Someone who worked there in the early years explained that the county had the idea that the smaller equipment would be cheaper and easier to maintain... Yeah, right!

If I'm remembering right, at least some of those reflectors were "spun," a turning process that is similar to turning on a lathe in some ways, but is perhaps better compared to the process of making pots in clay.

How big (or expensive) would it be to spin a new reflector?

Alternately, would there be a reason not to use a spun reflector?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=um-biLfru-c

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGszBVy3cgU

The way it was explained to me years ago was that the late Hal Wilmunder was quite the "horse trader" and persuaded the Genesee County Parks that he had a good deal for them...
Hal had (at least) three 36" gauge locomotives he wanted to sell #2, #3, & #4 (not to mention coaches). Respectively:
http://steamlocomotive.info/vlocomotive.cfm?Display=645
http://steamlocomotive.info/vlocomotive ... splay=1308
http://steamlocomotive.info/vlocomotive.cfm?Display=648

#3 was too small for the operation and took a long, circuitous trip via Toby's Mill in WI to it's present location at the Otaru Transportation Museum in Japan, where it operates today.

#4 is a bit smaller than #2 and oil fired, and was never rebuilt to operation (to date). It is currently stuffed and mounted as the "Crossroads Lumber Company #4". A fun fact about this locomotive- the headlight "reflector" for its replica headlight was created from a salad bowl.

There are still spinning shops out there - there was a thread on here a while back about it. IIRC it was a bit expensive for one-offs, but HRR reportedly spent a lot on this restoration so I'd think they might be able to afford having a couple made. Someone would have to do the math and a form would be cut, so more than one gets some economy. Maybe putting the word out and doing a shared run would be a good idea.

As for spinnings instead of glass - I've never seen an older large case headlight with a glass reflector - they were most all spun and plated back when they were the thing. I've owned several from 11" to 16" and all had spun or pressed reflectors. Going waayyy back you might find some larger reflectors of mercury- or silver-filled glass, but they would be pre hole-thru-the-reflector style and not parabolic. Later era, P-N offered polished aluminum reflectors for their cast case lights, which were pressed IIRC.

152's headlight case looks like maybe a Star Headlight unit (of older tin era vintage) in the pics I see, so a spun and silver plated reflector would probably be right at home.

P.S. Sorry Kelly. I always seem to notice the jewelry first up after the big picture....

this is a bit of a side comment, but the salad bowl reminded me that the Tender "headlight" on displayed SP1727 is a stainless steel sink I found that fit nearly perfectly in the housing--much cheaper than trying to find a P-N reflector that would probably be vandalized later, and looks really good.

Actually, when you think about it, the decision to go narrow gauge was inspired. The railroad is part of a horse n' buggy era rural village recreation, and is a loop to loop affair. The smaller equipment sure made it easier to build return loops, and keep the wear on equipment to a minimum.

Narrow gauge railroading mirrored standard gauge railroad development until about the turn of the twentieth century, when it just stopped evolving, which means that just about anything they acquired fit the period pretty well. Yes, the 152 was actually built in 1920, but with a keyhole boiler and slide valves was twenty years out of date when constructed. As it turns out, everything they've collected fits the desired period pretty well. Not exactly Currier and Ives, but close.

Contrast this with the typical standard gauge museum operation; a stinky industrial diesel critter pulling stinky ex commuter cars, some of which have sealed windows and inoperative air conditioning. To achieve what they have assembled in standard gauge, they would have had to have just about everything built new, like the Steam into History folks.

Where would you run all the narrow gauge equipment if you did that?

[quote="PMC"]Sorry to ask an off-topic question, and I think it has been asked before but I can't find the thread, but this branch was standard gauge when abandoned (it was a Pere Marquette branch), but was rebuilt in the past few decades as narrow gauge. Why rebuild as narrow gauge when that will limit the equipment you can use? Not meant as a criticism, I am just wondering about the logic.[/quot

If I understand correctly, most if not all of the equipment is narrow gauge. Certainly both locomotives mentioned are. If you put the branch back in as standard gauge, then what do you do with the narrow gauge equipment?