Rides Again at IRM Frisco 1630
Originally built for export to Russia in 1918 by Baldwin, 2-10-0 No. 1630 was later sold to the Pennsylvania Railroad before coming to the Frisco. Later acquired by a mining company, 1630 was donated to Illinois Railway Museum in 1965. Taken out of service in 2004, the Russian Decapod returned to service in 2013. The engine ran a series of trips around the museum property in Union, Ill., on July 3, through the holiday weekend.
PHOTO BY JEFF TERRY
The project will strengthen the hillside and ensure that WMSR train operations continue and the Great Allegheny Passage Trail remains open. “This railroad is important to us. We
have worked for thirty years to build it up and make it part of our community. We need to make sure it operates safely and continues to contribute to our economy and future,” Mike Brandt, Chairman of the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad Board.
CTA No. 1 to Seashore GE Donates
Seashore Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport, Maine, is now home to an interesting piece of midwestern traction history with the arrival of Chicago Transit Authority Car No. 1, one of four cars built between 1959- 60 by St. Louis Car Co. for high-speed performance testing on the Skokie Swift line. Cars 1-4 were used on the Skokie Swift whe it first opened in 1964 and were equipped with experimental controls, trucks, gear drives, axles, and friction brakes, and used many components salvaged from retired PCC trolley cars. These experimental cars had interesting careers due to thier non- standard equipment. Car No. 1 car sits on the only pair of B20 trucks ever built, and it is equipped with “pan poles” to collect current from an overhead wire on the former North Shore interurban route. In 1974 CTA No. 1 was leased to General Electric to be used as a test bed and had remained at the Erie, Pa., plant ever since. Car No. 1 is the sole survivor of the four cars built, as cars 2, 3, and 4 have since been scrapped. General
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RAILFAN.COM
Electric donated the car to Seashore Trolley Museum earlier this year, and the move took place in July. Museum volunteers are evaluating the car for future restoration, including repainting it into an original paint scheme. Please visit
www.trolleymuseum.org to make a donation to support this project.
Controversial Sale For Santa Fe No. 5000
Santa Fe 2-10-4 No. 5000 has been displayed in Amarillo, Texas, since 1957 and the city may be seeking a buyer for the locomotive according to the Amarillo Globe-News. Built by Baldwin in 1930, the locomotive was donated to the city upon its retirement. It was first displayed near the Santa Fe station, and was moved to a park in August 2005. Since the move, the locomotive has
been cared for by the Railroad Artifact Preservation Society, which has put an estimated $800,000 into the 5000. Now the city has issued a request for proposals (RFP) from interested buyers for the engine, and the way the RFP is worded the society is excluded from submitting a proposal. According to Sonja Gross, a spokesperson for Amarillo, the city wasn’t actively seeking a buyer for 5000 but “city management was approached by various groups that expressed interest in the locomotive, and because of that interest they, along with the city council, decided it was best to go ahead and issue an RFP to find out what the real interest was out there…” One bid was submitted, but did not meet the criteria set in the RFP. Sam D. Teague, president of the society, says the group will not be
submitting a proposal for the 5000 due to insurance issues. “The RFP requires that whoever takes ownership of it have $3.5 million general liability insurance and workers compensation,” Teague explaine, “We have no employees. We’re all volunteers. We have all the knowledge and understanding to maintain and restore it, but we will have to ignore the RFP. I doubt there’s anyone who will accept it under those terms.”
First Revenue Run for PRR Doodlebug
A rare 1930 Brill Model 660 gas-electric “doodlebug” made its first revenue run on July 30 on the Allentown & Auburn Railroad in Topton, Pa. During a special event hosted by Railpace publisher Tom Nemeth, visitors were able to ride the vintage railcar through the Pennsylvania countryside, powered by a Hamilton prime mover installed in 1940. After retirement, Pennsylvania Railroad No. 4666 was eventually moved to Ringoes, N.J., on the Black River & Western in 1975. Later purchased by Carl Hostler, it was moved to the Allentown & Auburn in 2016. Volunteers have been working with the owner to complete repairs and make the unit available for future seasonal excursion service.
Lake Shore Museum G&W 80-Ton to
The tiny Genesee & Wyoming Railroad was built to haul salt from one of the largest mines in the world to interchange with several railroads in western New York State. A hundred years later that business is growing strong, forming the cornerstone of
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