Hello,
I recently posted this photo on Flickr. There was some interest by one of the forum members here about some of the details of the locomotive and that got me thinking about "picking apart" a particular scene, something like what is done in the "What's In A Photo" series in Classic Trains.
PHOTO ONE
Pittsburgh & Ohio Valley 3 by Edmund, on Flickr
You can click the photo to go to Flickr and there, click again to get a very detailed view unless you are using your Dick Tracy wrist TV.
The photo of SW9 #3 was part of a stack of photos I bought at a train show some years ago. Photographer, date and location unknown.
The question posed to me was regarding the device hanging just below the jacking pad above the front truck.
Anyone is welcomed to comment about features spotted in the photo and elaborate or ask questions about the same.
Once this photo has been "picked over" I'll post another, or anyone else can contribute a photo worthy of discussion.
Regards, Ed
Ed, Great topic and one that much can be learned.
I'll start with the wooden empolyee crosswalk that was also used for 2 wheel barrel and grease carts and a torch cart.
ACFX 13978 has friction bearing trucks as does the number 3. The tank car to the right of #3 looks like a modern tank car.
The yard lacks ballast or is fine cinders.
The nice looking tool box on the 3 spot.
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
That looks like it might be a scale track that the wood crosswalk goes over - looks like a gantlet track and then notice the devices attached to the rail on the left.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
I'm not sure that I'm getting the gist of this, but the device on the loco's truck is plainly a re-railing frog, like the one seen here, but hung in place bottom-side-out...
The carry-over of the pilot stripes on the top front of the loco's hood is rather unusual, as if the entire front had been striped at some time, then later painted-over.The usual practice was to make them continuous if they were used...
There's not much info on-line about the railroad, but it looks to me to be a steel plant railroad, what with the blast furnace in the background and that large cooling tower right behind the locomotive. I'd guess that the photo might have been taken somewhere near the coke ovens, given the number of tank cars in the background.
Wayne
doctorwayneI'm not sure that I'm getting the gist of this, but the device on the loco's truck is plainly a re-railing frog,
Yes, the person here had asked me about the rerailing frog and had suggested posting the photo for further discussion.
I'm looking at the distinctive typeface of the numeral "3" which looks very much like the New York Central extended sans-serif "Century" lettering. Perhaps they borrowed a stencil from the P&LE?
Along with the rerailing frog there is a tow chain at the cab end. I wonder if there is a poling pole on the other side?
He also asked about the location of the ladder rungs. Why exactly were they located at that particular place? I know the engine cooling water fill is on the roof. What other reason would there be to climb to the roof? I assumed the rungs were located where there wasn't any compartment access doors.
Is that a tool box on the front platform? SW-1s had a sandbox there.
The front may be fully striped - when the radiator shutters are closed! Only other photos I can find show it fairly recently sitting in what appears to be a dead line, in a puke green and white stripe scheme with wide strips on the pilot and no carryover to the top of the front hood, just a horizontal white stripe up there.
Edit: And if I paid more attention to the captions on railpictures.net, yes, it was photographed in the dead line at LTEX in 2010.
More Edit: The P&OV was owned by US Steel. Like Bethlehem Steel's PBNE.
I see this emblem on the dome of the tank car just beyond the radiator of #3:
AAR_Tank_Manhole by Edmund, on Flickr
Anyone know what it signifies?
I don't, Ed. However, I just noticed the "Fire Extinguish" stenciled on the 1st hinged side panel of the SW9, in front of the grab irons. I don't recollect seeing that before.
Tom
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
Here's the significance of the "diamond" stencil:
AAR_Tank_closure by Edmund, on Flickr
Some of my Proto and Tangent cars have this emblem.
What is the second air hose for on the pilot? Surely not for passenger communicating signals!
Dump air for ladle or slag cars?
Sorry to be so basic here, but what are the things that look like shelves under the cab windows? They appear to be hinged to tilt upwards which would be the wrong direction if they're armrests.
Tim
Late to the model railroad party but playing catch-up.....
CapnCrunch They appear to be hinged to tilt upwards which would be the wrong direction if they're armrests.
They appear to be hinged to tilt upwards which would be the wrong direction if they're armrests.
Not so basic, but a good question. Those are the armrests. When the window is open they can pivot up and cover the groove the window slides in. That would be most uncomfortable if the groove, or track, rubbed on your elbow all day.
Glad you asked Ed
Ed, If you enlarge the photo you can see its a tool box. Some railroads and short lines added a tool box to carry tools needed to rerail a car or the locomotive.
Is the protrusion on the roof of the cab a safety step or hand-hold - i.e. in the event that someone needs to climb on top of the cab for some reason?
Tom, That's a sinclear radio antenna.
Thanks, Larry. That makes sense.
I figured out that the two brackets on the front hood are flag holders and suspect that the brackets on the smokestacks are where the mufflers (?) were attached. Is that another antenna protruding from square base on the back roof of the cab? If so, why are there two antennas?
BRAKIEEd, If you enlarge the photo you can see its a tool box. Some railroads and short lines added a tool box to carry tools needed to rerail a car or the locomotive.
Two biggest tools are hanging on the frame, though. (rerailer and chain)
Probably some blocks in there? And maybe some beer.
Now the "3" on the side of the cab. Maybe it's just the photo - but does it seem "off" to anyone else? The angle, positioning, coloring - almost like it was added after the fact?
It's been fun. But it isn't much fun anymore. Signing off for now.
The opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of my employer, any other railroad, company, or person.t fun any
The brackets on the stacks are for caps, to keep rain out of the exhaust. Where in a heavy enough downpour, it could run into any cylinder that has stopped witht he exhaust valves open. Just plugging the manifold with puddles of water, even if it doesn't get inside the pistons, is bad enough.
Possibly spark arrestors attached there as well.
zugmann BRAKIE Ed, If you enlarge the photo you can see its a tool box. Some railroads and short lines added a tool box to carry tools needed to rerail a car or the locomotive. Two biggest tools are hanging on the frame, though. (rerailer and chain) Probably some blocks in there? And maybe some beer. Now the "3" on the side of the cab. Maybe it's just the photo - but does it seem "off" to anyone else? The angle, positioning, coloring - almost like it was added after the fact?
BRAKIE Ed, If you enlarge the photo you can see its a tool box. Some railroads and short lines added a tool box to carry tools needed to rerail a car or the locomotive.
It's an odd font, for sure - but it's the same as the 3 on the front of the toolbox.
What's odd is the frame labeling. The froont end has an F on the frame, but at the rear, it has a 2. There's an R on the back edge of the cab. And what's with the B in the middle of the frame?
Wonder if they were ever set up with slugs or calfs?
What we are engaged in is known in art theory as "reading" a painting or as in this case, a photograph. The clearer the photo the more interesting and worthwhile it can be
I notice for example that the track the locomotive is on is nearly buried in cinders or dirt, but the track nearest us has the heavy duty railjoiners with 6 holes for bolting to the rail ends, versus the lighter duty 4 holes/4bolts you'd often see in yards. And there are rail anchors which prevent rail creep vis a vis the ties - something you see more often on high speed main lines but if in fact that is a scale track, then you build to standards that minimize how often that track has to be taken out of service for maintenance.
The background is also of interest - a refinery? that large tank looks like the expanding tanks for manufactured gas but those were largely gone by the 1960s and ACFX 13978 seems to show a reweigh or revised New date where it says MILT 12-71. PLus those expanding tanks usually had smooth sides not corrugated like this.
I also noticed the two different styles of handrail support on the side of the locomotive: 3 of them are a sort of gooseneck support.
The far left shows some kind of iron pipe railing to protect the area - again a track scale? Notice the clipped bushes also along the track
The locomotive is #3 but there is a "2" on the frame near the cab end. There are letters/numbers I cannot make out under the 3 on the cab. There is also an isolated letter R on the cab. Perhaps those most informed about the P&OV know what those things mean. Of course the customary F on the front end.
Dave Nelson
CapnCrunch Is that another antenna protruding from square base on the back roof of the cab? If so, why are there two antennas?
I believe radio frequencies for the railroads have been consolidated in recent years (part of NORAC). Back in the late '60s and through the '70s different railroads had their own systems and a locomotive like our #3, which would be used on transfer runs, possibly had to have two different radios hence the two different antennas.
Maybe the PRR used one type while the P&LE another but this engine had to be in communication with both? I seem to recall after TrainPhone was removed from the PRR and actual radios installed they used a small hi-band antenna like the one at the back of the cab. Don't recall ever seeing a Sinclair antenna on PRR equipment.
As far as frame lettering goes, and I'm a little fuzzy here, there is designated a #1 end and a #2 end and an A side and a B side (some railroads used L or R) along with the locomotive requiring the F designation for the front per §229.11.
Take a look at the markings on this SW-900:
CUT_EMD_9630 by Edmund, on Flickr
I thought I had the AAR rules copied for how to determine the above. I know a regular freight car has an A end and a B end with the B usually having the brake wheel.
Just a guess, Ed
zugmannTwo biggest tools are hanging on the frame, though. (rerailer and chain)
You will find a 20 ton bottle jack, blocks and probably two large wrenches.
This should be a weekly thing.
A pessimist sees a dark tunnel
An optimist sees the light at the end of the tunnel
A realist sees a frieght train
An engineer sees three idiots standing on the tracks stairing blankly in space
NVSRRThis should be a weekly thing.
I agree, constantly changing, like the Show Me Something thread, people would be in a rush to post a new picture.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
BigDaddy NVSRR This should be a weekly thing. I agree, constantly changing, like the Show Me Something thread, people would be in a rush to post a new picture.
NVSRR This should be a weekly thing.
I'm glad we're having fun
I can't take all the credit for the thread, it was suggested to me by another forum member here.
How about I toss in another photo?
Details are sketchy on this 8 x 10 glossy that was in the same stack as the previous photo.
PHOTO TWO
PRR Railroad Fair by Edmund, on Flickr
From what little I can gather this was either part of an open house at the PRR roundhouse in Wellsville, Ohio in 1953 or possibly Urbana, Ohio in the same year.
Anyone having any clues are encouraged to chime in.
Look at that fellow all the way up front of the smokebox on the J1a 6408!
Lots of other details to see here including the popular coon-skin, Davy Crockett hat!
Cheers, Ed
There is a guy with a Covid mask on track 1
I thought that guy was coming out of the smoke stack
I wonder what interesting piece is to the left, lots of people seem to be taking pictures of it.
ANd can you imagine allowing people to crawl over equipment like that? You can;t even do that these days with stuffed and mounted things in museums, but look there in the middle, there is a kid who has climbed up the tender and it climbing into the coal bunker!
The pennsy kept a preservation collection at renovo pa. Which is now in the state museum in strasburg. This might be an open house for that collection. The little narrow gauge loco on the flat car and the small steamer (almost certainly 1223) next to it. There were not many ds16b 4-4-0 around that late. And that one is polished up.