Evening All...

Just flipping through a few postcards of mine and saw an image of "The Dinky" in service on the Stone Mountain Scenic. The Dinky appears to be a typical looking end-door steel trolley (I'm not a traction expert). It looks as though its been motorized somehow and you can almost make out what looks like a belt running from one wheelset to another. I guess an internal combustion engine was added somehow, as there's no wire on the Stone Mountain.

Anyone know more about it? Where was it from? Where did it wind up etc...

Thanks in advance.

Dave Crosby

bing@epix.net

The car you're referring to is Johnstown Traction #358, a typical double-end streetcar built in 1925 by St. Louis Car Company. Stone Mountain outfitted it with some sort of gasoline engine and used it for a time, and in 1991 it was sold to the Trolley Museum of New York in Kingston. TMNY just recently completed major work on a full restoration of the car, and it is in service at Kingston. TMNY has retained the gasoline-powered operation of the car, though, because they haven't strung trolley wire over their line yet. Below is a recent photo showing the car jacked up for truck work.

Frank Hicks


F-Hicks@wiu.edu

> Evening All...

> Just flipping through a few postcards of
> mine and saw an image of "The
> Dinky" in service on the Stone Mountain
> Scenic. The Dinky appears to be a typical
> looking end-door steel trolley (I'm not a
> traction expert). It looks as though its
> been motorized somehow and you can almost
> make out what looks like a belt running from
> one wheelset to another. I guess an internal
> combustion engine was added somehow, as
> there's no wire on the Stone Mountain.

> Anyone know more about it? Where was it
> from? Where did it wind up etc...

> Thanks in advance.

> Dave Crosby

Dave,

I worked there during the early eighties. It was used during the off season December through February. The "Dinkey" was a trolley that had a small diesel prime mover that ran to a direct drive system. The prime mover extended through the floor and into the trolley. It had a transmission with 3 forwards and 2 reverse if I recall. The drive shaft connected to the lead axle and the back axle was driven by that belt you saw. It had an air brake system that was used for braking only. There was a large lever type hand brake used only as a parking brake. The throttle was an old boat throttle using a cable back to the injector body. We used to use it to pull hay-rides wagons around the five mile loop. You could put it in 2 gear and 250 rpm and she would cruise around the mountain in about 40 to 50 minutes. It always ran well and I enjoyed running whenever I could. I do not recall where she went after she was wrecked in the late 80's. Maybe someone else can fill in the gaps. On a side note she burned #1 diesel or kerosene. I hope this answers some of your question.

Frank Welsh

fswelsh88@aol.com

Frank, you'll have to come to Kingston so you can stand behind the controls again. It now has double ended control with GE straight air brake valves and Sperry Valve hydraulic controls for the throttle and reverser. It still has the GM 453 Diesel and Alison tranny that Stone Mountain installed.

358 info
n2xjk@yahoo.com

Hello All

Thanks for the info, maybe I'll have to go on up to TMNY one of these days. Good to know its in capable hands. Now if only those 2 4-4-0's could wind up in the roundhouses in Savanah or Spencer...

Nite...

Dave Crosby

bing@epix.net

The 2-6-2 has a NC heritage - Spencer would be a good home for her. The 4-4-0's? There is some talk of the state further developing tourist railroads as economic development. I would like to see the 4-4-0s oprating on the state DOT / private partnered tourist lines should they ever evolve. Damn shame to let them rust in the dubious care of a management company who doesn't want to use them based hundreds of miles away in the midwest.

Not that they wouldn't be projects. Some non-spec alterations were made over the years by the theme park staff and they are pretty well depreciated.

dave

irondave@bellsouth.net

The 2-6-2 as Dave points out does have a connection to NC, but it was a well traveled locomotive starting with Quincy, FL then to Cordele, GA, then a used dealer sold it to the Cliffside where it spend most of it's regular service life.

The 2 4-4-0's have no NC or GA ties other than the Stone Mountain op having been Red River and Gulf 104 (LA) aka "General II" and San Antonio and Aransas Pass 60 (TX) aka "Texas II". 104 is the much better looking of the two and Dave Conrad's book has a lovely picture of it while it was Loisiana and Eastern 1.

It is truly a shame that all are store outside and unused but they seem to be a continuing object of poor circumstance and this is not unusual given they are currently within an operation that is continuing to morph into whatever management decides the public wants for recreation and entertainment. As an aside, the Stone Mountain Memorial Association has removed the railroad's rail connecttion to the "outside world" which landlocked 3 steamers, 2 GPs, 2 FP7s and a 2 other cars that are "decent".

Go figure.



minterjr@mindspring.com

> It is truly a shame that all are store
> outside and unused but they seem to be a
> continuing object of poor circumstance and
> this is not unusual given they are currently
> within an operation that is continuing to
> morph into whatever management decides the
> public wants for recreation and
> entertainment. As an aside, the Stone
> Mountain Memorial Association has removed
> the railroad's rail connecttion to the
> "outside world" which landlocked 3
> steamers, 2 GPs, 2 FP7s and a 2 other cars
> that are "decent".

> Go figure.

I'd figure they are happier being insular than regulated. Cultures are very different between the railroad and theme park industries. It isn't easy for them to act like us.

dave

irondave@bellsouth.net