I’m replacing it with a Cummins 855. Will probably have to make adapters for the bellhousing and flywheel. The original engine got many years of rain down the exhaust stack and is too far gone.

In between rain showers and birthday parties, managed to get some work done on Little Mo today!!

The hood is disassembled and removed. I’ll reuse the good parts and remake the bad parts.

This video of an NRHS fantrip in 1960 on the PRR and the Stewartstown RR, posted to the Friends of the Stewartstown Railroad facebook page, briefly shows your unit starting at 3:25 (and the video is interesting in its own right): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPYdKib0s74

What a cool video. We had just bought #9 that year. Neither loco has their “Mo” paint scheme yet. Also, never thought I’d see video of 6 running with its original engine.

Thanks.

I watched that video last night.

Wow.

I also really enjoyed the triple headed three car PRR train too that, if I understood what I saw right, missed its stop.

It had a great sound for its size, almost like an Alco.

Ed.

I think you are correct. No way that PRR engineer was expecting to stop at New Freedom. Had to do a little backing up to get back to the station.



PMC.

It does sound good. Those old things didn’t even have mufflers.

Now I have to make it sound good with the new engine. I have a muffler, but people close to me are saying to not use it, that I should run it straight piped. We’ll see.

Mark K.

When we got our little DL, it had a big, fat, chromed, straight pipe. It looked cool as heck but it was much too loud in the cab so we reinstalled the muffler to quiet it a few dB. It’s still plenty loud. My other concern was that the straight pipe could have been a rain funnel if it was caught out in the weather. Of course, the cab on ours isn’t totally enclosed like yours and you need to have the doors open when you’re using it. A closed cab would help some with the exhaust noise.

I've been trying to figure out if any of the firms shown in the video are still in business, i.e. potential future freight shippers. Toward the end we see something called "Superior Wire Cloth Co." in Hungerford but I would bet it is long gone, I want to say I heard it was turned into loft-type apartments.

All of the businesses you see in that video are gone. Some buildings were razed. Some repurposed. I believe the Wire Cloth building was divided up into apartments. Maybe a retirement community. Don’t quote me on that though, I’m not certain.

Most of the business went away while the STRT was disconnected from the rail network…. 1972-1984. They ran some freight from 1984 but lost money in the process and stopped leasing the Northern Central in 1992. Passenger business on the original STRT trackage has kept us around and helped us to survive! If our line wasn’t scenic, I think the RR would have been long gone by now. Sad to say, but I feel it’s true.

The only heavy industry on the line, that I’m aware of, is a scrap metal yard just west of Hungerford. Who knows what the future brings. We are currently expanding our passenger train capability and ridership, but are certainly open to freight business. It would just have to make good financial sense for us, of course.

Mark K.

Here’s an update from today’s work.

The fuel tank is removed. It’s in pretty bad shape. If I can’t repair it, I’ll have a new one made.

The old engine is ready to remove now. It’s unbolted from the engine mounts, the bell housing, and the clutch. It’s moved forward about 1/2”. Just need to get some heavy equipment in to lift it out.

Is that a Buda engine? You might want to hold onto it for later restoration, even if you find it sensible to bypass that task right now.

I’m not familiar with Buda engines. Maybe I should learn more about them!
This is a LeRoi in-line six = 1500 cubic inches. I plan to save what parts are worth saving. We have a V8 version of this engine in our #9 locomotive. Maybe use some of my parts to keep that loco going. Until then, this one has had too many rainy days putting water down its exhaust stack. I’ll release some pictures when I remove the heads.

So far I have some borescope pictures that show the rust. Not the best quality though.

If someone else is considering restoring this engine, I would certainly work with them, and help them as needed. Until then, it’ll be a rusty pile of parts.

Ah, a LeRoi is interesting also.

They were another of several US industrial engine manufacturers. Buda made gasoline engines until the early 50’s and then introduced diesels. They were purchased and re-branded by Allis Chalmers in the mid to late 1950’s.

Google turns up several suppliers that can still provide parts.