After walking around and photographing the Strasburg Railroad from across the highway on a very cold and windy morning, I decided to warm up and visit the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania.
Museum InformationWe are the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, not the "Pennsylvania Railroad Museum" or some other variation of the name. We do not just focus on the Pennsylvania Railroad, but all railroads that serve the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, past, and present. We are a Museum devoted to telling the rich stories of railroading in the Commonwealth, including not just the railroads themselves, but also its manufacturers, its support industries, its workers, and its travelers – then and now.
The Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania was created by an act of the state legislature (1963), with a site selected in Strasburg, Lancaster County (1965). Very gradually, the Museum began acquiring its first locomotives and railroad cars, as early as the mid-to-late 1960s. The first phase of Museum construction yielded the installation of a 100-foot ex-Reading Company turntable and yard tracks (1970-1971), while the second phase saw the completion of the Museum building (1972-1974). In April 1975, the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania opened to the public, the first structure in North America built specifically as a railroad Museum.
The museum is located on the east side of Strasburg along Pennsylvania Route 741 and is administered by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission with the active support of the Friends of the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania.
The museum's collection has more than 100 historic locomotives and railroad cars that chronicle American railroad history. Visitors can climb aboard various locomotives and cars, inspect a 62-ton locomotive from underneath, view restoration activities via closed-circuit television, enjoy interactive educational programs and more. In addition to full-size rolling stock pieces, the museum offers a number of other commodities, which include several model railroad layouts, a hands on educational center, a library and archives, and a smaller exhibit gallery on the second floor.
Building and groundsThe initial display building opened in 1975 as the first building constructed to be a railroad museum and featured an operating turntable from the Reading Company. The original building was roughly 45,000 square feet in size and included an observation bridge leading across Rolling Stock Hall, allowing visitors to see the trains from above. In June 1995, Rolling Stock Hall was expanded to 100,000 square feet. Today, the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania covers 18 acres which includes Rolling Stock Hall, a second floor changing-exhibit gallery, an observation bridge, a hands-on education center called Stewards Junction, an extensive library and archives, a restoration and paint shop and an outdoor storage and display yard. Rolling Stock Hall and the second floor are both handicapped accessible. The yard is subject to weather closure.
A newly designed entrance and gift shop were opened in June 2007.
HistoryFor 1939-1940 New York World's Fair, the Pennsylvania Railroad had displayed a number of historic locomotives and cars they had collected over the years. After the fair had ended, the PRR decided to preserve the equipment that was displayed, along with various other locomotives and rolling stock. The equipment was stored away in a roundhouse in Northumberland, Pennsylvania, and looked after by employees. With the state looking to establish a railroad museum and PRR successor Penn Central looking to rid itself of the collection in the late 1960's, it was decided the museum was to be built directly next to the Strasburg Rail Road in Strasburg. The engines were moved to the Strasburg Rail Road, where they were stored while the museum was under construction. A large number of the Pennsylvania Railroad's Historic Collection was sent to Strasburg coupled together, forming the "Train of Trains."
I went in, paid my fare and walked inside the Hall of Railroading to start my tour.
Pennsylvania Railroad 4-4-0 1223 by the railroad in 1905. The locomotive was retired in 1950 and later borrowed by the Strasburg Rail Road beginning in 1960. It would once again return to steam service in 1965. It also pulled daily tourist trains and special excursions on the Strasburg Rail Road from 1965 until 1989.
This locomotive had a star-lit career, appearing on the silver screen in "Broadway Limited" (1941) and "Hello, Dolly!" (1969), as well as several television documentaries and commercials.
Pennsylvania Railroad 4-4-0 7002 built by the railroad in 1902. It gained fame on June 12, 1905, when it reportedly set a ground speed record of 127.1 mph, making up time west of Crestline, Ohio. In 1939, the Pennsylvania Railroad prepared to send this engine to the World’s Fair in New York, only to find it had been unceremoniously scrapped. The Pennsylvania Railroad chose another locomotive, 8063 as a "stand in" at the Fair. With no time to change its appearance, it debuted as 8063. In 1983, it was leased to the Strasburg Rail Road, where it operated until 1989. By the 1949 Chicago World’s Fair, the locomotive was shown off in all its glory as 7002, under the banner of being the World's Fastest Locomotive.
Pennsylvania Power Light Company 0-8-0F 4094, nee Hammermill Paper Company 4, built by Heisler in 1940. In an era when large industries often purchased their small switch engines, hired their own crews, and performed the work themselves, the fireless steam locomotives became very popular. Onsite boiler houses provided a steady source of steam, and the locomotives were like a thermos bottle on wheels, filled with enough steam to operate for several hours and undertake work in such areas as munitions factories and textile mills.
This engine was originally built and streamlined for its appearance at the 1940's New York World’s Fair to show off Heisler's manufacturing capabilities and is the only 0-8-0 fireless, and ultimately, the largest one of its kind ever built.
Reading Company 0-6-0T 1251 built at the Reading shops in 1918. Known as a roundhouse "goat", 1251 was an industrial switching engine used to move locomotives in and out of the shops. Since the Reading shops built more than 620 completely new locomotives and rebuilt hundreds of others, 1251 was kept busy for many years. It was the last standard-gauge steam locomotive in daily operation on a class one railroad in the United States.
Virginia and Truckee 2-6-0 20 "Tahoe" built by Baldwin in 1875. The ornately decorated locomotive once featured brass trim, finished woodwork, gold leaf and a bonnet style smokestack (an original feature that was restored) as part of the original Baldwin paint scheme, typical of the 2-6-0 locomotives of the 1870's. During its lifetime, the fuel supply changed from wood (1875) to coal (1907) to oil (1911).
Pennsylvania Railroad 4-6-0 5741 built by the railroad in 1924. This was the standard Pennsylvania Railroad steam locomotive for commuter service for two decades.
Pennsylvania Railroad 0-6-0 1670 built by the railroad in 1916. Introduced in 1902, the B6 class switcher was one of the most successful locomotives produced by Pennsy's Juniata Shops. 1670 worked mainly in the Baltimore, Maryland area. Although displaced by diesel switchers on the Pennsy from the 1940's, the B6sb locomotives did not completely retire until 1957 and 1670 was one of the last on 15th October 1957. It then went to Northumberland, Pennsylvania to join PRR's historic locomotive collection and was initially loaned to the museum by Penn Central in 1969.
Pennsylvania Railroad E7A 5901 built by Electro-Motive Division in 1945. Due to be scrapped shortly after retirement, quick thinking on the part of railroad employees saved the locomotive, hiding it for a time in an abandoned section of the Harrisburg roundhouse. The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission raised the $20,000 scrap value to purchase it in 1976. The 5901 and sister engine 5900 were the first diesel-electric passenger locomotives built for and delivered to the Pennsylvania Railroad.
Pennsylvania Railroad E44 4465 built by General Electric in 1963. Referring to its pair of three-axle trucks and boxy carbody, train crews often called the E44's "bricks". The unit served the PRR in freight service for five years before becoming part of Penn Central and finally Conrail. Amtrak considered using the big electric for maintenance-of-way service on the Northeast Corridor until newer federal regulations addressing the use and disposal of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCBs), a toxic chemical used to cool the transformer, made its operation cost prohibitive. This sole unit was officially turned over to the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania on April 27, 1991 and was the last electric locomotive built for the Pennsylvania Railroad.
Pennsylvania Railroad GP9 7006 built by Electro-Motive Division in 1955. It was gifted to the museum in 1985 and was repainted in its original PRR livery at Altoona in 2002.
Conrail GP30 2233 built by Electro-Motive Division in 1963. It was one of the last locomotives painted Conrail blue by former employees at the former Pennsylvania Railroad/Penn Central/Conrail Juniata Shops.
John Bull replica 2-4-0 1 built by the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1940. The original John Bull was purchased by the Camden and Amboy Railroad from British locomotive builder Robert Stephenson and Company. Shipped to America in parts, and without any instructions, young engineer Isaac Dripps assembled the locomotive in ten days. Many modifications were soon made, including a tender, a headlight, and the first cowcatcher.
When it absorbed the Camden and Amboy Railroad in 1871, the Pennsylvania Railroad acquired the original John Bull, restoring it for the Centennial Exposition in 1876. In 1884, the Pennsylvania Railroad donated the locomotive to the Smithsonian Institution, which allowed them to operate it at fairs and expositions for more than 50 years. For the 1940 New York World’s Fair, preservation concerns prevented the railroad from operating the original John Bull, so they built a working replica, which also ran at the 1948-1949 Chicago Railroad Fair.
The replica locomotive was used under steam for a 1946 Pennsylvania promotional film and at the 1948-49 Chicago Railroad Fair. Once in the collection of the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, the replica John Bull was restored and operated under its own power several times between 1983 and 1999.
Pennsylvania Railroad 2-8-0 1187 built in 1999 by the Altoona Shops. The locomotive design was the first to introduce the Belpaire Firebox. Named for its inventor Alfred Belpaire, this design provided greater strength than previous designs and allowed for more space for steam, as well as more area for combustion.
Pennsylvania Railroad DD-1 class electric locomotive 3937 and 3938 built by Pennsylvania Railroad and Westinghouse Electric in 1911. 1910 ushered in an era of great expansion on the PRR with one of their largest projects being the opening of Pennsylvania Station on Manhattan Island. Tunnels were dug under the Hudson and East Rivers to connect the station to PRR mainlines. With these new underground tunnels, the amount of smoke produced by steam engines made their use off limits in the tunnels.
This meant a new locomotive was needed; so the electrics entered to fill the need for a smokeless mover through these tunnels. Through a joint project PRR and Westinghouse developed what would be the DD-1s that got their power via a third rail running parallel to the standard tracks. Despite having two road numbers the engine ran as one locomotive. DD-1 3936-3937 ran into the Penn Central Period and would finally be retired after 57 years of service in 1968.
Bethlehem Steel Corporation 0-4-0F 111 built by Heisler in 1941. Fireless steam locomotives use no fire to make steam. Instead, steam, generated by a stationary steam engine, is charged into the locomotive's boiler, which heats up the water already in the boiler to make more steam. One advantage of the fireless locomotive is that it does not produce smoke or sparks, which is particularly beneficial when operating in industries where a fire hazard exists.
Coudesport and Port Allegheny snowplough built by the Russell Company between 1889 and 1894. Heavy snowfall and icy weather could bring a railroad to a halt, disrupting both freight and passenger service. Snow plows were the railroad's first line of defense in a raging snowstorm. Early wedge plows attached to engines were considered dangerous if it were to hit a fallen tree or hidden debris on the track. The design of this Russell snowplow allowed for greater visibility, giving a crew member perched in the pilot house the ability to see obstructions ahead, and increased strength with its heavy, timber-frame construction.
This plough was designed for single track use and includes a "flanger" underneath that removed snow and ice from the insides of the rails. The flanger could be raised or lowered to avoid damaging switches and grade crossings.
Pennsylvania Railroad 2-8-0 2846 built by Baldwin in 1905. In 1913, it was the first Pennsylvania Railroad locomotive to be fitted with superheaters. Other later modifications included the addition of a power reverse lever. A pipe from the steam dome to the pilot wheels on the fireman's side of the locomotive was also a relatively rare addition. It was used in winter to discharge steam over frozen points.
A line of freight cars.
Fruit Growers Express refrigerator car 57708 built by Fruit Growers Express in 1924. Before the advent of the refrigerated car, Americans were limited to foods that could be grown locally. This new transportation technology not only kept produce fresh but also revolutionized the meat-packing and brewing industries by centralizing production. Before mechanical refrigeration, ice was the key. Workers loaded blocks of ice through roof-top hatches. As the ice melted, the water drained through chutes in the corners. Insulated walls, three inches thick, and a built-in circulating system driven by the car's wheels cycled the cool air from floor to ceiling.
Waimanolo Sugar Co. 0-4-2T 3 "Olomana" from Oahu built by Baldwin in 1883. It spent its life moving four-wheeled railcars piled high with cut sugar cane from the fields to the refinery. Because of its small size and relatively light-weight, it would be relatively easy to move on temporary tracks from one field to the next.
Since Olomana is a tank engine, it carries its fuel and water on the locomotive itself. The fuel, which was originally coal, was stored at the rear, and the water was carried in the U-shaped "saddle tank" that drapes over the boiler. This steam engine arrived in California in the late 1940's after its purchase by Gerald Best. Best and Disney animator Ward Kimball restored and operated the locomotive on Kimball's private railroad. A frequent visitor to the railroad was Kimball’s boss, Walt Disney, who occasionally operated the locomotive.
Pennsylvania Railroad B-1 5690 built by the railroad in association with Westinghouse Electric & Allis-Chalmers Manufacturing Company in 1934 and retired in 1971. Passenger trains required servicing at major terminals, needing to be broken apart, cleaned, serviced, inspected and reassembled for their next departure. The passenger coach yards needed small and powerful switchers that could be operated on the overhead electrified wires. As passenger revenues declined in the 1950's and 1960's, railroads scaled back on both electrified coach yards and these switching locomotives.
5690 was constructed with the last group of B1 electric switchers, often running around the clock moving empty passenger cars across the yards and spent most of its life in New York’s Sunnyside Yard.
W.T. Smith Lumber Company 2 truck Heisler 4 built by Heisler in 1918. At some point, W.T. Smith sold it to the Angelina Hardwood Lumber Company, of Ferriday, Louisiana where it was renumbered 6. It then went to the Chicago Mill & Lumber Company of Tallulah, Louisiana, where it was renumbered 5.
Seeking to add examples of all the major Pennsylvania locomotive builders, the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission bought 5 from Chicago Mill & Lumber in 1965 for the museum. It was repainted as Heisler 4 before going on display.
W.H. Mason Lumber Company Climax 4 built by Climax in 1913 and retired in 1956. Pennsylvania lumberman Charles Scott approached the Climax Manufacturing Company, makers of farm implements and oil-drilling rigs, to design a steam locomotive to help get timber off the mountain. 4 was sold to W. H. Mason Lumber in Elkins, West Virginia in 1948 where it worked for another eight years before being sold to the Edaville Railroad, a heritage railroad then operating in South Palmer, Massachusetts. Edaville ceased operations in 1991 and the steam engine was sold to the museum the following year.
Leetona Railway Shay 1, ex. Ely-Thomas Lumber in Fenwick, West Virginia 2 1954, exx. Beech Mountain Railroad 16 1953, exxx. F.C. Cook 16 1950, exxxx. J. Natwick and Company in Alexander, West Virginia 16 1949, exxxxx. Cherry River Boom and Lumber in Richmond, West Virginia 16, nee Enterprise Lumber 4 built by Lima Locomotive & Machine Company in 1906.
Retired in 1964, the locomotive was bought by the museum in 1966 and restored to look like one of the Shays that operated on the Leetonia logging Railway in the Pine Creek area of Pennsylvania, although it never actually worked on the Leetonia. The ten mile line connecting Leetonia with the New York Central at Tiadaghton through the rugged Pine Creek gorge had a relatively short life. Opened in 1899 it ceased operations in the early 1920's by which time most of the lumber had been milled out. None of the Shays that operated on the Leetonia has survived.
Next, I walked across the bridge in the middle of the museum for some views looking down.
Pennsylvania Railroad 2-8-0 1157.
General views from the bridge. I wanted to go outside to see the rest of their collection but the door was locked so went back to the front and was told the person who mans that door was on his way and I went in search of him.
On the way there, Lewisburg, Milton & Watsontown Mack/Brill Railbus 20. This Pennsylvania trolley line acquired the new railbus in 1921 which was built with a Mack Truck chassis and engine and a body built by Brill. In 1928, it went to Pennsylvania Railroad and in 1931 to Artemus-Jellico, a Kentucky shortine. Buffalo Creek & Gauley Railroad acquired the railbus in 1941 then in 1969, it went to the Strasburg Rail Road and was donated to the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania in 2001.
No one was at that door so I walked all the way back up to the lobby where I found the door man. We walked back through the museum and he let me go outside.
Pittsburgh and Lake Erie caboose 508 built by the railroad in 1950 and retired in 1991. The Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad, established in 1875, connected the steel centers of Conellsville, Pittsburgh and Youngstown, Ohio. Only 120 miles long, the P&LE served most of the major industries in the region, providing it the most revenue per mile of any railroad in the United States. This lucrative traffic earned the road the nickname "Little Giant" and made it an attractive acquisition for the New York Central. The Central, which owned a controlling interest in the railroad, used the line to compete with the Pennsylvania Railroad.
The P&LE also had strong ties with its eastern interchange partners, the Baltimore and Ohio and Western Maryland. The B&O ran most of its freight via the P&LE through Pittsburgh since its own mainline faced sharp curves and steep grades. The Western Maryland interchanged large amounts of freight as part of the "Alphabet Route", a cooperative venture between several eastern railroads to provide competitive long-haul service. Despite being controlled by the NYC and later Penn Central, the P&LE remained profitable and was not included in the 1976 Conrail merger. With its on-line and interchange traffic curtailed by the decline of the steel industry and mergers, the P&LE was finally force to merge, becoming part of CSX Transportation in 1992.
Controlled by the New York Central, the P&LE adopted many of the larger road's designs for equipment, including cabooses. 508 is one of 10 bay window cabooses built to NYC plans As freight cars grew taller, the traditional cupola-style caboose provided limited forward visibility. Climbing the ladder to the cupola also presented a challenge and safety risk on a swiftly moving train. 508 is believed to have spent most of its career in and around the Aliquippa Yard in Beaver County. Railroad Museum volunteer Earl Kinard purchased the caboose upon its retirement, accompanying it to Lancaster County and subsequently donating the car to the Railroad Museum.
Reading Observation Car 1 built by Budd Company in 1937. The Reading Company launched a new premier passenger service from Philadelphia to Jersey City. In search of a name for the new streamliner, the Reading held a contest among Philadelphia school children, paying the winner $250. The Crusader debuted on December 12, 1937 to a great fanfare. Sleek and elegant, the train was designed for passenger comfort and operating efficiency. The five-car train included a diner in the center and an observation coach at each end, thereby eliminating the time-consuming need to turn the whole train around at each terminal. Two of the Reading's G3a class Pacific-type steam locomotives were clad in a matching cloak of stainless steel to complete the train.
It was sold to Canadian National, where it remained in service until the early 1980's. Car 1, one of the two observations, was purchased by Friends of the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania in 1983 and moved to Strasburg.
Lehigh Valley RDC-1 40 built by Budd Company in 1951. The RDC was first conceived during the summer of 1948 and was developed in response to a plea by the New York, Susquhanna & Western Railroad. They sought to replace their worn-out fleet of 1930-era gasoline powered passenger cars with new equipment. The Budd Company took up the challenge and ultimately succeeded in building a car that was both aesthetically pleasing and economical. Luckily the RDC had mass appeal and was sold to 25 North American Railroads and others across the world with some still in service today.
Lehigh Valley 40 and its siblings were delivered to the Lehigh Valley Railroad in August 1951 for service on the 26.4 mile branch line between the Hazleton and Lehighton on the mainline. The last service this piece had was on SEPTA's Fox Chase line ending in 1981. The only exception to this retirement was an experimental run on the Strasburg Rail Road in 1988.
Monongahela Railway Caboose 67 built by International Car and Equipment Company in 1949. The Monongahela Railroad, incorporated on December 31, 1900, was a jointly owned venture by the Pennsylvania and Pittsburgh and Lake Erie railroads to tap the rich coal fields south of Pittsburgh. The Monongahela funneled coal north to its parent roads, which grew to include the Baltimore and Ohio in 1926.
While many railroads of this size fell victim to bankruptcy or merger in the 1960's and 1970's due to dependency on coal for survival, the Monongahela continued to thrive and grow. Split ownership ensured the road's independence and the growing demand for high BTU, medium-sulfur content coal brought prosperity. In 1984, a 15-mile branch line was built to serve Consolidated Coal Company's new Bailey Mine, now the largest underground mine in the country. The Monongahela, just 177 miles long, became the nation's seventh largest coal hauling railroad. Situated in southwestern Pennsylvania and northern West Virginia, the Monongahela's mainline followed its namesake river into the coalfields of Appalachia. In 1993, the P&LE and CSX Transportation, successor to the B&O, sold their interests to the line and the Monongahela was finally wholly merged into Conrail.
Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority Pioneer III/Silverliner 1 car 247, nee Pennsylvania Railroad 155 built by Budd Company in 1956. These EMU (electric multiple unit) coaches were two of six units built for the Pennsy. They rode on Budd Pioneer III lightweight trucks designed for operating at speeds up to 125 mph. Power was supplied from an overhead pantograph like that on all other PRR long distance electrified motive power.
Designed for long-distance commuter or short-distance intercity travel, they operated on PRR's Harrisburg-Philadelphia route. Each coach is 85' long, with two rows of twenty-five seats and a control cab at each end. They could operate as single car trains or in sets of up to six cars. Although they had an advertised speed of 100 mph, in operation, they ran at 80-85 mph. The thin stainless steel carbody and light traction components resulted in these being the lightest all metal EMU railroad passenger cars produced in North America.
However, there were reliability and performance issues with the Pioneer III's small traction motors and low capacity main transformer. In 1963, the PRR purchased a more advanced version of the Pioneer III design from Budd. Using the Pioneer III as a model, the thirty-eight new "Silverliner" cars, as the new coaches were called, had more powerful traction motors and used "spear" couplers in place of the "knuckle" design. The PRR then took the Pioneer III cars off intercity operations and used them exclusively on the Philadelphia area commuter service.
In 1967, when the South East Pennsylvania Transport Authority and PRR took delivery of a second "Silverliner" order from the St. Louis Car Company, the 1963 "Silverliner" cars became "Silverliner II" cars and the 1967 order, "Silverliner III". The 1958 Pioneer III were then retroactively given the "Silverliner I" designation. As part of the Penn Central merger, they were also renumbered in non-sequential order to 294-299. After delivery of the "Silverliner IV" cars from GE in 1974-75, the Pioneers were again renumbered 244-248 (one unit had been retired after a train wreck). Finally, in 1990, SEPTA retired the Pioneer III / Silverliner I cars.
Pennsylvania Railroad Broadway Limited observation car "Tower View" built by Pullman-Standard in 1948. This and her twin, "Mountain View", were built to bring up the rear of the PRR's premier train, the Broadway Limited. Both of these cars are great examples of luxury observation cars. In their own advertisements, the PRR described the "Tower View" as featuring sofas, easy chairs, refreshment buffet, lounge and other refinements. Even more than that, this car boasted a double bedroom and two master bedrooms with showers, radio and wood panelling. The Broadway was combined with the the all-coach General at the end of 1967 and "Tower View" was retired. However, the Broadway, with "Tower View" in tow, was the last all-Pullman train to operate on the continent when it ceased to be exclusively Pullman at the end of 1967.
I went back to the door and received permission to go photograph the rest of their collection beyond the roped-off area.
Being painted was Pennsylvania Railroad GG-1 4800 built by Baldwin/General Electric in 1934. It is the only one to have a riveted body instead of a welded body and was given the name “Old Rivets” affectionately.
Maryland and Pennsylvania Railroad NW2 81 built by Electro-Motive Division in 1941. Maryland & Pennsylvania for the most part was a very active short line that operated between York, Pennsylvania and Baltimore, Maryland. MPA ended up being more progressive than most of the larger railroads with their adoption of three new diesels in 1946, 81 being among them. It worked switching duties in the yard and branchline for MPA faitfully until it was leased and sold to PH Glatfelter Paper Company in the 1980's where it was used at their Spring Grove plant. Glatfelter donated the locomotive to the Railroad Museum in 1997.
Brooklyn Eastern District Terminal 0-6-0T 13 1922, nee United States Navy 14 built by H.K. Porter in 1919. In 1963, it was sold to Rail Tours Incorporated to haul excursions in York, Pennsylvania and was donated to the museum in 1976.
Alaska Railroad RSD-1 1034, ex. Atlanta and St. Andrews Bay Railroad RS-1 built by America Locomotive Company in 1944. The first thirteen RS-1s were requisitioned by the United States Army in 1942 and remanufactured by Alco into six axle RSD-1s for the Trans Iranian Railroad to supply the Soviet Union during World War II. This unit was one of the thirteen and as US 8011, it spent most of the war on the Trans Iranian Railroad. After the war, it was stored for six years, then worked for the Alaska Railroad as 1034 for five years, then returned to the United States Army in 1956.
In 1974 it went to Pueblo, Colorado, as DOT 103. In 1984, it was the first diesel to enter the Smithsonian collection.
Nickel Plate Road 2-8-4 757 built by Lima Locomotive Works in 1944. It made its last run in service on June 15, 1958 and in 1960, was retired from the NKP and was donated to the city of Bellevue, Ohio, who were unable to raise funds to build a display site and instead, sent the locomotive to the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania in Strasburg, Pennsylvania during 1966. It was currently one of six NKP Berkshires preserved.
Monongahela Connecting C-415 701 built by American Locomotive Company in 1968. Monongahela Connecting was an intra-plant railroad serving two large steel complexes for Jones & Laughlin that crowded both sides of the Monongahela River in Pittsburgh. Their locomotives dealt in the movement of coal for coke ovens, taconite pellets, limestone for blast furnaces, and molten iron, among other industrial tasks.
MCRR 701 was one of 26 C415s built at the time and one of thirty diesels MCRR owned. Later in life it was spared the scrapper as it was stored away on sister railroad Alquippa and Southern, where it was purchased by the Friends of the RRMPA in 1992 for scrap price.
Baldwin Locomotive Works S-12 1200 built by Baldwin in 1951. Originally assigned to the United States Navy as 65-00369 and the Marietta Transportation Depot at Marietta, it would be assigned to the Navy Ordinance Depot in East Earl, New Jersey; where it came to the Museum in 1991.
Erie Lackawanna crane 45210 built by Industrial Brownhoist Company in 1954 and Conrail idler car 31188, formerly Pennsylvania Railroad 470189.
Amtrak E60 603, nee Amtrak E60CH 974 built by General Electric in 1975. When Amtrak started operations on 1st May 1971, it initially utilised an aging fleet of GG-1 locomotives for its electrified passenger service between New York and Washington, DC. Looking to replace these, however, the company ordered a set of new E60 units.
The E60s ran until 1984, when most were put into storage. With the arrival of its new AEM7 electrics in 1984, Amtrak then began to dispose of the units. Ten were sold to New Jersey Transit in 1984 and two to the Navajo Mine Railroad in New Mexico. By 2003, only a handful of E60s continued to operate. They were scheduled for overhaul and new cab signal equipment to permit 120 mph running, but none of the overhauls was fully completed when it was decided to scrap the fleet. It was bought by the museum in 2003 and delivered in early 2004.
Pennsylvania Railroad Metroliner coach-snack bar 860 built by Budd/General Electric in 1968.
Pennsylvania Railroad 2-8-2 520 built by Baldwin in 1916. 520 served until nearly the end of PRR steam operations and hauled one of the last steam passenger trains on the system, a railfan special between Enola Yard in East Pennsboro Township and Northumberland. It was then added to PRR's historic collection in Northumberland.
I thanked my host for letting me take these pictures before walking back through the building to the lobby and out of the front door.
Pennsylvania Railroad 2-8-2 460 built by the railroad in 1914. On June 11, 1927, Charles Lindbergh was honored for making the first solo, nonstop, transatlantic flight. This event in Washington, D.C. was filmed by several news companies, many of whom sent their film by airplane to theaters in New York City. One company, the International News Reel Corporation, sent their film by railroad. The train, pulled by engine 460, raced toward New York City at a top speed of 115 miles per hour. Even at that speed, it was still beaten by the airplane. However, the films delivered by airplanes still needed to be developed, while the films aboard the train were processed en route and were shown in theaters first.
Pennsylvania Railroad 4-8-2 6755 built by the railroad in 1930 and was the largest steam locomotive to operate on the PRR system. Although designed for dual service, it was used mainly on fast freight services.
Pennsylvania Railroad 4-6-2 3750 built by the railroad in 1920. The engines proved so successful they outlasted most other classes of the Pennsy's steam power and worked alongside diesel electrics until the last days of steam. #3750 had long but relatively undistinguished service life plying Pennsy's metropolitan corridor between New York and Washington, DC, mainly east of Harrisburg. In 1946, it was leased to the Long Island, and returned to the PRR in 1948. It then worked in the Central Region, mostly in Ohio, before returning east in 1955, to be assigned to the New York area for several months and then to Philadelphia, where it spent its last years in passenger service working between Pemberton and Atlantic City, New Jersey.
In October 1957, 3750 made its final revenue run after nearly thirty-eight years of service and went into storage first at the West Philadelphia engine house and then at Northumberland. While there, it was redesignated as K4 1737 (originally the first of the K4s but, by then, too far deteriorated for effective restoration) and was consequently spared the torch. It resumed its original number after restoration in 1983. In 1987, Governor Robert Casey signed House Bill 1211 making the PRR's K4s the official steam locomotive of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania Railroad 2-8-0 7688 built by Lima in 1915. It was initially assigned to the Cleveland & Pittsburgh, a PRR Lines West subsidiary, hauling coal and ore between Lake Erie and Pittsburgh. Although eventually replaced in heavy freight service by larger engines, PRR's Consolidations continued on branch line freight and switching service and 7688 operated right through to the end of steam on the PRR in October 1957, after which it was retired to the PRR collection. It moved to the museum in 1969.
This completes my coverage of this fascinating and completely interesting visit to the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania. Now it was time to walk across the highway to ride the Strasburg Rail Road.
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