I was on Flickr recently when I came upon a photo of what appeared to be some sort of industrial switcher (Whitcomb?). The caption cited it was in an abandoned factory complex located on the limits of Waterbury, CT. With this said are any of the RMNE staff aware of its presence? I was hoping Howard Pincus might have some insight on this.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/worcester ... 398481317/

Looks like the gas-mechanical loco that was/is located at the remains of the old Anaconda Copper/Brass facility north of Freight Street.

Howard P.

Yup, I just found it on Bing Maps earlier today. Might you have any clue who currently owns the thing? I highly doubt its operational but it's certainly worth the chance of preservation.

https://www.bing.com/mapspreview?osid=a ... orm=S00027

Why? Other than being old, how is it significant? What story does it tell? Is it a story about railroading, or the copper and brass business?

These are the first questions that should be asked.

Interesting looking critter, I like the cab.

Looks like she is gone, one of the 4 aerial views shows that area cleaned up and possible the tracks removed (view with the Blue containers at the top of the screen). Could be they moved here on a trailer to another spot on property or sold her.

Rich C.

Right off the bat... Well just look at it. Unless I actually went down and looked at it myself it appears that most everything is there, covers for the engine compartment and missing window glass notwithstanding. Right off the bat that doesn't look like most of the small gas mechanicals or small industrial IC locomotives floating around in preservation... If anything it looks far more archaic. I'd say it's worth saving simply on the grounds of being unique, and that's in addition to it's connection to Waterbury's industrial past...

Its a Plymouth of about 8 to 10 tons.

I will make a contact about this in the next few weeks if they know anything, they have a business on Freight St. Even so, is anyone REALLY serious about this unit? RMNE wouldn't want it (I'm part of RMNE). If I get any leads I don't want to waste my time.

I do have a guess as to what business this MAY have been last used for, EWR, as that was their facility. The tracks across Freight St were removed in the past few years so it's now isolated.

While Metro North, Pan Am and the Naugatuck are all within close proximity to this a lot of the rail business here has gone away. Bozzuto's, Portanova and other places aren't rail customers anymore.

What I now need to understand is how for the longevity its been there no one has known of this. Are you trying to tell me out of all the locomotives you guys have since collected (close and far) this never came up even once? It's located in Waterbury itself not even a good half hour from Thomaston! If it's still on the property I'll call it in on Tuesday and figure out a plan from there.

A lot of small equipment and critters like this are on private property hidden away from the people. Unless you specifically know it's there or someone has trespassed in most cases to get pics then they live in obscurity. This is all private track and property here. Even if some people knew of this critter doesn't mean they have a use or need for it or that they even found the owner, or owner was willing to part with it.

The last rail operations to CROSS Frieght St to where this is was last done in the late 70's/early 80's from what I know. Sections South were used into the mid 90's for lumber cars.

You'll "figure out a plan"??? To do what? On behalf of whom? Do you plan to purchase the thing yourself?

Howard P.

Just my personal opinion.....but that poor "locomotive" is more a piece of contractor's equipment, like a bulldozer, than a piece of railroad equipment.
A friend of mine, long passed away, defined anything with less than six wheels as construction equipment. (When speaking of locomotives)

Again just my personal outlook....but I don't think we need to save everything.

Keith

This thing was used to switch a facility that got tank cars of something in the late 90's. it then sat for a long time. I got right up close to it once many years ago. I seem to remember it being gas mechanical. I once had someone who wanted to buy it and if I'm correct when I went looking for it again it was gone. If I'm not mistaken this thing went to the enginehouse in the sky when scrap prices were high.

Happy Hunting.

I think Cameron is caught up in the youthful enthusiasm... Oooo, it's neat, it's old, I want to play with it. And that's all well and good, I suppose, if he has the $$$ to do so.

But this is a site dedicated to railway preservation. Many here are associated with museums, and know that one can't "save" everything. Is it significant? does it fit the goals of our collection? What story does it tell?

Heck, it's not even a RAILROAD locomotive... never worked for a railroad, never ventured out of the plant gate. It's little different than all those WWII surplus stick shift Clark forklifts that we were all happy to see finally go to scrap. It's a curiosity, but that doesn't mean it's worth the effort to "save".

Now, if someone has a museum dedicated to preserving old factories (the operations Rick Rowlands is associated with come to mind) then maybe there is a home for it... but somehow I doubt it's going to be the star attraction.

What a crock! Just because it never worked for a "real" railroad it isn't a locomotive? Weyerhaeuser had a pair of 2-8-8-2s that worked their privet logging railroad. By your definition these weren't rail locomotives. I ran a ten ton and a 45 ton Plymouth in a large scrap yard. We shipped between 10 and 20 cars a day. So they weren't "real" locomotives? By that definition anything that didn't work for a Class One should be scrapped because it isn't real and has no story to tell.

This is a common flaw in thinking: I am not interested so nobody should be interested.