Like other locomotive collectors of his time, Nelson Blount had his own ideas of how engines should look, and changed their appearance and numbers as he saw fit. CP 1278 was renumbered 127 and had its original feedwater heater changed to an Elesco, gaining a different headlight also.

Was the original heater saved or scrapped? Was the Elesco ever actually functional, or just there for decoration.

Has any work been done yet on 1278 at the Ohio Central?

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=63545
ryarger@rypn.org

1278 was built with an Elesco feedwater heater; it was the more modern coil style, rather than the older bundle style heat exchanger. The hot water pump is the same for both. FNB had the coil heat exchanger swapped for the "traditional" bundle style when 1278 was rebuilt for Steamtown/Monadnock Northern service in 1966. It was indeed functional.

1293 continues to have the coil heater; 1246 was of an earlier G-5 subclass, and was built with an Elesco exhaust steam injector. That was removed during the 1969 rebuild, by Green Mountain, and replaced by a lifting injector on the fireman's side. I was told that the old exhaust injector was "around" at GMRC's N. Walpole shop into the late 80s, before going into the proverbial scrap dumpster.

Jack Showalter's 1238 and 1286 each have been converted to regular injectors on the fireman's side; 1238 had an exhaust injector removed, and 1286 had a coil feedwater heater removed. That work was done by Red Clay Valley, as I recall, between 1969 and 1973, when they owned the engines.

> Like other locomotive collectors of his
> time, Nelson Blount had his own ideas of how
> engines should look, and changed their
> appearance and numbers as he saw fit. CP
> 1278 was renumbered 127 and had its original
> feedwater heater changed to an Elesco,
> gaining a different headlight also.

> Was the original heater saved or scrapped?
> Was the Elesco ever actually functional, or
> just there for decoration.

> Has any work been done yet on 1278 at the
> Ohio Central?


hpincus@mindspring.com

The original feedwater heater bundle was shiped to Scranton,( it sat among the steam parts stored outside in Vt) but i do not know if it still remains as there have been a couple of scrap drives in Scranton that saw valuable parts go to the scraper.

Al P.

I beg to differ with you, Howard. I was a volunteer with Rail Tours Inc. during the York years, and I am almost certain that 1286's Elesco heater was replaced by an injector prior to its sale to Red Clay Valley. And I'm pretty sure the exhaust steam injector on 1238 was also replaced by an injector as well, prior to the lease of the two engines to High Iron for the memorable trips to Wilkes-Barre on the CNJ.

> Jack Showalter's 1238 and 1286 each have
> been converted to regular injectors on the
> fireman's side; 1238 had an exhaust injector
> removed, and 1286 had a coil feedwater
> heater removed. That work was done by Red
> Clay Valley, as I recall, between 1969 and
> 1973, when they owned the engines.


K4s1361@hotmail.com

Wayne, you are correct about the engines having shed their left-side heaters before RCV-- photos of the May 1969 RCV trip on the PRR Port Road show that.

Both engines did have the stuff in place and operating during the entire HICO-CNJ 1967 season, as per Bill Young's photos of the double and single headers taken that year.

That's what happens when I write this stuff right off the top of my head, without checking the various resources!!

> I beg to differ with you, Howard. I was a
> volunteer with Rail Tours Inc. during the
> York years, and I am almost certain that
> 1286's Elesco heater was replaced by an
> injector prior to its sale to Red Clay
> Valley. And I'm pretty sure the exhaust
> steam injector on 1238 was also replaced by
> an injector as well, prior to the lease of
> the two engines to High Iron for the
> memorable trips to Wilkes-Barre on the CNJ.


hpincus@mindspring.com

Speaking of 1278, I have a book with a picture in it of one of the HICO trips in the late 60s, where 1278 (as 127) was doubleheaded with Strasburg's 90. Who in the world dreamed up this doubleheader? And how did 90 fare at mainline speed?

> Wayne, you are correct about the engines
> having shed their left-side heaters before
> RCV-- photos of the May 1969 RCV trip on the
> PRR Port Road show that.

> Both engines did have the stuff in place and
> operating during the entire HICO-CNJ 1967
> season, as per Bill Young's photos of the
> double and single headers taken that year.

> That's what happens when I write this stuff
> right off the top of my head, without
> checking the various resources!!


wallis@netdoor.com

And how did 90 fare at mainline speed?

It broke a spring on the tender truck


lvrr@enter.net

> And how did 90 fare at mainline speed?

> It broke a spring on the tender truck

As I remember it, that trip was supposed to run with George Hart's 1238 and 1286, but they weren't available, at the last minute. (Weren't they pressed into service as as emergency stationary boilers for a hospital or am I thinking of the T-1s)

At any rate, High Iron arranged to run the trip with 127, and added 90 as a helper up in the Poconos. On the return trip, 90 broke a tender spring and derailed. The passengers wound up getting bussed back to NJ in the early morning hours.

I wasn't on the trip, but did see 127 go through Whitehouse Station at track speed with a pretty long train, and followed by pair of F-M protect engines. Wish I could go back in time and see it again-

edm5970@earthlink.net

> 1278 is here at the Ohio Central and is sitting on our dead line. Discussions of the future of 1278 are held often. In my book, I feel that the locomotive has a very special place in our industry and truth be known, I feel that 1278 should be restored as a symbol of hope. Most have seen the 1278 as a cuase for stiffer regulations and more FRA exposure. I see the 1278 as the machine that caused our industry to take a closer look at how safe we are and how much safer we could be, and have become. 1278 in a running condition would be a medal of honor to those who have worked so hard on the new FRA part 230. It is our hope at the OC to present this locomotive to fans again some day soon!

Be it also known that the 1293 will operate on Thursday, June 10, 2004 in the Coshocton, Ohio area to be turned on the wye as well as operating on a public excursion on Saturday, June 12, 2004 from Morgan Run to Sugar Creek. 6325 will also power two legs of the four leg excursion. both locomotives will be under steam for Train Festival

www.ocsteam.com

John E. Rimmasch
CMO/OC Steam

jerimmasch@ohiocentral.com