Critter at Steamtown / ECTM

Frank Hicks · **Posted:** Thu Apr 24, 2003 3:33 pm

The link below is to a photo on ABPR of some sort of little four-wheel critter in Scranton. It's pictured in front of the Electric City Trolley Museum carbarn (that's a Philadelphia streetcar inside the building), so I'm guessing it belongs to ECTM. The presence of side rods suggests that this is a locomotive. Can anyone identify it? Is this McAndrews & Forbes #6 or #10?

Frank Hicks

http://abpr2.railfan.net/abprphoto.cgi?february03/02-14-03/critter02.jpg
fullparallel@wideopenwest.com

Phil Mulligan · **Posted:** Thu Apr 24, 2003 5:02 pm

It's a Vulcan; was the shop switcher at their plant in W-B.

Electric City Trolley Museum Association

Superheater · **Posted:** Thu Apr 24, 2003 5:06 pm

> It's a Vulcan; was the shop switcher at
> their plant in W-B.

Have any more history on the locomotive? How did ECTM come upon it? How did it survive all these years?

superheater@rrmail.com

Dave Crosby · **Posted:** Thu Apr 24, 2003 5:51 pm

Wow, Do tell....

This certainly makes it one of the most historically petinent pieces in Scranton. I'd love to hear more about this. I've passed it when it was outdoors more than once on my way into work at Bridge 60 without a second thought.

Dave Crosby

bing@epix.net

James F. Boylan · **Posted:** Fri Apr 25, 2003 10:39 am

Vulcan only went out of business in Wilkes-Barre
about a year ago, which may explain why the
critter lasted so long. Phil Mulligan circulated
the newspaper article back then.
McAndrews & Forbes #10 has no side rods, is
now green, and near the other (East) end of the
Steamtown loading platform from the Trolley
Museum buildings, based on 4/5/3 observation.

104577.651@compuserve.com

Rob Davis · **Posted:** Fri Apr 25, 2003 8:25 pm

> It's a Vulcan; was the shop switcher at
> their plant in W-B.

Woa! That's stunning, to say the least. I had no idea this little critter survived.

I have been avoiding the temptation to start a surviving Vulcan list, at least one to cover the eastern US. The side-rodder in WB gets attention since it is visible, but whatever happened to the side-rodder that was at Lehigh Valley Coal #6 in Hazelton. I know the three hoppers got out, but did the Vulcan survive? I last saw it about 5 years ago... or more...

Rob

rdavis@rypn.org

G.W. Laepple · **Posted:** Mon Apr 28, 2003 8:34 pm

This little beast was purchased from Wilkes-Barre scrap dealer Abe Solomon by Dr. Harold Cox of Forty Fort about 1975. It survived the 1972 Agnes flood, and when it was moved to the former Dushore Car Co. shop at Dushore, PA, its crankcase still contained flood water. It was restored to running order at Dushore and used as shop switcher there until the Dushore Car Works was moved to Topton in the late 1970's. It was there until that facility folded up at the end of 2002. The lokie has a Hercules engine (a replacement, I'm sure), drives from a shaft through a worm gear to the rear axle. You need to have huge leg muscles to push the clutch in to shift gears. The cab is pure Vulcan steam loco, as are the frame and wheels. At one time there was a bell mounted on the cab roof, but it's now gone.

K4s1361@hotmail.com

Phil Mulligan · **Posted:** Tue Apr 29, 2003 1:58 pm

It's a but rough paint-wise right now but the biggest step has been taken: it's now inside the building, out of the weather.

Who's got pictures of it in it's Vulcan days?

Electric City Trolley Museum Association

G. W. Laepple · **Posted:** Tue Apr 29, 2003 4:40 pm

No pix, but a funny story about it. Seems the PRR local crew used to come up to the Solomon scrap yard from Buttonwood and park their Geeps just outside the gate while they walked to a nearby diner. On one occasion, the Solomon crew took the little lokie out the gate, coupled onto the Geeps, and hauled them inside. Guess the Pennsy guys were pretty upset when they saw what happened.

K4s1361@hotmail.com