Perhaps some of these museums are realizing that "look, we've had this car,plane,locomotive,railcar,etc for X number of years, it's been sitting outside deteriorating steadily, we have no plans/no money/no staff to do anything with it. We owe it to future generations to let it go to another organization that can/will do something with it." The Memphis Belle sat in Memphis since 1946 95% of the time outdoors, rotting,being vandalized before the U.S. Air Force Museum got it, and it took them ten years to restore her, and they aren't finished with her yet.

Its been on display for 1-2 years. Those 10 years were well spent; the museum restoration staff did a wonderful job.

Yes they did! And it looks like the Camelback will get to AOS before 643.

Nope, various incarnations of a deal had been in the works since last summer.

Thank you.

(Fake news) ½ of 643 is now to AOS before 1187 loll

but a pretty big 1/2 isn't.

I would have thought the trip from New Columbia to Sugarcreek with the engine should have been completed today. When the tender arrived on Saturday, their Facebook page had multiple photos plus a video. Did they have problems or just haven't had time to post photos.

https://www.facebook.com/ageofsteamroundhouse/

Something you learn after decades in "Amish Country" and rural areas:

Chik-Fil-A and Hobby Lobby aren't the only places that shut down on Sundays. (And the pro camera shops in Manhattan aren't the only places that close on Saturdays.)

Assuming there hasn't been any catastrophe (and my sources would have told me of such by now), we'll see the news eventually.

Why, when I was your age, we had to wait two or even THREE months to read about it or maybe see the pictures in Trains or Railfan Magazine!

"Something you learn after decades in 'Amish Country' and rural areas:

Chik-Fil-A and Hobby Lobby aren't the only places that shut down on Sundays. (And the pro camera shops in Manhattan aren't the only places that close on Saturdays.)

Assuming there hasn't been any catastrophe (and my sources would have told me of such by now), we'll see the news eventually.

Why, when I was your age, we had to wait two or even THREE months to read about it or maybe see the pictures in Trains or Railfan Magazine!"

That was very well stated, Sandy, and explains why today's Age of Steam Roundhouse Museum and Jerry Jacobson's former summertime steam trains between Sugarcreek and Baltic were never open for business on Sundays. Thank you and be safe.

John B. Corns

Didn't know for certain, had my suspicions.

It's a company's or privately owned enterprise's right to close for whatever reason when they dang well please.

I actually remember how long it took one privately-owned regional supermarket chain to finally open on Sundays. And when they finally did, the reactions were split between people "getting the vapors and clutching their pearls" to people saying "you're about twenty years behind the times!"

For Release Monday, August 3, 2020

The Age of Steam Roundhouse Museum Receives Its 23rd Steamer

Earlier today the Age of Steam Roundhouse Museum in Sugarcreek, Ohio, safely unloaded its newest acquisition, a rare Reading Railroad “Camelback” steam locomotive #1187 constructed in 1903. It is the 23rd steam locomotive acquired for Age of Steam Roundhouse Museum’s collection, and is one of only three Camelbacks still existing, all the others being scrapped and melted down by the mid-1950s.

On July 15, the locomotive was sold in a closed-bid auction held at the Strasburg RR in Pennsylvania, with the Age of Steam Roundhouse Museum placing the highest bid. The sale price was not disclosed. Moved to Ohio by three highway trucks, #1187 and its accompanying coal-carrying water tender were rolled off their trailers this morning. A third trailer carrying #1187’s parts will be delivered tomorrow.

“This Reading 0-4-0 Camelback is a unique, unusual and significant type of steam locomotive that is a welcome addition to the Age of Steam Roundhouse,” said William Strawn, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Jerry and Laura Jacobson Foundation, Inc., the organization that provided the funds to build AoSRM. “This tiny switch engine rolled on just 4 driving wheels and was able to negotiate tight curves to move railroad cars at factories or waterfront docks. The #1187 was the last Camelback used in regular freight railroad service (1962), and in 1967, with a special Strasburg RR train, made its last run under steam. We are adding another one of a Jerry Jacobson’s goals to our steam collection,” Strawn added.

Camelback #1187 is a former Philadelphia & Reading Railroad 0-4-0 steam switcher that was specially designed to burn the smokeless anthracite “hard coal” found in eastern Pennsylvania. The Camelbacks needed a special, wider firebox to burn anthracite coal with its lower heating value than found in other types of coal. Consequently, engineers had to operate these locomotives inside a separate cab that was mounted on top of the boiler. It was this hump-back appearance resembling the desert-dwelling animal that gave rise to their nickname, “Camelback.” Firemen shoveled coal into the wide firebox in the usual manner, but from their own small, open-sided cab located at the back of the locomotive. Therefore, the engineer and fireman had to work in two separate cabs on the same locomotive. Perched in his tight cab located atop a Camelback’s hot boiler, the engineer roasted during the summers, and working in his tiny, open-air cab during the winters, the fireman froze.

From 2008-2012, Jerry and Laura Jacobson of Sugarcreek constructed their historically accurate Age of Steam Roundhouse Museum. The late Mr. Jacobson was the owner and operator of the 550-mile Ohio Central Railroad System. Jerry loved old-time steam locomotives and acquired 22 of them for his private collection, believed to have been the world’s largest, privately-owned collection of steam locos. Mr. Jacobson sold his railroads, and spent the remainder of his life constructing his 18-stall roundhouse and back shop complex to restore and display his stable of iron horses. Today, Mrs. Jacobson kindly continues Jerry’s “love of locomotives” tradition and generous support as begun by her late husband.

“Even though #1187 appears in rough shape, AoSRM has all of its parts except for its wood cab that has rotted away,” said Tim Sposato, Chief Mechanical Officer at AoSRM and who shepherded #1187 to its new home in Ohio. “Luckily, included with the locomotive’s purchase is the original drawing of #1187’s cab. That will be a huge help in AoSRM’s cosmetic restoration of this rare little switcher.”

The Age of Steam Roundhouse Museum offers summertime tours, occasional fire-ups of some of our steamers, and other special events. We are a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. Visit our website: http://www.ageofsteamroundhouse.org , or visit us on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. Be safe.

John B. Corns
Age of Steam Roundhouse Museum
Sugarcreek, Ohio

I would love to see it run but it doesn't sound like operation is in the cards. I'm excited to see it look like new again though anyway. Was 1187 home built by the Reading?

John

Nope. Baldwin.

Thanks!