Pittsburgh area steam engines

dieselloco · **Joined:** Thu Oct 03, 2019 2:31 pm **Posts:** 73

I was a teenager traveling by bus between Kittanning and Pittsburgh, Pa. around 1977. And I saw the domes on top of steam engines around the Cheswick Harmarville area. Between Pa Rt.28, the Conemaugh division and the Alleghany River. My friend and I parked my van and snuck onto a steel plant's property. There was an 0-4-0 and a 0-6-0. With my limited knowledge about steam at 18 years old, my recollection is that they were PRR locomotives. I recall an article saying they were saved. Don't know anything else. Do they still exist?

PMC · **Joined:** Sat Oct 17, 2015 5:55 pm **Posts:** 2876

dieselloco wrote:

I was a teenager traveling by bus between Kittanning and Pittsburgh, Pa. around 1977. And I saw the domes on top of steam engines around the Cheswick Harmarville area. Between Pa Rt.28, the Conemaugh division and the Alleghany River. My friend and I parked my van and snuck onto a steel plant's property. There was an 0-4-0 and a 0-6-0. With my limited knowledge about steam at 18 years old, my recollection is that they were PRR locomotives. I recall an article saying they were saved. Don't know anything else. Do they still exist?

This thread may be about the same topic: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=32883

Bobharbison · **Joined:** Fri Dec 03, 2004 9:42 pm **Posts:** 3011

Can anyone confirm there were two locos there? I only recall one, but it's been a very long time. I also seem to recall it had a slopeback tender. It/they were in pretty rough shape, even back then.

Like you, I also did some "urbex" long before that term was a thing. We not only looked over the engine(s), but we went inside the building through a hole in the wall. The siding extended into the building, and I had visions of possibly wood passenger coaches or something. Instead the siding had some old classic cars (autos) parked on it.

We then explored deeper into the building. It wasn't a steel mill, just a large warehouse. Most of it was semi-abandoned, but then we got to a section that looked like it was still in use. Looking around, we spotted a calendar with the current date. We turned tail and ran like a couple of scared rats, LOL...

Keep in mind, this was the 70's, things like security cams weren't common back then, and a couple of kids caught snooping around would likely have just been cussed out and run off with a stern warning of "next time we call the cops!"

Bobharbison · **Joined:** Fri Dec 03, 2004 9:42 pm **Posts:** 3011

Another thread on it. Note that I originally had the location name wrong, confusing it with Etna, where the Penn View Railroad's loco was found. I recalled the location, but got the town name wrong.

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=32876

dieselloco · **Joined:** Thu Oct 03, 2019 2:31 pm **Posts:** 73

Thanks for the links!! You can see the BLE bridge and the Pa turnpike bridge in the background. I thought there were two locomotives there when my friend and I snuck in. But it was 1977 we may have partaken a little before we got there. I'll need to send those pics to my friend.