In an effort to tie up loose ends with my Strasburg RR book, does anybody have slides or photos of 2-10-0 No. 90 being shipped dead from the Great Western in Colorado to Pennsylvania in April of 1967? I have never seen any photos of this move anywhere after years of tedious searching, both in private and public collections and on the internet.

One would think some railfan somewhere caught the move on film, even by accident ... but, alas, nothing has ever surfaced.

Help!

-K.R. Bell

Howdy;
Have you check with the friendly folks at the Colorado Railroad Museum http://www.coloradorailroadmuseum.org/ ? I was searching for some photos of ex Great Western 60, now on the BR&W back in the 1980's, when I had visited the museum. I sort of remember seeing one or two shots on 5x7's of the 90 being ready for the trip east. They may have some more. Hope this is of help, Have fun - David Notarius, London UK, ex BR&W from the 70's.

Ps, I'll buy a copy of your bok when it's out!

60 looks great in that shot.

Also, this may or may not be of help. There was an model railroader I met years ago who was building an HO model of the Great Western in his barn in Wyoming. I met him around the fall of 1978 when I was still on the BR&W. He had just came from a trip to Strasburg to gleam info out of the RRMofPA on the GW steam locomotives built by Baldwin, and also photograph the 90. The 60 on the BR&W (also ex GW) was out of service due to a bad flue at the time, so he spent the afternoon taking photos and measurements of her at the Ringoes enginehouse. I was working with John Kahn of the BR&W at the time on the 60 when this guy (I don't remember his name, but he worked for the D&RGW then later the UP) started to talk to us about his project. He had notebooks full of info, drawings & photographs of the Great Western in the back of his car, long with a few boxes of photos including a shoebox of in service photos of 90. He said he bought anything he could find on the Great Western. At one time he almost bought one of the GW 0-4-0ts used in the beet sugar mills. If this guy is still around, he may have a snapshot or two of the 90 on it's trip to the east. Then again, from my own experiences in the preservation world, there was always someone with a camera following us around on our journeys (that is, the train crews on the New Hope & Ivyland and the Black River & Western, and myself back in the 1970's) . Every time we pull out of the yard with a train, there was always someone with either a super 8, tape recorder, and camera. Yet, I can never find anyone who has any photos / films / tapes from this time. Have fun – David Notarius, London UK, ex NH&I and BR&W in the 1970's.

Kurt:
I think that I may have a photo of it on the Pennsy at Crestline, Ohio enroute ro Strasburg. Did it travel on the Fort Wayne Line ? I will have to do some digging but do believe that I have a nice shot of it.

Kevin K. BLW fan

For sure. She's a real beaut without the smokebox extension. I feel the same about #90 after her facelift.


Rob

A good looker, indeed, yet it's curious, somehow these engines, in their restored state as we see them today, don't quite look the same as they did back in the day. Could it be that the air and lighting was different? Could it be that the engines of today are a bit "over restored," with paint that's too shiny or otherwise having the engines just look "too good?" Could it be the (subtle) differences in older and newer track, in the appearance of structures and modern automobiles, in the reproductive qualities of modern films and electronic cameras compared with the equipment of old? Or is it just my imagination, saying the old photos are "real," and the new ones "reenactments?"

It may be unpopular, but I miss 90's extended smokebox.

I agree, it looked odd, but there was a good story to tell there (but that's not her job these days, it's to be nice to look at while hauling paying passengers, a job at which she still excels).

Ed - Me too!

Ed- Me three!

Having grown up in the land of Joisey, and being old enough to remember when the BR&W was in rural (not suburban) territory, I guess I wouldn't mind her getting a facelift. But honestly, As long as she is cared for, length of her smokebox is not an issue.

When I was a kid, I used to beg Mom to make the drive across the state to Flemington (she loved to shop, so it wasn't that hard to convince her). We'd go 2 or 3 times a year. In my youngest days, #60 was somewhat of a mystery to me. It seemed like everytime I was there, #148 was on my train.

Eventually #148 moved on, and #60 was it (though there was a tantalizing rumour for awhile that one of the Long Island G5's was coming to Ringoes). She was no longer a mystery, but that smokebox never grew on me.

Now, 35+ years later, #60 may not be in service yet, but she's in quite a better position than poor #148.

Rob

slightly off topic.... What was the reason why the good folks at Strasburg removed the extended smoke box on 90? Was it for better steaming on eastern coal? Thanks - Dave