The Box Car sent to Rockford didn't contain parts for GN102. It had contained the parts from several scrapped engines and steam parts from 2 Chidago Roundhouses along with parts from the tenders. None of Jensens engiines were scrapped because of non-payment of rent but because of persons with railroading agendas of their own. The CWP&S fist removed all of the bearings from the 2 IC tenders and then removed the track from in front of the equipment and then issued an order of removal at termination of lease. The cost wasn't worth the equipmemt.They wouldn't replace the bearings as security was part of the original lease arrangements and claimed their empolyees didn't remove them Since they refuesed to replace them and would not allow heavy equipmet on the property to replace the bearings even though their equiment was on the propery and used to remove the bearings, Jensen determined the costs to be too high to move the equipment.

The bearings which started the problem were located years later at another preservation site. my my how they magically got there.

The 5629 was Vandalized by persons who worked at Metra. Nine persons were ordered to resign and leave Metra after the Jensen incident. Jensen had been threatened by persons working for Metra that unless the title of the engine was turned over to them, that they would force him to move the engine or see it scrapped. The trailing truck bearings were removed by these persons, employees of Metra. Jensen was not allowed on the property to work on the engine at that time and he had issued notices to IAS for movement. IAS was not allowed to inspect the engine or access to it. An employee had already removed the bearings to prevent Jensen from shipping the engine so it wouldn"t be out of reach. But before the court trial proceeded to the point of a Judicial decision, another employee with an agenda took it upon himself to have a scrapper estimate the cost of cutting up the engine.

This scrapper test cut the boiler under the throat sheet through the rivieted course connection and cut the cast bed fraime in front of and behind on alternate sides of the main driver. When the Judge ruled that the enigne should be moved by any standard means from the property, ie roll it to IAS, they were not given title to the engine. As soon as the decision was announced the had to cut the engine up to reduce the value and cover their vandalism.

The building which was never buillt was a Scam created to aquire graft and other fund by local politicals and other Metra enployeesl. They could not start their planned corruption until Jensens space was vacated and empty.

The sickining part of this whole process was that Metra sued Jensen and scrapped his engine while the propery on which his engine sat was not even under their ownership or legal control.

The judge assumed that since Metra was sueing that they owned the land or had aquired control of it. Nine months later Jensen gets a renewal notice for fo his 1989 lease from the Bankruptcy Real Estate trust fo the Rock Island Railroad. By the time Jensen notified them that he was not renewing the planned building had move elsewhere and was 50% done.

I remember when I read about this as a teen and thought there should be a law against cutting up steam.

Rich -

Thanks for clearing up a number of things. The truth comes out!

The Illinois Central tenders WERE eventually moved up to Rockford (where I believe they still sit today) but apparently were moved on flat cars or perhaps by truck. There are brackets welded on the sides where the tie downs were connected. It would be nice if the "liberated" bearings were returned to the owner. Not sure that either tender would ever move again but they would make decent "water canteens" for some future steam locomotive restoration.

Les Beckman

In response to a couple of things that appeared earlier on this thread:

1. The steel box car with parts (apparently GTW) did end up in Rockford and was unloaded. The weight of the contents apparently broke the center sill and the car was eventually scrapped after the contents were removed.

2. Apparently , the wheel lathe mentioned was eventually sold to the Whitewater Valley.

3. The current owner of the two IC tenders mentioned does have new brass to replace what was removed, which forced the tenders to be moved on flat cars to Rockford.

Les

The boxcar that was on the CWP (along with the 2 IC 2600 tenders, wheel lathe etc.) on the inside looked like a backshop flea market. A lot of the items were obviously GTW. One thing in the boxcar still stands out clearly in my mind: The piles of Huron washout plugs.....still screwed into a torched out section of wrapper sheet or boiler course!! A reminder of the "Save whatever you can" days. Likewise the mountain of stoker motors and stoker troughs in the coal pockets of the IC tenders.

Les B; I do have a few photos of the equipment sitting on CWP in 1986. I'll email them if you'd like.

Bill:

I'd like the photos. Send me a PM (personal message) and I will give you my e-mail address.

Les

This discussion is getting almost as hot as the firebox of the late and much lamented 5629. I am deleting the latest post, and am asking the individuals involved to carry on this discussion via PM's. Any future flames will result in the topic being locked or deleted.

For the record, a gentleman at Whitewater Valley tells me that they do not have a wheel lathe. It may have been sold, but not to them.

Sorry for the incorrect information.

Les

While checking something else out, I came across a photo which showed GTW #5629 south of the St. Charles Air Line on the south side of Chicago. The photo was apparently taken in July of 1973 and she had a load of coal in her ex-Soo Line tender. What took me aback when I saw the photo however, is that right behind her tender, a second tender was parked! It appears to be a tender off of a Pennsy J1 2-10-4, although this type tender also appeared behind a few PRR 2-10-0 Decapods and some M1 4-8-2's. We know that Dick Jensen purchased those two tenders from the Illinois Central 2600 class 4-8-2's, and of course he purchased the tender from a Soo Line 4-8-2 that ran behind the 5629 on most of its trips, but perchance did he also purchase this PRR tender? Anyone know for sure? J. David? If he did purchase it, what happened to it? Finally, we know that all of the Pennsy J1's were scrapped. Are there any of their tenders still in existance today?

Les

Les,
I remember that Pennsy "coast-to-coast" tender. I believe that it was used for waste oil storage by the PRR and PC. I don't remember when it disappeared from 16th Street. A trip through my photo archives may be in order.......

Don C.

Don-

While you're looking.........

Another photo on that website was of GTW 5629 on the very first fantrip that Jensen ran. The engine was spotless and Dick had a new number plate on it. But she still had her original GTW tender. The trip was on the B&OCT around Chicago. I don't recall all the particulars of that trip (yes, I was a passenger) but what I DO recall is that the train was LOOOONG! I don't know how many cars but I thought it was way beyond the capacity of the Pacific. Boy was I wrong! She never had a problem. Of course, it was all pretty much level running. Did you ride that day Don? Do you know for sure, how many cars 5629 hauled....WITHOUT diesel assistance!

Les

Les,
That B&OCT trip was a tad before I started riding (my first trip was on the "Q" on November 22, 1962). I rode behind 5629 on a September 17, 1967 trip from Chicago to South Bend and return and we had something like 22 cars that trip. I, too, thought she was over tonnage but we made it up Valpo Hill, albeit with a good run for it. She was a hell of a gutsy engine and obviously was operated by a hogger who knew how to get the best out of her. Maybe someone else here has a consist or remembers the actual car count from that trip. Hjebone, were you taking 8mm or Super 8 movies that day that you can review for a count?

Pacifics will surprise you. We chased OHCR 1293 from Dennison to Columbus during Trainfest in 2004 and she handled a good sized train while towing the two FP9s. That was my first experience with her solo and she's got quite a set of cojones too! Makes you wonder what one of the big Omaha Pacifics could do with a heavyweight train in a Wisconsin snow storm. They should have been Hudsons......

Don C.

Don:

22 cars. And I bet there were a lot of heavyweights too!

Les

Dear Les:
To the best of my knowledge, Dick never owned that Pennsy tender. The '29 just happened to be spotted near it...
By the way, I was on the South Bend trip with 22 cars. What a mix of cars! GTW, Monon and a bunch of those Rock Island suburban cars with the drop center entrances. An impre4ssive show (but and ugly train).
J.David