cefinkjr The Strasburg, I think, has a B6 and a D16sb. Are these still in working order? Does anyone else have any former PRR steam in working order?
The Strasburg, I think, has a B6 and a D16sb. Are these still in working order? Does anyone else have any former PRR steam in working order?
Don't know about a B6, but Strasburgs D16sb 4-4-0 and the 4-4-2 #7002 are no longer in operation. They were retired several years ago when ultrsound testing showed unacceptable erosion in the firebox area. Both were returned to the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania where they can be seen today. The RRM of P was the actual owner, Strasburg only leased them. As a matter of fact a number of Strasburg steamers were pulled off line after ultrasound testing, so much so that the Strasburg crew called the tester the "Death Ray."
YES YOU COULD BUY PENNSY PLATES WHEN THEY WERE BEING SCRAPPED-I BOUGHT SEVERAL-THEY WERE SHIPPED IN A WOODEN BOX FROM ALTOONA SHOPS IN THE MID 1950,S
ChuckAllen, TX
I've heard many times from the collectors (or heirs) of such steam loco memorabilia that the standard "price' of a piece of hardware--bell,, plate, whistle, etc.--was a bottle of spirits or box of cigars/carton of cigarettes to the guy with the torch in his hands. The bigger/better the item, the bigger/better the bottle/box or booze/cigars.
In other cases, however, the scrappers would sell for dead weight of the iron/brass, retail.
British Railways operated a "Collectors Corner" shop in a corner of Euston Station in London that was an official clearing house for everything from station clocks to station signs to locomotive nameplates. Plates that sold for as little as £10 in decades past are now selling for as much as £30,000 at auctions.
PRR did the same when they took delivery of their E44's in the early 1960's, equipping them with bells from steam locomotives.
I don't know about the Pennsylvania, but in the forties and fifties the Northern Pacific and Minneapolis & St.Louis railroads ordered some of their first generation diesels without bells, and installed bells taken from retired steam engines in their own shops.
The security at Northwestern Steel & Wire in Sterling shouldn't be too surprising. A steel mill is an inherently dangerous place. Also, selling off the various railroadiana such as bells, whistles, builder's plates, etc. would probably have been more bother than it was worth.
I think it really depending on who was doing the scrapping. I know the Norfolk and Southern and the Union pacific scrapped a lot of their locomotives in their own shops by their own people. The CEO's, Presidents, and other high officials usually got the cream of the crop with the builders plates (like those from the Big boys and the J's). People who were retiring usually got a builders plate or a bell. The mechanics usually took what ever they wanted if nobody else had a claim to it.
If the locomotives ended up going to a steel mill to be cut up it was unlikely that anything would have been saved. I once talked to Ron zeil who photographed the Burlington steam locomotives getting cut up in Illinois and he told me there was headlights, marker lights, bells, and other items all over the ground. He said the guy who was cutting up the locomotive asked him if he wanted the number plate from one of Burlington locomotives he just cut up and handed it to him. He said the steel mill didn't deal with the public including letting them roam the grounds or purchasing locomotive parts and pieces. He said they also didn't care about bells and builders plates as it was just metal to them.
You would be surprised what has survived. I check E-bay every week and have seen builders plates from the Alleghenies to the GG1s go up for auction. When a ex CEO or President dies and someone sells off his builders plate collection you see some real jewels.
When the PRR was scrapping their steam locomotives collectible momentos were removed and employee's were given first opportunity to buy them. Eventually the public could buy them by making a request to the PRR. The company decided which was available so you had little choice in your request. I have a J1 keystone plate that was purchased this way. As time went on the same was done with dining car china, silver, etc.
During the Penn Central years items available for employee's was advertised in the company magazine, The Post.
As to a T1 number plate, I have seen many of them in private collections and should the opportunity ever present itself to buy one get ready to mortgage the house!
Mikegtos On page 207 of "Pennsy Steam A Second Look" there is a description of West Philadelphia roundhouse in May 1956 where a K4 had comments written in chalk of what parts to remove such as bells, builders plates, and number plates. This was repeated over and over as steam was phased out. Did the PRR sell off these parts? From what I understand they removed and sold all of the GG1 builders plates while the motors were still in service. Any info would be interesting to me. What I wouldn't do for a T-1 number plate!!
On page 207 of "Pennsy Steam A Second Look" there is a description of West Philadelphia roundhouse in May 1956 where a K4 had comments written in chalk of what parts to remove such as bells, builders plates, and number plates. This was repeated over and over as steam was phased out. Did the PRR sell off these parts? From what I understand they removed and sold all of the GG1 builders plates while the motors were still in service. Any info would be interesting to me. What I wouldn't do for a T-1 number plate!!
The bell for sure had metal scrap value and the numbers are removed as a normal practice for many roads. The painted numbers are lined out also as a normal practice. The trust plates also probably had to be removed since ownership is declared on those plates. There was a J1 number plate at a Hobby Shop a few years ago and it was priced at several thousand dollars. Not all of the number plates were cut up.
CZ
I don't know specifically about PRR, but railroads did and still do sell off things that they don't need, especially if they know that there is a market for them. The MTA in NY sells parts of old subway cars through their transit museum: Horns, signs, the "straphanger" handles, etc. Septa (Philadelphia) sells route signs off of their old MU cars that are being retired. PC sold off china after it was no longer needed. A complete place setting sold for something like $7. That was to cover the shipping: technically the china was free. It wouldn't surprise me if PRR did sell off builder's plates, etc as steam locomotives were being retired.
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