That's great news. I'm sure Glenn is happy that someone will restore the engine and get it out of the weather. Perhaps one day it will operate in excursion service. The move from the Rocks to the roundhouse will be very interesting as to preparations, method of transport and the route taken. Best of luck on this massive undertaking!
No, you read the posts. Where did I say it would be scrapped?
Tom
Pittsburgh, PA
I'm overjoyed the Age of Steam Museum got her and she won't suffer any more deterioration. They seem to treat things well and have a good program and a fine new roundhouse to protect things. The only other museums I can think of that cares about it's equipment roster is the Illinois Ry Museum, Rennsylvania Historical Museum and maybe Steamtown.
I wasn't aware they also got the 0-10-2! Neat!
IRM actually is refining their collection by selling off excess equipment they don't need for their mission and using the money to restore stuff. Congratulations to an intelligent management philosophy.
It just sucks to see a museum let things rot rather than selling stuff to preserve some of their stuff. Shame the ORM won't do something with the N&W Pacific. They have taken a running engine and turned it into a pile of rust. Terrible!
oldline1
SPSOT fan oldline1 Looks like they found a buyer whether on feebay or not. This is a great home for the engine. http://www.ageofsteamroundhouse.org/aosrm-acquires-bessemer-lake-erie-no-643/ Thanks for sharing this oldline! Very nice to see this locomotive has found a good home!
oldline1 Looks like they found a buyer whether on feebay or not. This is a great home for the engine. http://www.ageofsteamroundhouse.org/aosrm-acquires-bessemer-lake-erie-no-643/
Looks like they found a buyer whether on feebay or not. This is a great home for the engine.
http://www.ageofsteamroundhouse.org/aosrm-acquires-bessemer-lake-erie-no-643/
Thanks for sharing this oldline! Very nice to see this locomotive has found a good home!
+1
I'm beginning to realize that Windows 10 and sound decoders have a lot in common. There are so many things you have to change in order to get them to work the way you want.
Regards, Isaac
I model my railroad and you model yours! I model my way and you model yours!
tcwright973 As previously posted, that locomotive was still in McKees Rocks last summer. It isn't covered any longer with tarps and is basically a pile of junk. I don't know what the scrap price might be, but it sure isn't the prices quoted above.
As previously posted, that locomotive was still in McKees Rocks last summer. It isn't covered any longer with tarps and is basically a pile of junk. I don't know what the scrap price might be, but it sure isn't the prices quoted above.
Apparently you haven‘t decided to take the time and read the above post. The locomotive has been saved by the Age of Steam Roundhouse group as have (supposedly) the S1 and Big Emma aux Tender. Next time read the posts before respoding. The locomotive won’t be scrapped or sold for the price above..
The sad truth is that every railroad museum in the world already has all the hunks of rusting iron they need. Unless somebody coughs up the $50,000 to $100,000 to restore it, no museum will go anywhere near that engine.
Disclaimer: This post may contain humor, sarcasm, and/or flatulence.
Michael Mornard
Bringing the North Woods to South Dakota!
I've always liked those engines, would be nice to see it preserved somewhere. Wonder if "The Depot" (Lake Superior RR Museum) up in Duluth MN would be interested? Although this engine was only used on the B&LE, 18 (IIRC) of it's twin-sister 2-10-4s were transferred to the DM&IR in the early fifties, serving on ore trains until the end of steam in 1960.
Looks like it was retro-fitted with #26 brake equipment at some point...
That's why I didn't find it, Ebay Motors, a place I have never gone.
Well jump in there Oldline1. Surprise the family.
Mike.
My You Tube
https://www.ebay.com/itm/1944-Baldwin-Locomotive-Works-Steam-Engine-Condition-is-Used-Local-pickup-only/233227123031?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649
Well I searched Ebay when the OP first posted, and I couldn't find anything. Perhaps the OP could furnish a link?
Wait, we are talking about a real 1:1 scale steamer here! Wow, being sold on Ebay! That explains why the price is so high! I hope the person who buys it doesn’t intend to scrap it, but will at least cosmetically restore it if not completely. It would be very sad to see such a great engine disappear. The 2-10-4 is quite a rare wheel arrangement, making it quite worthy of restoration.
I attempted to locate the listing with no success. The last time I saw 643 it was sitting in the yards of the old P&LE shop complex in McKees Rocks, PA. It was covered with torn tarps, vandalized, and rusting away. Six figures for what I saw a couple of years ago.......I find that hard to believe. I knew the owner from back in the 80’s and he had great plans to use the engine to pull PTMS passenger cars in excursion service on the old Chessie System out of the B&O station in Pittsburgh. I remember the engine ran a short break in run after repairs. PTMS was a group of guys within the local chapter of the NRHS. Go to YouTube and search Patrain and a video of the station and many of our cars will come up. Currently I believe the entire shop complex in the Rocks is torn down to make way for a CSX intermodal terminal. Location of the engine unknown at this posting. I do run into the owner at local train shows on occasion and I will ask him for an update.
Yes that engine has long been one of the "will it ever run again?" steamers. Supposedly it was well taken care of its in stored retirement.
The B&LE published a booklet in 1954 basically documenting and celebrating its conversion from steam to diesel. The author of the booklet noted that on many railroads, top officials would greet the last steam run but on the B&LE the event happened so suddenly and expectedly that there was no one event or celebration - hence the very interesting booklet that had photos of many classes of B&LE steam locomotives. "We had a fine fleet of steam locomotives and a fine set of men to run them." It documents last runs and the names of crews (and call times!). 643 last ran 8/13/52 in a Conneaut Branch drag freight with two others of its class.
The last listed steam run was yard work with # 156 (a 2-8-0 I think) on 5-14-53, although the booklet insists the last run was December, 1952. 2-10-4 # 642 was worked on so I could head up a line of dead steam headed for the scrapper on June 2, 1954. That was the farewell to steam on the B&LE.
The B&LE held on to two examples for historical exhibit. 2-8-0 # 154, and 2-10-4 # 643.
Dave Nelson
Never mind, I miss-read the OP's post.
It is a cleverism. You know like the folks who always call Las Vegas "Lost Wages".
Some people call it "Flea Bay".
oldline1Anyone bidding on the B&LE 2-10-4 #643 listed on feebay?
What is "FEEBAY"? Never heard of it. Do you have a link to it?
Regards, Ed
Anyone bidding on the B&LE 2-10-4 #643 listed on feebay? Price has dropped from $575K to $375K.
Seriously, I sure would hate to see it get scrapped as it's always been one of my favorite steam classes.