Just a general inquiry. Moderators, perhaps you might leave this on the main page for a couple of weeks?

I am researching the Pennsy's last operating steam locomotive, 0-6-0 B6sb class switcher #5244. After retirement the little engine was moved to Philadelphia and held while a decision was made regarding her fate. The bell, builders ovals, and number plate were removed and enshrined in the company's main office.

-At the time of the Penn Central auction, hundreds of artifacts were sold at bid, including these pieces. Does anyone know where they are today and can point me in their direction?

-Does anyone have images of the locomotive being scrapped?

-Does anyone have original images of the locomotive I might use in a possible article?

Thank you for possible assistance! -Dick

Have you looked at the Hagley Library's collection of PRR negatives recently? In browsing by year (1960-2023) I found this photo that might be the bell you are looking for: https://digital.hagley.org/PRR_22166 (link corrected)

Reaching out to their staff might yield more information as to if they have any caption information. Chris Baer who worked extensively with this collection (and retired in 2019 - https://www.hagley.org/librarynews/happ ... her-t-baer) also might have some ideas.

Something else to look for is photos of the interiors of the PRR's offices or board rooms, as the display might appear in the background.

Hagley staff and Kurt Bell (Railroad Collections Archivist for the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission at the Pennsylvania State Archives in Harrisburg, PA) might have some ideas if those exist somewhere.

Another person to reach out to is Nick Fry at the University of Missouri - St. Louis John W. Barriger III National Railroad Library. https://www.umsl.edu/mercantile/barriger/index.html

They have an extensive photo collection that continues to be scanned: https://www.flickr.com/photos/barrigerlibrary/

Thomas C. Ayers has added several photos of this locomotives to rrpicturearchives.net http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/Locopi ... x?id=98421

Yale has a David Plowden image of the crosshead as part of a collection of his photographs: https://collections.library.yale.edu/catalog/2036567


I hope this helps!

It couldn't hurt! Thanks for the recommendations!

I'm on an "Indiana Jones" style quest. My "grail" at the moment is
to locate the missing locomotive number plates from a long scrapped
Pennsylvania Railroad steam locomotive, #5244 (Class B6sb, 0-6-0).

This was the final steam locomotive out of over 4,000 to operate,
and she has a special place in history.

If you want to help, view the Youtube video at
https://youtu.be/kT07A-6APDI .

Please pass the link along to others who
might be able to help. Nothing like a good mystery.

And thanks!

Dick -

Hope you are successful in your quest for info on the 0-6-0's number plate and builder's plate. I wonder what happened to the B6sb's headlight with the 5244 number boards. Did the PRR sell headlights?


Les

They did sell headlights and those wonderful four-legged marker lights. Unfortunately, in the mid-1950's, PRR was so crazed with getting rid of any trace of steam, many locomotives went directly to scrap wearing headlights, markers, builder's plates and number plates. In the latter case, these were generally the round freight number plates. Keystones were almost always removed for sale. Most PRR locomotives were stripped of re-sale parts at Altoona, however a huge number went to Coatesville and Medina, Pa. In some cases they stood in the open for months, and collectors jumped the fences and helped themselves. Today we'd call them thieves and vandals, but without them, quite a bit would have been simply tossed into the melting pots.

Sixty-five years will have passed since the July 14th, 1959 retirement of Pennsylvania Railroad B6sb 5244. The little 0-6-0 was towed to the 46th Street yard, fire dropped, and she joined scores of dead Consolidations and other switchers. Her plates were removed, cleaned, painted, and affixed to a hardwood plaque with a small engraved tag, explaining the significance of the artifacts. This hung in the offices of the PRR, then Penn Central, until a few days prior to the infamous Penn central auction, when they mysteriously disappeared!

I first began this quest for the grail over a year ago and since have actually located artifacts removed from the 5244 by rail historians, with permission mind you, prior to the trip to Modena for scrapping. I have not yet located the plates. I have met many collectors of PRR number and badge plates, but haven't located these historic artifacts. A full article with pictures will be published in the PRR T&HS journal "The Keystone"* later this year.

The search goes on, seeking not to remove or acquire the plates for myself or anyone else, but to simply determine their recognition and future security. I would be grateful for any factual information, leads, original photos, contacts, which will lead this search to a successful conclusion. I do not believe they were thrown away or trashed.

If you can offer real assistance, please email me at: B6sb5244@gmail.com . Thank you for taking the time to read this and offer help.



*Yes, you should join and subscribe!

Minor correction, it wasn't towed from New Jersey to 46th St., and probably not even towed onto the ash pit there. Railroad magazine published a photo of it steaming unassisted over the Delair drawbridge.

I suspect one of the officers took it prior to the auction.

Jim, it was towed to Modena. That's what I was trying to say. You are correct regarding its steaming to its own funeral. So it goes.

I agree, which is why I got in touch with Stuart Saunder's son. He told me it never appeared in his parent's home and wasn't seen after Saunder's passed. I wish I could narrow the possibilities down to a reasonable number of individuals, but I think that's a fool's errand.

The search continues for the plaque and plates of Pennsy 0-6-0 switcher, B6sb 5244.
If you have any information of leads, not speculation, of where you may have seen it or heard of it being located, send me an email at b6sb5244@gmail.com.

Best guess is a retiring PRR official took it home prior to the Penn Central auction. It is likely in the attic, basement, or garage today. It's very unlikely to have gone to the dump, being on a polished plaque with a brass identification tag added.

B6sb 5244 was the absolute last Pennsy locomotive to operate under her own steam.