I am not sure of the legal arrangements, but the Climax move places it in the context of a museum about lumbering. There are extensive exhibits according to this site map. The Climax will be in company with a Shay.

http://lumbermuseum.org/map/

Wesley

More importantly, the Climax move is intra-agency, from one museum of the Pa. Historic & Museum Commission to another, and thus remains a Commonwealth/PHMC asset.

I know nothing whatsoever about how the A&A (Pa.) ended up with the Reading hopper, but my off-the-cuff assumption is that it's on some kind of loan.

I understand that the Climax is going to a Museum that focuses on logging, and that's one reason I wanted to phrase the questions carefully, so that they didn't sound like a Chicken Little screed. I was in contact with Benjamin F.G. Kline when he obtained that little Climax for the Museum, and I know he was proud to complete the Museum's collection of the Big Three geared steam locomotives. I believe it was the last large item Ben obtained for the Museum before he died. Shays were built in Ohio, and the Shay in the Museum's collection has no direct connection to Pennsylvania, although similar Shays were operated there. I suppose it's all right to send Climax number 4 away temporarily, but I believe it would be historically inappropriate and an insult to the memory of the late Mr. Kline if the engine were to be permanently removed from the collection. I hope the logging museum can get its own Climax so number 4 can be returned to Strasburg and both Museums will have examples of these Pennsylvania-built locomotives.

It has been suggested that the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania is topheavy with items from the PRR. To a certain degree that makes sense. The road was immense and had a great presence in the Commonwealth. It began life as a child of the Commonwealth's government. The lion's share of the collection, the steam locomotives in particular, came from the PRR's own collection. However, other railroads were very important to the history of railroading in Pennsylvania, with the RDG perhaps being the most important after the PRR, and they deserve to be represented. Since coal was, at one time, the lifeblood of Pennsylvania, it could be argued that hoppers may be the most important freight cars to be represented at the Museum. That's why the removal of the RDG hopper is of concern.

Tom

I think the question, as far as the RRMofPA goes is "how many two-bay anthracite road hoppers are needed?" Sending the RDG car over to the A&A still leaves the beautiful LNE car in the PA collection. The idea of the second oldest operating diesel in the U.S. being able to pull the RDG car in photo freights is appealing.

Rob

Also nice to see a photo of RDG #78847 posted to this thread.

Les

One of the two ex Nevada Copper Belt hoppers on the COP in Prineville was damaged several years ago and was subsequently scrapped.

Matt

Great news that Scott Kwiatkowski has acquired H-31 class Pennsylvania Railroad hopper #220838 and moved it to Ringoes, New Jersey. Scott worked over seven years to get this accomplished!


Les

Hi,

I just reread this thread.



I assume the hopper was used for the experimental steam engine powered airplane. <GRIN>

As for the hoppers on the C&TS, D&S, and Georgetown Loop, I understand there are 5 ex-EBT hoppers on the C&TS (one is "numbered" JBWX for the C&TS employee that pushed for the purchase) and three ex-BA&P ore cars.

The D&S has three (?) ex-EBT hoppers lettered for the D&S.

The Georgetown Loop has two or three BA&P ore cars.

According to people who used the BA&P ore cars on NG trucks, there seems to be a consensus that they did not track will and would wobble something bad. I seem to recall that the bolster changes were poorly done if anything was done.

FWIW.

Doug vV

DougvV -

Tsk! Tsk! This may be a very old thread, but "Ye Olde Thread Police" won't let you get away with it; NO ore cars or three bay car hopper cars allowed! Read the subject line again. Nice try though!



Les

Hi,

Earlier on the thread they were calling the BA&P cars as 2-bay hoppers. I just wanted to make clear that they were ore cars and not hoppers.

Doug vV

Agreed, but it does raise a question on a more philosophical note; isn't an ore car with hopper doors truly a hopper?

Rob

Doug and Rob -

The commodity carried makes no difference. If the car carried coal or ore and had hopper doors, then it could be included in this roll call. The photos of the two ex-BA&P cars now on the C&TS as shown on page 11 of this thread, both would qualify. They are both two bay open top hopper cars. At least that's the way I see it.

Les

Hi,

You are correct. I got burried in details. An ore car is just a specialized variation of a hopper. In a similar way, the hopper is a specialized outgrowth of the gondola which itself is a modified flat car.

Sorry about that.

Doug vV

Christian B. has a new thread on his very worthwhile effort to restore a Baltimore & Ohio M-53 class wagon top box car that is at the Wilmington & Western Railroad. Christian mentions that the car (B&O #381357) was last used by the W&W in November 1997 on a vintage photo freight behind 4-4-0 #98 and which included a two bay Erie hopper car. I checked this long running thread on two bay open top hoppers and could find no reference to the Erie car. I couldn't find any photos on the internet of that 1997 photo freight. I also tried to check the W&W website to see if they might list the car, but couldn't find any listing at all of freight equipment. Perhaps the car wasn't an open top two bay car, or perhaps it has since been scrapped. Anyone know?

Thanks!

Les

Les and all ---
I agree that Erie hopper car would be of interest, and I'm curious about its identity. I was disappointed to see that the Historic Red Clay Valley lists its roster of steam locomotives, diesels, passenger cars, and cabooses, but not freight cars. In fairness, they are not the only group that conveniently ignores freight cars. This has always seemed strange to me, since freight cars are what paid the way.

Tom