"Near" Acquisitions (Almost, But Not Quite ... )

Rainier Rails · **Posted:** Wed Oct 08, 2014 8:43 am

Bob Davis wrote:

Going back to 1950, as the Pacific Electric was fading away, a group of traction fans tried to raise money to buy unique wooden interurban 999, but the funding drive fell short and the car went off to Terminal Island for scrap.

From the Electric Railway Historical Association of Southern California: http://www.erha.org/

ERHA wrote:

Car 999 was unique; it broke away from the remainder of its class back in LAP days. It ran as a deluxe car on LAP as "El Vicento" ("The Wind") until the Great Merger. PE rebuild it into its deluxe car, 01 (which see), and for years it carried VIPs over the system's lines. By 1925 the car was little used and on December 17th of that year was renumbered --- becoming 999. In 1929 this car was put through Torrance Shops, being rebuilt into a straight passenger motor of the 950 Class.

999 that year entered regular passenger service, spending most of her subsequent career on the Venice Short Line.

The car's unique ends, reminiscent of both PE's 800 and 1000 Classes, made her much sought after by photographers.

999 served until the abandonment of the Venice Short Line in 1950; the car went to her doom on Terminal Island in 1951.

Above quote from this page: http://www.erha.org/pe950h.htm#999

PE #999 diagram: http://www.erha.org/pe999d.htm

Alexander D. Mitchell IV · **Posted:** Mon Dec 26, 2016 10:25 pm

Ron Goldfeder wrote:

The story of the Lehigh Valley inspection loco #1 "Dorothy" is a bit more complicated than described. It had two or three private owners before going to the WW II scrap drive, depending on how you want to count them. It was retired and privately purchased by John Vaughn of Kingston, PA, in 1934, and ran on his Vaughn Central RR which also had a couple of narrow gauge Vulcan mine locos on it. Vaughn was a retired banker and had been a director of the Vulcan Loco Works, although he had no other connection with the railroad industry I know of. Upon his death it went to Frank Mitten in 1939 as Mitten was a LV official who helped Vaughn get the loco. Mitten moved it to his property in Bear Creek, PA, where he and his buddies used it for their poker games like a clubhouse. It didn't operate there, just sat on a short piece of track. When Mitten won a hand he liked to ring the bell. But when he died in 1943 his widow donated the loco to a WW II scrap drive. Mrs. Mitten would have been the third private owner.

Sorry to bring a dead thread back from the dead, but......

The same folder that gave us the LIRR snowplow just gave this up, too. (From Leonard W. Rice via Lee Rogers, Md. Rail Heritage Library collection.)

This is Lehigh Valley 1, supposedly formerly LV 300, mentioned earlier in this thread. The photo appears to show it on display somewhere, possibly with a white sign on it, with ropes blocking off access at front and rear and a "253" loco behind it...... Comparing with the earlier photo shows some substantial differences. LV rosters say she left in 1934.

Does anyone recognize this as a specific event, such as one of the railroad fairs?

Ron Goldfeder · **Posted:** Tue Dec 27, 2016 12:21 pm

I have this photo in my collection with only the data that it was circa 1925. Nothing on the location or event, but this locomotive was frequently exhibited at events supported by the LV. The changes from the earlier ones of it are that the box headlights have been replaced with electric ones, although the bracket for the rear one is still hanging behind the cab. There is also an inductive signal pick-up next to the rear truck which was use for testing train control signals starting about 1925. A funnel used to help put water into the tank is seen at the rear as well. I have a dated photo from the Vollrath collection from 1928 that shows it unchanged except for a visor on the headlight. Number 300 was badly damaged in a wreck during a strike in 1893 and rebuilt with a more elaborate body in 1894. This body was simplified when it was again rebuilt with a new boiler in 1905, and also renumbered to #1. By the time it was sold to Mr. Vaughn in 1934 its forward facing seats were replaced by bench seats along the sides of the front portion, but outwardly the LV herald on the tank was the only change other than the inductive signal equipment was gone.

NKP779 · **Joined:** Mon Mar 14, 2011 4:10 pm **Posts:** 89

In Sept. 1970 a buddy and I got into the Roanoke scrap yard with the Y-6's. Subject to finding my lousy instamatic photos I believe it was the 2174 and the 2189. There was one one tender between the two Y-6's.

Another documented story was that the NKP was holding Berkshire No. 757 for the City of Bellevue, Ohio, it's most important terminal. The locals were to come up with the real estate, permanent track and a fence. The locals tried for several years but never could come up with the money and the 757 was becoming increasingly ratty. I have a copy of the local newspaper article about the 757.

After the N&W - NKP - WAB merger (Oct. 1964) N&W gave the 757 to the State Railroad Museum of PA in 1966. Purportedly it was their first steam locomotive at Strasburg and remains as their only super power locomotive with a four wheel trailing truck.

robertjohndavis · **Joined:** Mon Aug 23, 2004 8:10 am **Posts:** 2499

The locomotive behind her seems to be LV 3253. In this picture from the NE Rails site, she appears at what looks like the same event. NE Rails has it listed as 1933 in Buffalo, NY. Photo by Joseph A. Smith.

http://www.northeast.railfan.net/images/lv3253s.jpg

And at this site it is listed as May 1933. http://www.nyysa.com/code/DetailPage.php?a=629&ff=6&sl=10&rc=139

Rob

Alexander D. Mitchell IV wrote:

Ron Goldfeder wrote:

The story of the Lehigh Valley inspection loco #1 "Dorothy" is a bit more complicated than described. It had two or three private owners before going to the WW II scrap drive, depending on how you want to count them. It was retired and privately purchased by John Vaughn of Kingston, PA, in 1934, and ran on his Vaughn Central RR which also had a couple of narrow gauge Vulcan mine locos on it. Vaughn was a retired banker and had been a director of the Vulcan Loco Works, although he had no other connection with the railroad industry I know of. Upon his death it went to Frank Mitten in 1939 as Mitten was a LV official who helped Vaughn get the loco. Mitten moved it to his property in Bear Creek, PA, where he and his buddies used it for their poker games like a clubhouse. It didn't operate there, just sat on a short piece of track. When Mitten won a hand he liked to ring the bell. But when he died in 1943 his widow donated the loco to a WW II scrap drive. Mrs. Mitten would have been the third private owner.

Sorry to bring a dead thread back from the dead, but......

The same folder that gave us the LIRR snowplow just gave this up, too. (From Leonard W. Rice via Lee Rogers, Md. Rail Heritage Library collection.)

This is Lehigh Valley 1, supposedly formerly LV 300, mentioned earlier in this thread. The photo appears to show it on display somewhere, possibly with a white sign on it, with ropes blocking off access at front and rear and a "253" loco behind it...... Comparing with the earlier photo shows some substantial differences. LV rosters say she left in 1934.

Does anyone recognize this as a specific event, such as one of the railroad fairs?

ted66 · **Posted:** Wed Dec 28, 2016 11:57 pm

Just to even up the sides a little; many streetcars and Interurbans almost made into museums or did not.

The complete Portland and Lewiston Sebattus Interurban was owned by the daughter of the line after it was abandoned. She asked about giving to "that trolley group" (Seashore Trolley Museum) but was told that "they would never amount to anything."

Now sister Interurban Narcissus is being restored in the Townhouse Shop at STM.

Ted Miles, STM Member

"Near" Acquisitions (Almost, But Not Quite ... )

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