Hi
I know what I am about to post is off subject, but it is still dealing with the Mt. Gretna locomotive. Here is the same locomotive build in three-quarter inch scale in Live Steam.
The locomotive was built by Bill Van Brocklin of Dover, Mass in 1990. Bill van Brocklin was an active builder in the Live Steam hobby, he builds mainly in 3/4" inch scale, and also an inch and half scale.
The engine No.35 is for his 35th locomotive.

I'd like to see a comparison of the two as well. I'm pretty sure the 2 foot gauge Crowns are smaller overall, and I'd say the boiler is definitely shorter. It would be interesting to see the exact differences though.

The best roster I know of is here:

http://www.trainweb.org/crownmetalproducts/roster2.html

It appears to be out of date. I know that the Idlewild Park engine is now at Remlinger Farms, she was the first engine on our line. Both Remlinger 2 foot gauge Crowns are in operation, and every fall they double head on weekends during the Autumn Festival days.

I've often wondered why Crown couldn't have made their locomotives look a little more prototypically instead of a circus clown. The C&L No. 12 would be a better looking version with very little cosmetic changes and dump the loud paint.
Just a comment from a crabby old man.

Two reasons come to mind.

1) They looked like that because they were selling them to amusement parks, not nitpicking model railroaders. They were painted like they were part of a circus, since most amusement parks at the time looked a lot like a circus. You were trying to attract kids to ride the train and compete with merry-go-rounds and roller coasters and ferris wheels. None of which were painted in anything you might call "drab" or "dignified". Its a matter of "know your audience".


2) The short wheel base allowed for tighter turns. It is quite common for the railroads to run in a loop to loop configuration, and often at least one of the loops needs to be shoehorned in some place. So while a nice long loco would certainly look good, something that's more like an over-sized Cagney can more readily handle whatever twists and turns the railroad throws at it. The exaggerated Wagon Top boiler is likewise practical, you'll never work water unless you're running a really full glass. They were built for operation first and looks second.

Not only that but I don't really think they look that bad. Take shot for example, I think the engine looks good in green with brass. The second one is a more sedate black, but it almost seems dull by comparison.

Ooooo, just found this one... LOL

The Wikipedia page has a layout of the trackage...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Gre ... ge_Railway

A nice little local story on the last run...

https://mtgretnahistory.org/2018/06/05/ ... -last-run/

Apparently, no one knows what happened to the equipment after the Pennsy hauled it off. Perhaps someone else does?

EDIT: Here's a 1902 topographic map of the area. The Cornwall & Lebanon had its own standard-gauge siding for the parade grounds and rifle range...

Here's the Google Streetview of the sharply-angled Pinch Rd. grade crossing site. This is where we would park when we wanted to go party up on the 66-foot tall concrete observation tower at Governor's Dick as we used to call it and still do... LOL

https://goo.gl/maps/eUVtnzDvYYjAfKL8A

Actually, Governor Dick was named after a guy who made charcoal for the local iron furnaces...

https://uncoveringpa.com/hiking-governo ... tion-tower

The view was much better before they put that stupid safety cage on top of the tower. Oh well...

Per the Railway & Locomotive Historical Society Bulletin #57, "The Two Footers", "the entire outfit; locomotives, cars, rails, fastenings, switches, and frogs were loaded on Pennsylvania R. R. cars at Mount Gretna station and shipped to the purchaser, a large scrap firm with yards near Philadelphia."

I also have my doubts as to the accuracy of the local story about a "last run" in 1893(admittedly it could be the last of the year), as all other articles I've read indicate the line to Governor Dick remained operational through the 1894 season.

I apologize, Robbie, as that was Robert Coleman's last run, not #12's. The whole Coleman family was big-time back in the day and George Dawson along with William had built the North Lebanon/Cornwall Railroad previous to the competing C&L. Thank you for the info on the disposition of the equipment!!!

Much of the roadbed immediately southwest of the lake was obscured by the construction of PA 117 through town but this is the general location of the lower loop. BTW, that should be the equivalent of DuPont 93-6808 Yellow on the PennDOT truck... LOL

https://goo.gl/maps/37bNmm8mtuWRgB2v8

The 4-4-0 #12 was built in just 8 days. It was big news back then. From the July 13, 1889 edition of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Yeah Tom, I'll bet they couldn't do that now. LOL

I did reports on the local railroads back in high school and never knew exactly where the roadbed ran after passing the lake on the way up the hill and to the rifle range so I dialed up the LIDAR map of the area.

The mystery has now been solved. Actually looks like they may have had a wye installed at the junction which would make good sense if I was designing it. You can see the grading of the standard gauge C&L spur there also. Route 117 runs in between the two...

If I'm correctly remembering the Mallory Hope Ferrell Gazette series from 15 years ago...

They built two stub end sidings at a T to the C&L main at Mt. Gretna, with a second switch tied in that connected to a turntable and a small, rustic enginehouse. The yard was laid on a slight gradient; rather than run around the train, the locomotive would uncouple at the yard limits and the train would be coasted downhill into the station using handbrakes while the locomotive was turned and prepared for the next trip.

To the best of my knowledge there was never a wye at the C&L station (at least on the narrow gauge).

Here is a story from June 25, 1889 that explains the deliver of the Porter and some coaches. The Baldwin was delivered on July 4th to handle the independence Day trains. The Jackson & Sharp cars were built here in my hometown and photos of them might exist as many J&S photos have been preserved.

The whole railroad was a short 10-minute ride as seen in this schedule from 1889. It is a very interesting and obscure piece of history.