Back in 1975, the Quincy Mining Company opened their engine house at Houghton, Michigan, and pulled out their four 3-foot-gage steam locomotives. Two were placed on display. Engine number 6 (an outside frame 2-8-0) was loaned to the Pine Creek Railroad in New Jersey, on the basis of what I understood was a 25-year lease. At the time, it was said that Pine Creek would restore and operate the locomotive. Does anybody know what became of this engine and the plans for its restoration?

Ron Keagle


KEAGLEDESIGN@VISI.COM

Former Q&TL 2-8-0 6 is still at the NJMT / Pine Creek RR. The engine is stored under cover in their carbarn. The tender is outside, along with an former Q&TL wooden wedge-type snowplow.

NJMT's J.R. May (who posts here) can fill you in on the details of the loan (lease?) and any prospects of future restoration / operation. IIRC, there's nothing that time and money (lots of both) can't fix. BTW, 6 is a HUGE locomotive compared to the other PCK steam engines, so I'm not sure where it fits in with future plans. The museum is currently putting its efforts--steam wise--in the restoration of former United Fruit Corp. Porter-built 2-6-0 4. A nice little lok and a FIRST CLASS restoration job.

Another BTW: a couple years back, during the museum's annual "Railroaders Day", 6 was brought outside for first time in good number of years. It was towed along from carbarn (behind one of PCK's GE centercabs) down to the station area and back as part of the event's "Parade of Trains". Quite a sight to see it waddling along, counterweights and rods churning around!

Regards,
Jim Robinson

The Q&TL #6 is due to come into the NJMT shops as soon as the Porter #46 is completed. That should be sometime this summer. The Big 6 will receive the same type of overhaul that we are wrapping up on with the #46 to include full Appendix C inspection and repair of the boiler (we have an R-Stamp), chassis rebuild, and new tires. A new tender will be built as well.

We have a long term schedule in place to return all of our previously operable locmotives to service in light of the State's requirements to abide by Appendix C. The Ely-Thomas #6 Shay will be next in the shops following completion of the Big 6. The Lady Edith (1887 4-4-0T) will follow the shay.

J.R.

> Back in 1975, the Quincy Mining Company
> opened their engine house at Houghton,
> Michigan, and pulled out their four
> 3-foot-gage steam locomotives. Two were
> placed on display. Engine number 6 (an
> outside frame 2-8-0) was loaned to the Pine
> Creek Railroad in New Jersey, on the basis
> of what I understood was a 25-year lease. At
> the time, it was said that Pine Creek would
> restore and operate the locomotive. Does
> anybody know what became of this engine and
> the plans for its restoration?

> Ron Keagle


http://www.njmt.org
jrmay@njmt.org

One thing I forgot to add relating to why nothing has been done for 25 years on the Quincy 6. Actually much was done with regard to stripping the boiler and preparing it for inspection and repairs. The firebox was found to be very poor condition and would require a very expensive repair. A repair which was in some regards not affordable at the time when outside boiler contractors were required for such work. Today with our own R-Stamp this project is now afordable and doable.

Just as a point of reference, a local boiler repair company was going to charge us $11,000 to replace the tubes in our Lady Edith and do some pad welding on the flue sheet. We can do this today in our own shop for the cost of materials. That's a major difference.

> Back in 1975, the Quincy Mining Company
> opened their engine house at Houghton,
> Michigan, and pulled out their four
> 3-foot-gage steam locomotives. Two were
> placed on display. Engine number 6 (an
> outside frame 2-8-0) was loaned to the Pine
> Creek Railroad in New Jersey, on the basis
> of what I understood was a 25-year lease. At
> the time, it was said that Pine Creek would
> restore and operate the locomotive. Does
> anybody know what became of this engine and
> the plans for its restoration?

> Ron Keagle


http://www.njmt.org
jrmay@njmt.org

Just outa curiosity, what ever happened to the other engines? I saw a picture of 2 of them in L&RP a while back, sitting out side and looking sad.......

Ben

btrue@vt.edu

> Just outa curiosity, what ever happened to
> the other engines? I saw a picture of 2 of
> them in L&RP a while back, sitting out
> side and looking sad.......

> Ben

Thanks Mr. Robinson and Mr. May for the update on Q&TL number 6. I hope to see it back in operation some day. I visited the Q&TL hundreds of times, starting in 1963, when the entire railroad, mines, and stamp mill were still intact, although dilapidated to a ghostly state. With the dream of rehabilitating the railroad in the style of the EBT, I wrote several letters to the Quincy Mining Company with the proposal, but it was just not to be. They were convinced that the entire operation might restart should the mining economy revive, and therefore, could not be persuaded to sell anything. Nevertheless, I went through high school, preoccupied with mentally rebuilding the Q&TL.

In answer to the inquiry by Mr. True concerning the fate of the other Q&TL engines, number 5, a 2-8-0, and a 2-6-0 whoÂ’s number escapes me, were placed on display, outside, in 1975. They were both in extremely rough condition at the time, and have spent the last 28 years enthusiastically continuing the process. Up close, it is fascinating to study the many welding repairs that they underwent while in service.

A fourth locomotive, 2-6-0, number 3, was undergoing a boiler replacement at the time of the Quincy shut down in 1945. It remained in a partial teardown inside the engine house until somewhat after the removal of the other three engines in 1975. A brand new boiler, intended as the replacement, waited outside for thirty years. I understand that number 3 and the new boiler were sold, possibly to the Huckleberry Railroad, but I do not know the facts of this. This number 3 was identical to number 4, which was scrapped prior to the shutdown in 1945. Curiously, the “D” valve steam chests on numbers 3 and 4, were tilted outwards about 20-30 degrees. I have always wondered the reason for this feature.

Ron Keagle



KEAGLEDESIGN@VISI.COM

The #3 is leased to Huckelberry by the the owners of the old Quincy Mining Company. The #3 was undergoing a major overhaul when the operation shut down and was up on blocks in the round house. The drivers were outside and were in dire need for new tires. The boiler outside was actually for a sister locomotive and has a different firebox design which makes placement on the #3 chassis difficult. The #3 was part of our 1975 lease but we elected to leave it behind.

The moguls had very high drivers and the valve rod ran along side the drivers, the valve chests tilted outwards so that rod cleared the wheels. Quite unique and damn good looking.

> Thanks Mr. Robinson and Mr. May for the
> update on Q&TL number 6. I hope to see
> it back in operation some day. I visited the
> Q&TL hundreds of times, starting in
> 1963, when the entire railroad, mines, and
> stamp mill were still intact, although
> dilapidated to a ghostly state. With the
> dream of rehabilitating the railroad in the
> style of the EBT, I wrote several letters to
> the Quincy Mining Company with the proposal,
> but it was just not to be. They were
> convinced that the entire operation might
> restart should the mining economy revive,
> and therefore, could not be persuaded to
> sell anything. Nevertheless, I went through
> high school, preoccupied with mentally
> rebuilding the Q&TL.

> In answer to the inquiry by Mr. True
> concerning the fate of the other Q&TL
> engines, number 5, a 2-8-0, and a 2-6-0
> whoÂ’s number escapes me, were placed on
> display, outside, in 1975. They were both in
> extremely rough condition at the time, and
> have spent the last 28 years
> enthusiastically continuing the process. Up
> close, it is fascinating to study the many
> welding repairs that they underwent while in
> service.

> A fourth locomotive, 2-6-0, number 3, was
> undergoing a boiler replacement at the time
> of the Quincy shut down in 1945. It remained
> in a partial teardown inside the engine
> house until somewhat after the removal of
> the other three engines in 1975. A brand new
> boiler, intended as the replacement, waited
> outside for thirty years. I understand that
> number 3 and the new boiler were sold,
> possibly to the Huckleberry Railroad, but I
> do not know the facts of this. This number 3
> was identical to number 4, which was
> scrapped prior to the shutdown in 1945.
> Curiously, the “D” valve steam chests on
> numbers 3 and 4, were tilted outwards about
> 20-30 degrees. I have always wondered the
> reason for this feature.

> Ron Keagle


http://www.njmt.org
jrmay@njmt.org

> a couple years back, during the
> museum's annual "Railroaders Day",
> 6 was brought outside for first time in good
> number of years. It was towed along from
> carbarn (behind one of PCK's GE centercabs)
> down to the station area and back as part of
> the event's "Parade of Trains".
> Quite a sight to see it waddling along,
> counterweights and rods churning around!

I was just over at the NJMT / Pine Creek RR website and noticed this (linked below) photo of the above mentioned event concerning the 6.

Also, click on the image to view a thumbnail index of other Pine Creek locomotive photos (click on each thumbnail for an enlargement view). Of note among these great pictures... ex-Carrol Park & Western 0-4-0 117 after its recent repaint, long-gone 0-4-0 1 (1 is now the 2-4-0 "Ernest S. Marsh" at Disneyland), Pine Creek / Copper Creek 0-4-0 3 and coaches at NJ's circa late 1950's Cowboy City attraction (3 is now at the Agrirama Museum in GA), Porter 2-6-0 46 when it first arrived many years back (46 is now undergoing restoration), Pine Creek's Cagney 4-4-0 in action (the Cagney is still at Pine Creek in working order, but currently with no place to operate), and scenes of the more-familar Shay 6, 2-6-2 26, and 4-4-0T "Lady Edith".

Regards,
Jim Robinson


Q&TL 6 on the move