Trains.com

Looking for Lehigh Valley Steam Info

20820 views
26 replies
1 rating 2 rating 3 rating 4 rating 5 rating
  • Member since
    February 2002
  • 96 posts
Looking for Lehigh Valley Steam Info
Posted by 1019x on Monday, January 9, 2017 8:43 PM

I am helping a writer friend on a mystery novel he is working on. It takes place in 1945 and the plot has the characters riding from Philadelphia to Buffalo on the Lehigh Valley's Maple Leaf. I know that LV had some streamlined Pacifics pulling the John Wilkes, did they use streamlined Pacifics on the Maple Leaf as well? Also I know the Philadelphia section ran over the Reading to Bethlehem. Was this run as a Reading train or did the LV have trackage rights over the Reading? Where were crew change points on the LV main line? I appreciate any help.

Charlie

  • Member since
    June 2002
  • 20,096 posts
Posted by daveklepper on Tuesday, January 10, 2017 11:21 AM
The through Lehigh Valley sleeper, Philadelphia – Buffalo or Philadelphia – Toronto (CN into Toronto, not TH&B), was handled in a regular Reading Terminal –Bethlehem Reading train.  Its Cornel Red color made it stand out in the Terminal and in the train.  I know the Pacific on the Reading was not streamlined, and pretty sure this was true of the Maple Leaf most of the time as well.
 
 
I think Sayer and Bethlehem were crew-change points, possibly there were others.
  • Member since
    February 2002
  • 96 posts
Posted by 1019x on Tuesday, January 10, 2017 12:52 PM

Thank you Dave!

Charlie

 

daveklepper
The through Lehigh Valley sleeper, Philadelphia – Buffalo or Philadelphia – Toronto (CN into Toronto, not TH&B), was handled in a regular Reading Terminal –Bethlehem Reading train.  Its Cornel Red color made it stand out in the Terminal and in the train.  I know the Pacific on the Reading was not streamlined, and pretty sure this was true of the Maple Leaf most of the time as well.
 
 
I think Sayer and Bethlehem were crew-change points, possibly there were others.
 

  • Member since
    January 2015
  • 2,678 posts
Posted by kgbw49 on Sunday, January 15, 2017 12:38 PM

The John Wilkes at Allentown PA...

Image result for lehigh valley steam passenger trains

Black Diamond at Rochester Junction on a colorized postcard...

Image result for lehigh valley steam passenger trains

Black Diamond unit in what looks to be commuter service based on the car tied to the tank...

Related image

Pacific for the John Wilkes with name on the tender...

Image result for lehigh valley maple leaf passenger train

John Wilkes unit from the tender...

Related image

Black Diamond at speed...

Related image

4-6-2 2093 at Oak Island NJ...

Related image

John Wilkes at Sayer PA...

Related image

Black Diamond at speed - notice the semaphore just starting to drop from vertical...

Related image

A unique postcard with the John Wilkes 4-6-2 on the left and a 4-8-4 Wyoming on freight on the right...

Image result for lehigh valley maple leaf passenger train

4-6-2 2102 in a crisp black and white photo coaled up and ready to roll...

Image result for lehigh valley maple leaf passenger train

Another crisp portrait of 4-6-2 2102...

Related image

Lehigh Valley also had 5 4-8-4 Wyoming-types with 77" drivers - units 5125-5129 but ended up being used mostly on freight...

Wyoming 4-8-4 5127? on a 91 car freight...

Image result for lehigh valley t-3 4-8-4

Wyoming 4-8-4 5128 on the Black Diamond at Allentown PA...

Image result for lehigh valley t-3 4-8-4

Wyoming 4-8-4 5126 in a rods-down portrait...

Image result for lehigh valley t-3 4-8-4

 

  • Member since
    February 2002
  • 96 posts
Posted by 1019x on Sunday, January 15, 2017 2:49 PM

Thanks for the photos, do you happen to know the driver diameter for the Pacifics and do you have any photos of one of these Pacifics or a sister engine without the streamline shroud?

Charlie

  • Member since
    August 2010
  • From: Henrico, VA
  • 8,955 posts
Posted by Firelock76 on Sunday, January 15, 2017 5:23 PM

1019x, the Lehigh Valley K-6b Pacifics used on the "Black Diamond" had 77" drivers.  Should you need this as well, boiler pressure was 215 pounds, tractive effort was 41, 534 pounds, 10,400 with a booster cut in. 

And great shots kgb, thanks for posting!  You don't often see color photos of the "John Wilkes" or the Black Diamond."  Don't you love that wild streamline treatment?  Looks like something out of a Thirties "Flash Gordon" or "Buck Rogers" serial!

 

  • Member since
    January 2015
  • 2,678 posts
Posted by kgbw49 on Sunday, January 15, 2017 5:32 PM

Following up on Firelock76's info, the LV K6b Pacifics were in the 2088-2099 number series.

There was another number series 2100-2149 that was K5 that had 73 inch drivers and a hefty 48,713 lbs of tractive effort.

Here is an unstreamlined K5...

Image result for lehigh valley 4-6-2

  • Member since
    January 2015
  • 2,678 posts
Posted by kgbw49 on Sunday, January 15, 2017 8:56 PM

Another crisp view of the John Wilkes at Allentown PA from a different location...

Image result for lehigh valley pacific locomotive

LV 4-6-2 73 inch drivered K5 2102 from the tender...

Image result for lehigh valley pacific locomotive

LV 4-6-2 77 inch drivered K4 semi-streamlined 2023...

Image result for lehigh valley pacific locomotive

LV 4-6-2 73 inch drivered K5 2101 with modified streamlining...

Image result for lehigh valley pacific locomotive

LV 4-6-2 77 inch drivered K6b 2090...

Image result for lehigh valley 4-6-2

LV 4-6-2 77 inch drivered K6b 2092...

Image result for lehigh valley 4-6-2

LV 4-6-2 77 inch drivered K6b 2095 at speed...

Image result for lehigh valley 4-6-2

LV Black Diamond at Buffalo NY...

Image result for lehigh valley black diamond poster

Lehigh Valley promotional poster...

Image result for lehigh valley black diamond poster

 

 

 

  • Member since
    June 2002
  • 20,096 posts
Posted by daveklepper on Tuesday, January 17, 2017 12:56 PM

Anyone know why the LV's 4-8-4s were named  Wyomings?

RME
  • Member since
    March 2016
  • 2,073 posts
Posted by RME on Tuesday, January 17, 2017 3:32 PM

daveklepper
Anyone know why the LV's 4-8-4s were named  Wyomings?

For the Wyoming Valley in northeastern Pennsylvania, through which they ran.

Another area of the United States has this name, from the same source. 

  • Member since
    January 2015
  • 2,678 posts
Posted by kgbw49 on Tuesday, January 17, 2017 7:58 PM

The Lackawanna called their 4-8-4 units "Poconos" for the same reason.

Lackawanna Pocono 4-8-4...

Related image

Lehigh Valley Wyoming 4-8-4...

Image result for lehigh valley 4-8-4

  • Member since
    January 2015
  • 2,678 posts
Posted by kgbw49 on Wednesday, January 18, 2017 10:05 PM

Some Lehigh Valley Pacific photos...

K6b 77-inch-drivered 4-6-2 on the westbound Black Diamond at Sayre PA...

Image result for lehigh valley sayre pa

K5 73-inch-drivered 2102 at Sayre PA...

Image result for lehigh valley sayre pa

K3 77-inch-drivered 4-6-2 2021 at Sayre PA...

Image result for lehigh valley sayre pa

K3 77-inch-drivered 4-6-2 2024 at Sayre PA on freight...

Image result for lehigh valley sayre pa

K3 77-inch-drivered 20??...

Image result for lehigh valley sayre pa

K6b 77-inch-drivered 4-6-2 2092 at speed near Jersey City...

Related image

K6b 77-inch-drivered 2098 at Rochester Junction NY...

Image result for lehigh valley railroad jersey city nj

K2 77-inch-drivered 4-6-2 2019 at Mauch Chunk PA...

Image result for lehigh valley railroad oak island nj

K?? 4-6-2 Pacific in Lehigh Gap...

Image result for lehigh valley railroad wilkes barre pa

Lehigh Valley Passenger Train pulled by 4-6-2 at Penn Haven Junction PA...

Image result for lehigh valley railroad wilkes barre pa

LV John Wilkes 4-6-2 on passenger train at Penn Haven Junction PA...

Related image

K6b 77-inch-drivered 4-6-2 2088 at Depew NY - broadside view...

K6b 77-inch-drivered 4-6-2 2097 at Binghamton NY...

K6b 77-inch-drivered 4-6-2 2096 at the Rahway Valley Railroad interchange at Roselle Park NJ...

 

 

 

 

RME
  • Member since
    March 2016
  • 2,073 posts
Posted by RME on Thursday, January 19, 2017 12:40 PM

kgbw49
Some Lehigh Valley Pacific photos...

For some reason, in a great many of these pictures you have linked to the thumbnail representations of images rather than the pictures themselves.  (Remove the /thumbs in the URL and you'll get to the larger and better-detailed versions)

Any Lehigh Valley power experts familiar with the device on the left top of the smokebox? 

From the electrical lead in the second picture, I thought this might be a turbogenerator, fed from the left cylinder block, but it doesn't look like any generator I've seen before. From the earlier shots provided, I had thought this device might be a late-developed 'improvement' contemporary with the use of Boxpok main drivers and concomitant rebalancing, but note the second picture above, with spoked mains.

  • Member since
    January 2015
  • 2,678 posts
Posted by kgbw49 on Sunday, January 22, 2017 9:32 AM

A few more Lehigh Valley Wyoming 4-8-4 photos...

T1 class of 11 units 5100-5110 had 70 inch drivers...

T2 class of 21 units 5200-5220 also had 70 inch drivers...

T2 class 52?? at an undisclosed location...

Image result for lehigh valley 4-8-4

T2 5210 with 70 inch drivers and tender booster...

Image result for lehigh valley 4-8-4

T1 5105 at Lancaster NY on what looks to be a reefer block...

Image result for lehigh valley 4-8-4

T1 5110 with livestock cars tied to the tank...

Image result for lehigh valley 4-8-4

T2 5218 on the ready track...

Image result for lehigh valley 4-8-4

T1 5101 builder's photo at Baldwin in 1932...

Image result for lehigh valley wyoming steam locomotive

T2 5200 with high-mounted feedwater heater...

Image result for lehigh valley sayre pa

 

 

 

  • Member since
    December 2003
  • From: Central PA
  • 2,536 posts
Posted by jefelectric on Monday, January 23, 2017 6:38 PM

I've been told, but don't know it for a fact, that none of the LV steam has survived.  Is that a fact?

John Fullerton Home of the BUBB&A  http://www.jeanandjohn.net/trains.html
  • Member since
    September 2013
  • 6,199 posts
Posted by Miningman on Monday, January 23, 2017 10:00 PM

Any Lehigh Valley power experts familiar with the device on the left top of the smokebox? 

From the electrical lead in the second picture, I thought this might be a turbogenerator, fed from the left cylinder block, but it doesn't look like any generator I've seen before. From the earlier shots provided, I had thought this device might be a late-developed 'improvement' contemporary with the use of Boxpok main drivers and concomitant rebalancing, but note the second picture above, with spoked mains.

The above is from RME

Just trying to resurrect this issue before it gets buried, Got me puzzled as well. It appears to go directly into the smokebox. Can that be? That bell sure is in full swing in the first picture. The feature in question is on 2095 and 2097 but I do not see it elsewhere. 

  • Member since
    January 2015
  • 2,678 posts
Posted by kgbw49 on Monday, January 23, 2017 11:46 PM

T1 Wyoming 5110 also has the device - it is visible on the fireman'a side view. All of those devices have a "sideways J"'exhaust pipe exhausting right in front of the stack.

RME
  • Member since
    March 2016
  • 2,073 posts
Posted by RME on Tuesday, January 24, 2017 6:29 AM

Plot thickens - 5110 has been equipped with a Worthington open FWH, perhaps around the time it got its disc main, and the device in question has had to be moved back from where I'd expect a separator/muffler for air vent or whatever would be located. Still has the small line running down to approximately the same location on the cylinder block.

Note the small plume of steam at the front of the exhaust in the picture of 52?? in the earlier post - this is what I'd expect the vent of a Worthington heater to produce.  It is not diffused the way I'd expect steam from the flared J-pipe on our device would be.

  • Member since
    September 2013
  • 6,199 posts
Posted by Miningman on Tuesday, January 24, 2017 11:06 PM

Jefelectric- cannot find a record of any steam locomotives saved by the Lehigh Valley ...perhaps one sold to someone else a long time ago ...probably you're best bet is to contact the Lehigh Valley historical society directly...easily found on the web. 

RME and kgbw49- The 5110 does indeed show this device very nicely...for the life of me I cannot figure it out..it's a fairly large appliance though...just do not want to guess or speculate.

Was there something unique to the territory of the Lehigh Valley or some special need for whatever it is to make an appearance?

Must have been some kind of railroad in its heyday. Important. 

The Cornell Red with black striping on the diesels and even the white with the flag translate really well into Z Scale...better than most roads come across in that scale...suits it real well. Have 2 Micro Trains F7's and the white caboose with flag on display and it is outstanding...folks are always drawn to it. 

 

 

  • Member since
    March 2016
  • 1,568 posts
Posted by CandOforprogress2 on Wednesday, January 25, 2017 12:24 PM

There is a Lehigh Museum in the Old Station in Sayre PA that has a lot of stuff. The Steam Shop was therr

  • Member since
    September 2013
  • 6,199 posts
Posted by Miningman on Wednesday, February 1, 2017 10:50 PM

Anyone have any luck identifying what the device on the smokebox front near the stack is? I have been searching here and there but no luck. 

I have come across devices identified as lubricator's up in that area but they do not look at all like the one in question. 

 

 

  • Member since
    November 2005
  • 4,190 posts
Posted by wanswheel on Sunday, February 12, 2017 8:34 PM

kgbw49

K6b 77-inch-drivered 2098 at Rochester Junction NY...

Image result for lehigh valley railroad jersey city nj

Excerpt, probably a photo caption, from Trains magazine, Feb. 1940

No. 2098 stands in the engine house of the Lehigh Valley's important shops at Sayre. Pa. The pilot and cylinder covers, as well as the coupler knuckle, have been removed. No. 2098 is a Pacific used in LV passenger service. It is Class K-6b, cylinders 25" x 28", drivers 77", tractive power 41,534 pounds. The engine is equipped with a booster which adds an additional 10,400 pounds to the starting tractive power.

https://books.google.com/books?id=uCnWAAAAMAAJ&q=%22lehigh+valley%22+k-6b&dq=%22lehigh+valley%22+k-6b&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjl6qLX-ovSAhVcHGMKHR1cBNI4ChDoAQg0MAU

  • Member since
    September 2013
  • 6,199 posts
Posted by Miningman on Sunday, February 12, 2017 9:47 PM
Posted by AnthonyV on Sunday, February 12, 2017 9:25 PM

From http://www.rypn.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=32143

"It's a "Locomotive Automatic Draft Control" device. You can find an advertisement for it on page 335 of the 1941 Locomotive Cyclopedia. The locomotive in the advertisement also appears to be an LV 4-8-2.

The manufacturer claims the device limits the exhaust backpressure and therefore the draft by allowing exhaust steam to bypass the nozzle and stack when the backpressure exceeds a pre-set value. The manufacturer claims it functioned in the high power output ranges and reduced waste of fuel and allowed grates with larger air openings.

I have no idea how well the things worked but I don't recall seeing them on photos of any other locomotives."

The problem is solved!. Thanks to all. 

 
  • Member since
    January 2015
  • 2,678 posts
Posted by kgbw49 on Monday, February 13, 2017 6:13 PM

Columbo always gets his man!

Image result for columbo

Well done, Miningman!

  • Member since
    September 2013
  • 6,199 posts
Posted by Miningman on Monday, February 13, 2017 9:18 PM

Kgbw49- Peter Falk was the best...really needed a good laugh today, it was "one of those days" ...that gave me a real good belly laugh...thanks.

  • Member since
    July 2004
  • From: Rochester NY
  • 335 posts
Posted by scottychaos on Wednesday, February 15, 2017 11:53 AM

KGB, just for the record, I corrected a couple of your captions. hope you dont mind. Corrections in Red.

 

kgbw49

The Black Diamond at Allentown PA...

Image result for lehigh valley steam passenger trains

Black Diamond at Rochester Junction on a colorized postcard...

Image result for lehigh valley steam passenger trains

John Wilkes unit in what looks to be commuter service based on the car tied to the tank...

Related image

Pacific for the John Wilkes with name on the tender...

Image result for lehigh valley maple leaf passenger train

John Wilkes unit from the tender...

Related image

Black Diamond at speed...

Related image

4-6-2 2093 at Oak Island NJ...

Related image

Black Diamond at Sayre PA...

Related image

Black Diamond at speed - notice the semaphore just starting to drop from vertical...

Related image

A unique postcard with the John Wilkes 4-6-2 on the left and a 4-8-4 Wyoming on freight on the right...

Image result for lehigh valley maple leaf passenger train

4-6-2 2102 in a crisp black and white photo coaled up and ready to roll...

Image result for lehigh valley maple leaf passenger train

Another crisp portrait of 4-6-2 2102...

Related image

Lehigh Valley also had 5 4-8-4 Wyoming-types with 77" drivers - units 5125-5129 but ended up being used mostly on freight...

Wyoming 4-8-4 5127? on a 91 car freight...

Image result for lehigh valley t-3 4-8-4

Wyoming 4-8-4 5128 on the Black Diamond at Allentown PA...

Image result for lehigh valley t-3 4-8-4

Wyoming 4-8-4 5126 in a rods-down portrait...

Image result for lehigh valley t-3 4-8-4

 

 

Join our Community!

Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.

Search the Community

Newsletter Sign-Up

By signing up you may also receive occasional reader surveys and special offers from Trains magazine.Please view our privacy policy