Here is the other girl I wanted to see also.....

Long gone, but not forgotten.....

Jeff Slupski

Morris County Central 385
mcc385@yahoo.com

One of the best looking chooches ever riveted together... namely PRR 4-4-0 1223. Seen at Strasburg, but very well might be a pre-restored-to-operation shot. 1223 was displayed for a while before being restored to service. Note there isn't the "Strasburg Rail Road" under the cab numbers. Gosh I miss that lady!

Regards,
Jim Robinson

PRR 1223 @ Strasburg

Hey Jim

Wow, see, a long term misconception cleared up. Thanks!

Dave Crosby

bing@epix.net

Wow, I do hold that era dear. All my old gals from the 70's... Look waht those summer days along the NH&I and BR&W did to me! ;-)

Rob

trains@robertjohndavis.com

I hope to meet her one day... Jim

http://nctrans.org
Wrinnbo@aol.com

I LOVE this thread on vintage tourist railroad pix. Please keep it coming!

98 had her original ALCo number plate when she arrived on SRC in 1961 but soon received the oval aluminum "egg" 98 number plate, fabricated locally through Bud Swearer, an SRC volunteer. The engine's original number plate seems to have been lost to time. At the same time they had some aluminum 31 "eggs" fabricated, one of which still resides on the loco's tender. The other one that was mounted below the headlight was stolen in the much publicized theft two years ago. Camelback No. 4 also received an egg plate. One of 98's unused egg plates was sold by Bud Swearer on eBay about two or three years ago and it was purchased by a railfan in Delaware (not affiliated with W&W). 89 also got an egg plate on her smokebox later but it was later removed for cosmetic reasons. Essentially they took a 98 egg plate and reversed the numerals to make an 89 plate.

> Great Find Jim

> I'm not sure if that was a staged shot or
> not, maybe the W&W folks can elaborate.
> I do have a postcard of the 98 on display in
> Strasburg and while it appears much the
> same, the number plate looks different and
> there is no lettering. Same with another
> card of the 98 with no lettering posed with
> two passenger coaches somewhere, but doesn't
> look like on the W&W that I've seen.
> Looks like some work was done on the engine
> by the time that shot was taken...

> Dave Crosby

This image of 1223 was taken the first week of break-in runs on the Strasburg in early August 1965. 1223 was devoid of SRR lettering on the cab window for only a very brief time.

> One of the best looking chooches ever
> riveted together... namely PRR 4-4-0 1223.
> Seen at Strasburg, but very well might be a
> pre-restored-to-operation shot. 1223 was
> displayed for a while before being restored
> to service. Note there isn't the
> "Strasburg Rail Road" under the
> cab numbers. Gosh I miss that lady!

> Regards,
> Jim Robinson

It was something to hear that fast-ringing PRR bell as 1223 pulled into Groff's Grove, then grabbed the rails to lift a long train out of there, while blowing for the crossing. 1223 was built for that kind of service

Electric City Trolley Museum Association

> It was something to hear that fast-ringing
> PRR bell as 1223 pulled into Groff's Grove,
> then grabbed the rails to lift a long train
> out of there, while blowing for the
> crossing. 1223 was built for that kind of
> service

And it looked like this...



1223 and 4002 photoessay

eledbetter@rypn.org

As many of you know I have been involved with the W&W for many years. I am inactive right now but I have been around there since I was a kid.

There are a couple of old postcards of 98 out there shot before she ran at W&W. First is one at SRR and the second you mention was taken when she was stored in Wilmington at the old Jackson and Sharp car building plant. Old 98 and the DLW cars were stored and worked on there before the W&W started up. Number 92 was stored and repaired in Yorklyn and even tested out a few times in the early 1960's before the official start of the W&W.

Back to the J&S facility. As far as I know this was the last time that this facility was used as a railroad facility. Also the W&W picked up the resident J&S/ACF switcher, "Bangy", which was later sold to the Walkersville Southern. When the W&W removed 98, Bangy, and the DLW cars the old Jackson and Sharp plant never again hosted railroad equipment. Photos of the building the W&W used are linked below. On that page there is also a link to photos of the remaining J&S buildings.

Now about 98 facing east. The story goes, she pointed East until she made her second run. Her first run was made up the W&W facing East with no problem. When they turned her on the wye over on the B&O at Elsmere she derailed. Then her first trip West she derailed a number of times when running in reverse. The return trip took something like 8 hours. They were unable to run her until they fabricated extra wide tires for her rear drivers.

Now for the display part of the story. The W&W used to drag her to Greenbank and let her sit by the water tower all day when 92 was running. They kept doing this later with 98 dragging 58 to sit in the same spot into the late 1970's. By 1980 the practice was discontinued. The crews did not like to shove the train and 58 back because it was a hill from Greenbank back to the shop and it was hard on old 98.

Tom Gears

Jackson and Sharp in Wilmington

> Note the nose of a Reading FP7, IIRC the NH&I's original operator (Steam Trains, Inc) leased these RDG diesels for freight service. <

Len Smolsky told me that the 1st scheduled NH&I passenger train left New Hope pulled by a RDG A unit running backwards!
He also said that for a while, the Reading Company let the diesel stay at New Hope, with rent to be paid only for the days it was actually used.

104577.651@compuserve.com

> with BR&W ex-Bangor & Aroostook center-door combine, ex-DL&W wooden day coach, ex-Belfast & Moosehead Lake baggage-mail car <

J. C. McHugh (Jimmy's son) bought 3 wood cars from BR&W and moved them to NH&I. The coach wound up at Wycombe, its roof sagging more and more by 1989. The triple combine (baggage, mail, and express) was turned into a double combine, painted Halloween orange, and used as the New Hope Gift Shop to replace the RDG steel R.P.O. car. The "Jim Crow" combine (passenger-baggage-passenger was stored next to me in Penndel and then sold to a private party. There was some rumor that they really wanted to buy one of the other cars.

104577.651@compuserve.com