Part 1.

Day out yesterday (May 15, 2016) at the Strasburg Railroad and the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, USA. Opposite sides of the road, railroad in the morning, museum in the afternoon.

Enjoyable 45 minute trip in the 1900's lounge car (oak, teak, stained glass windows) from Strasburg to Paradise (end of the line) and back, being towed along by an equally venerable Baldwin 4-8-0. I caught the crew oiling and checking the sand (the dome immediately after the chimney) after raising steam. The object with the steam jet is the steam turbine generator for the headlight and cab lights. Most of the firebox is in the cab, note the tapered boiler. Bar frame, 2 outside cylinders. Baldwin Works had already built over 28,000 engines before they built this one for the Pennsylvania Railway (they built over 75,000 before closing in 1956).



Across the tracks from the depot was this little gas electric light railcar. Gasoline engine, generator and electric motor and gear and chain drive to the axles of the truck below the baggage compartment. It dates from 1915 (when rounded ends were in fashion) and is in running order.



Over to the Museum for the afternoon. The core is the repository of stock from the Pennsylvania Railroad, which had a policy of preserving locomotives of various classes as they were retired (not all, some of the less successful experiments were quietly forgotten). Lots of items from other railroads that ran in PA.

First stop the restoration yard. Number 6775 4-8-2 Mountain type (freight traffic), built 1930, undergoing restoration. Boiler plates, cylinder cladding and domes already removed. Note that enormous Belpaire firebox, tapered boiler, twin Westinghouse air pumps, and that cylinder at the front is I think the feed-water heater, with steam turbine generator below the headlight. The tender is as long as the engine, water scoop equipment underneath in the middle. 31 tons of coal, 22,000 gallons of water. The object sticking up at the end of the coal bunker is the mechanical stoker.




Next to it was a GG1 electric, used to pull trains into New York from Harrisburg, PA, Washington DC, Baltimore and Philadelphia from the 1930's on. 4-6-0+4-6-0, articulated frame in the middle to allow it to go around corners. 475,000 lb weight (around 220 tons), nearly 80 feet long, capable of 100 mph timetable passenger running (90 mph for freight). None running (due to mercury rectifiers). The first prototype reached 128 mph on testing in 1934.




Across the other side of the yard was this Reading Lines light weight stream-liner end of train car with observation lounge/bar and windows in the curved end. Aluminum body, built by Budd, used on the Crusader  between Philadelphia and New Jersey. Of interest is the knuckle coupler trip pin lever, which has a sliding action (trombone) to accommodate the swinging knuckle coupler arm. Note the 2 air lines (air and train lines), and the steam line connection on the left underneath the body, not normally used as this was the last passenger car. Not a very cost-effective idea, the car had to be run-around and turned after each trip.



Onto the inside. The preserved GG1 in Brunswick green with yellow speed lines was first. The lady in yellow gives some idea of the size of a GG1. The museum has a walkway above the exhibits - great for overhead shots.






More to come in Part 2.

Nigel

Interesting stuff Nigel :thumbs


Looking forward to part 2.


Ed

Ooh, fun. Did you get photos of the E7 and of 3750?

Hi Brendan,

The solitary E7, yes (one of the reasons for going), Harding's funeral transport, no. Next visit (the museum is a leisurely 3 hour drive).

Nigel

Part 2.

EMD E7-A, built in 1945. 2000 hp from two 2-stroke diesel engines, steam heat for passenger service, A-1-A trucks. The only one of 750 built that's preserved. Usually geared for 100 mph timetable running. Usually ran as 2, 3 or 4 engines depending on the load. Sister E7-A 5900 was scrapped. I've got an E7-A in Great Northern colors, on the lookout for another to make the pair.




The PAA had an extensive electrified system, not just passenger, and used electric freight engines. 4465 was built by the PAA/General Electric Co. in 1963, C-C wheel arrangement, maximum tractive effort 89,000 lb, continuous 56,000 lb.





And to round-off Part 2, a ubiquitous EMD GP-9 built in 1953. GP for General Purpose, road freight, yard switching, passenger service if equipped with a steam boiler in the short hood. This one looks to have dynamic brakes where the electric motor was used as a generator to provide braking going down hills, output was used to heat large coils (toasters), hence the large wing grills on the top. Looks like the PAA used channel stanchions for the hand-rail, usually modeled with rod. Interesting detail.




Part 3 tomorrow.