woods! I'd have been there right away. Let me know where the methanol wells are located, I want to buy stock.

And for the record, No. 1246 at Thomaston is most assuredly a Canadian Pacific G-5, a lovely, modern Pacific type, one of a handful of these fine machines saved. I spent a little time on this engine at Steamtown and rode behind her a number of times. I hope to have that pleasure once again in Connecticut.

Hear, hear! It would be most enjoyable and impressive. She would be the largest steam locomotive operating in New England.

Please see the RMNE loco thread for more about 1246.

This thread is really about our esteemed colleagues' locomotive at VRR.

Howard P.