Can anyone give me an update on the status of the locomotives that were/are at Stone Mountain Ga.? Thanks, Rick.

enginman@gis.net

I assume you are referring to the steamers? The two 4-4-0's are still there although they've been cold for years. Of course they used to run under steam, then later pushed around the mountain by disguised diesels, then even later sidetracked by visable diesels. Trains are currently headed by one of the two ex-SR F7's that came off the New Georgia Railroad in 1994.

srfreer@yahoo.com

The 2-6-2 is on a siding rusting to the rails. Both 4-4-0's are on sidings near the shops where they are covered with twinkle lights for the holiday season. All have been pretty well used and repaired according to theme park rather than railroad standards over the decades. All belong to the State of Georgia and one can only hope for better things for them in the future.

Dave

irondave@bellsouth.net

> The 2-6-2 is on a siding rusting to the
> rails. Both 4-4-0's are on sidings near the
> shops where they are covered with twinkle
> lights for the holiday season. All have been
> pretty well used and repaired according to
> theme park rather than railroad standards
> over the decades. All belong to the State of
> Georgia and one can only hope for better
> things for them in the future.

Queries indicate they have no plans for restoration, yet have no interest in conveying the locomotives to better homes.. One of the Americans is a Texas engine, which could stand a return to home "rails"....(sigh)

Trinity Valley RHA
hi_plain@yahoo.com

> Queries indicate they have no plans for
> restoration, yet have no interest in
> conveying the locomotives to better homes..
> One of the Americans is a Texas engine,
> which could stand a return to home
> "rails"....(sigh)

I have heard more than one person claim to have a plan for these engines but to my knowlege none have actually been put forth. I chalk it up to wishful thinking. Recently, the enclosed ex LIRR coach stock from Stone Mtn was sent to the SAM Shortline startup in Cordele. Of course, both those operations are operated under the auspices of the State.

Whether the locomotives are specifically included in the assets contracted to the Missouri based contract operator of Stone Mountain Park I don't know.

In the wishful thinking line, how about a nice 1920's superheated, piston-valved 4-4-0 commuter engine hauling tourists down SAM? That one might be doable.....someday. All Texans are invited to come on over and ride.

Dave

irondave@bellsouth.net

The SP 4-4-0 was used on Texas branchlines. Was one of them the line that is now the Texas State RR? Photo link below shows it on the Louisiana Eastern in 1958. Was this the SP tender, or did Spence swap them around?



http://www.yesteryeardepot.com/LE02.JPG
ryarger@rypn.org

I understand that the ex Johnstown, PA street car that they converted into a Diesel (gas?) mechanical car is now running at the Trolley Museum of New York at Kingston. I think it is a J.G.Brill car.

ted_miles@nps.gov

The tender looks a lot like the tender of Wilmington and Western's ex Mississippi Central 4-4-0 398 which was also at the LE. I know they had a bunch of MCS locos, maybe there was a swap. I have noticed this type of thing with other locos seen in photos.

Tom

> The SP 4-4-0 was used on Texas branchlines.
> Was one of them the line that is now the
> Texas State RR? Photo link below shows it on
> the Louisiana Eastern in 1958. Was this the
> SP tender, or did Spence swap them around?


tom@forgottendelaware.com

> Trains are currently headed by one
of the two ex-SR F7's that came off the New
Georgia Railroad in 1994.

The two diesels are ex-SR and did come from the New Georgia after the end of operations in 1994, but the engines are FP-7's rather than F7's. The engine numbers are 3498 and 3499, formerly numbered in the 6100 series. Two others former NS/SR 3496 and 3497 are now at the RJ Corman Dinner Train in Kentucky and the 6133 has been restored to it's original 1950's delivery CNO&TP Southern paintscheme at Historic Spencer Shops at the North Carolina Transportation museum in Spencer. The FP-7's were designed specifically for passenger service being longer than the F7s because they contain steam generators.

stiggy_26@hotmail.com

Remember that these locomotives have been shoved around cold for years, and the wear on their cylinders and gear must be frightful. Considering that they were being used when Ron Ziel wrote "Twilight of Steam", back around 1964, they must have considerable needs. BTW, how do these operations maintain boiler and keep within safe operation regs?
Both locomotives need to go to better environs, be stripped of the western "fru-fru", shopped, and back dated. When Paulsen Spence ran them, they were truly gorgeous locomotives.


glueck@maine.edu

Which 4-4-0 was used by the Red, River & Gulf RR in Louisiana? I imagine the folks at Louisiana Longlief (Southern Heritage Forestry Museum I think) would love to have this one back.

Just my opinion :-)

Stuart

Mid-South News
gnufe@apex.net

Of course they are part of the famous four SR FP7s....Thanks for the correction. It's good to see them back in a near-SR paint scheme again.

Back about 15-20 years ago, Stone Mountain had a diesel switcher which was outfitted with a covering which made it resemble a baggage car (used to push the dead steamer). If I'm not mistaken, wasn't this the original Lackawanna loco that was restored and repainted by the Delaware-Lackawanna in Scranton within the recent past?

TVRM Shop Updates
srfreer@yahoo.com

DL&W 426 (circa-1935 EMC shifter) came to D-L from Bethlehem Steel. It's my understanding it had been working for B.S.Co.'s central PA shortline network.

Steamtown itself has an EMD SW-8 painted as "Lackawanna 500." NPS identifies this as WAB 132/N&W 3132, 3732. Evidently it was never a DL&W or E-L locomotive.

Before somebody else makes the point, the extra 4 feet in an FP-7 (versus F-7) is for an internal water tank for the steam boiler. Both FP-7's and F-7's have space for the boiler, but the F-7 is short on space for the water.

Electric City Trolley Museum Association

Did this engine have steam breaks? where's the air tanks?

Is that a stevenson valve gear?


adofmsu@aol.com

> Did this engine have steam breaks? where's
> the air tanks?

> Is that a stevenson valve gear?
The Stone Mountain SP engine had regular air brakes. Attached, hopefully, is a poor image of the engine pulling a train on the SP in 1952. It was in steam, I think, until 1954 and was the last 4-4-0 used on the SP system.

http://images.prosperpoint.com/images/11/1551-531.jpg
runner@i-55.com