Ed and all,
Ownership of the 565 is a twisted story. The following is part of a draft
report one of my volunteers did at Steamtown. Please note it is a draft
and I am always willing to revise any reports done at Steamtown. The
report is also sprinkled with footnotes and images that would have made the
file too big to send to the list
GENERAL LOCOMOTIVE INFORMATION:
CORPORATE RAILROAD OWNERSHIP
American Locomotive Company's Schenectady Works built DL&W #565 in 1908.
The locomotive was one of a group of similar DL&W 2-6-0s numbered 534 to
569 that the railroad designated class 10C. The Lackawanna purchased
#534-569 from several builders during the 1903-1911 period. Of these, the
railroad acquired #565-9 from the Schenectady Works in 1908 at a cost of
$14,223 each. Schenectady assigned construction number 45528 to DL&W
#565. In this period, Schenectady was the DL&W's main locomotive
supplier. In 1908, President Truesdale was leading the DL&W in a major
upgrading. That year, the Lackawanna bought 59 new locomotives - more than
in any subsequent year. This was also the year the DL&W built its new
shops and station in Scranton and began construction of the Lackawanna
cut-off. The DL&W had also just completed its new terminal in Hoboken the
year before.
When built, the DL&W Class 10C Moguls were the standard power for fast
freights. Their 63" driving wheels, unusually large for a 2-6-0, made
them suited for fast operation in the early 1900s. DL&W #565 had a
semi-wide firebox designed to burn soft coal, unlike some other Lackawanna
locomotives of the time that had wide fireboxes to burn culm (anthracite
waste). The DL&W equipped #565 with Walschaert valve gear instead of
Stephenson valve gear that the railroad generally used up to 1906. When
Alco built #565, the locomotive carried a kerosene headlight atop the
smokebox and a round number plate protruding from the center of the
smokebox.
During 1912-1913, the railroad changed the location of the headlight on its
locomotives from above the smokebox to near the center of the smokebox,
although the headlight remained kerosene fueled. This eliminated the round
number plate at the center of the smokebox. The railroad either modified
the old number plate or made a new, rectangular number board to fit under
the headlight. Around this time, it appears the Lackawanna added boards on
the sides of #565's tender to raise the coal capacity (see Image 13).
Sometime between 1913 and 1917, the DL&W's Scranton Shops converted #565 to
a superheated locomotive. The Lackawanna began using superheaters in
1905. Superheating, which could improve locomotive efficiency by 30% by
raising the steam temperature, came into general use around 1910. While
installing superheating on #565, the railroad also had to replace the
locomotive's slide valves with piston valves. (Superheating caused
lubrication problems with slide valves.) These changes also required the
addition of outside steam pipes from the smokebox to the valve chest.
These steam pipes entered the smokebox at approximately the original
location of the builder's plate, resulting in the removal of the builder's
plates. The Lackawanna also attached a small superheater company patent
plate on the engineer's side of the smokebox.
The DL&W made other changes to #565. In 1918-1919, the railroad converted
locomotive headlights, marker lights and cab lights from kerosene to
electric. This required installing a dynamo in front of the cab as well
as steps leading to the dynamo. The railroad installed an automatic train
control box above the pilot and awnings over the cab windows. The railroad
changed the pony truck from wheels with spokes to solid wheels. Two other
features of modern steam locomotives - a power reverse gear and a
mechanical stoker - were not installed on #565. A photo of #565 after the
superheating application shows the boards previously applied to raise the
tender's coal capacity have now been removed (see Image 14).
Alco built #565 with a single air pump compressor on the engineer's side of
the boiler, but subsequent to the photograph in Image 14, #565 received a
second 9 ½" air pump on the fireman's side. The locomotive received
radiation pipes, probably at the same time, on both sides of the boiler
below the running boards. The radiation pipes and second air pump were
likely added by the Lackawanna, but it is possible they were installed
later by the Dansville & Mount Morris.
At some point, the Lackawanna may have replaced #565's electric headlight
with one from a different locomotive. A 1960s photograph of #565 shows
"781" on the number board below the headlight, indicating that the 565
number plate may have been bolted over the 781 number. (DL&W #781 was a
2-8-0 built in 1906 and scrapped in 1932.)
The Lackawanna acquired more powerful locomotives that took over the fast
freight assignments from its 2-6-0s. Lackawanna's 2-8-2 Mikados, built
only three years later in 1911, were twice as powerful as #565, and 4-6-2
Pacifics, built in 1912, were better equipped for fast freight service.
The railroad downgraded its 2-6-0s to local freight and switching service,
while some went to commuter service out of Hoboken. Operation of #565
included both freight and passenger service on the Gladstone branch between
Hoboken and Gladstone, NJ. The tender on #565 has brackets for a steam
line which is an indication of passenger operation. During most of its
life on the Lackawanna, #565 averaged about 40,000 miles annually. About
once a year, the Lackawanna brought #565 into the shops for Class 2, 3 or 4
repairs. The Scranton shops performed most of these overhauls, but some,
particularly in the early years, were done at the Lackawanna's Buffalo
shops. After Class 3 repairs in 1929, #565's operation declined to about
10,000 miles per year, probably due to the locomotive's age and to the
economic downturn of the 1930s. In addition, DL&W's electrification of its
New Jersey suburban service created a surplus of steam locomotives. The
DL&W operated #565 for the last time in April 1936.
The DL&W sold #565 to the Dansville & Mount Morris Railroad on August 27,
1936. Of the four other 2-6-0s built in the same lot as #565, the
Lackawanna had retired #567 in 1934 and the remaining three saw little
service in the late 1930s. Other 2-6-0s lasted on the Lackawanna until the
1940s; the DL&W scrapped its last Mogul, #547, in 1949. The DL&W operated
its last steam locomotive in 1953. The Lackawanna did not retain any of
its steam locomotives for preservation, although it gave one locomotive -
camelback #952 - to the Railway & Locomotive Historical Society. This
locomotive is now at the Museum of Transportation near St. Louis.
The Dansville & Mount Morris kept #565's number. The Mogul was well suited
for the D&MM's light trains and relatively flat grades. Moreover, the
D&MM's lightly ballasted roadbed called for smaller engines such as #565.
During most of the years that #565 was on the D&MM, the railroad owned one
other locomotive: 4-6-0 #304, formerly Nickel Plate #44. The D&MM would
operate one for an entire year while the other was laid up for overhaul.
A boilermaker from the Erie Railroad's Hornell Shops did most of the heavy
repair work. The D&MM apparently altered #565's tender. The locomotive
apparently kept the same tender for its entire life, however, photos on the
D&MM show the upper part of the tender narrower than the main body of the
tender, making it a "clear vision" tender. Photos on the DL&W before 1936
show the tender without this indentation. The D&MM also installed a new
smokebox front that is slightly more bulbous than the original front. The
D&MM removed the Lackawanna's train control box, marker lights and awnings.
A highlight of #565's period on the D&MM was in 1949, when it hauled the
New York State Freedom Train into Dansville. Low fuel costs enabled the
D&MM to continue using steam after many other railroads had dieselized.
Finally, in 1956, the D&MM began using a GE 44-tonner diesel as its primary
motive power. The D&MM sold #565 to William Whitehead in 1960. The
D&MM's other steam locomotive - #304 (ex-Nickel Plate #44) - was purchased
by F. Nelson Blount in 1963 for his Steamtown USA collection. After a
series of private owners, D&MM #565 also joined the Steamtown collection,
reuniting the D&MM's entire steam roster of the 1940s and 1950s.
PRIVATE OWNERSHIP
In 1959, William R. Whitehead, of Oldwick, NJ, sought a steam locomotive to
operate on a planned tourist railroad in New Jersey. Whitehead and two of
his sons rode the DL&W to Dansville to inspect the two D&MM locomotives
that were for sale. The boys preferred the appearance of #565 over #304,
so Whitehead bought that locomotive for $2,500. He proposed to buy or
lease the Central Railroad of New Jersey's Chester branch that the CNJ
wanted to abandon. The Chester branch, extending five miles from Long
Valley to Chester, NJ, initially carried iron ore from the Hackelbarney
mine near Chester. Whitehead named his proposed line the Black River &
Western Railroad, and had #565 shipped dead-in-tow to Chester at a cost of
$1,000 (see Image 19). The locomotive arrived in Chester in early August
1960.
Whitehead hired Carl Conover as Master Mechanic. Whitehead and Conover,
using a group of volunteers, cleaned and painted #565. Conover added a
former signal tower light as a large backup light on the rear of the tender
(see Image 20). He also restored marker lights to the front of #565.
None of its lights were connected to electricity when received from the
D&MM, so Conover wired up the lights and generator. Conover discarded the
make-shift snowplow mounted on the pilot that was present when the D&MM
sold the locomotive. Whitehead and Conover installed a former Pennsylvania
Railroad K4 whistle and put #565's original whistle in storage. In August
or early September 1960, #565, with a retired CNJ engineer at the controls,
made a test run between Chester and Long Valley. The BR&W did not have any
cars. So, some of the volunteers rode on the locomotive's pilot and tender.
BR&W #565 operated four more test runs without paying passengers between
the fall of 1960 and early 1962, with later operation including coaches
which the railroad acquired in 1961.
Property owners along the Chester branch opposed the operation of a tourist
railroad and got the town of Chester to help block the BR&W. The CNJ
ultimately abandoned and tore up the Chester branch. Then the BR&W leased
a 12-mile Pennsylvania Railroad branch line from Flemington, NJ to
Lambertville, NJ. Whitehead and other businessmen, including Nicholas
Burenga, incorporated the BR&W in 1961. Whitehead traded ownership of
#565 for shares in the new corporation. The BR&W moved #565 and its other
equipment out of Chester in 1962. Initially, a CNJ switcher pulled #565 to
High Bridge, NJ. The locomotive sat at the Taylor Wharton Foundry in High
Bridge for over a year. Then, in late 1963, the BR&W parked #565 near
Flemington Lumber in Flemington, NJ. Finally, in 1965, the BR&W moved #565
to its operating headquarters in Ringoes, NJ. During the move from High
Bridge to Flemington, an individual involved with the BR&W removed and kept
the number board. The BR&W made and installed a new number board. The
number board in the Steamtown collection is this replacement number board.
Prior to leaving Chester, the BR&W moved some of its equipment to
Gladstone, NJ for use in filming "The Miracle Worker," a movie about Helen
Keller starring Anne Bancroft and Patty Duke (both of whom won Academy
awards for their roles). The producers wanted to use #565 in the movie,
but, because the CNJ would not transport the locomotive out of Chester,
only some BR&W coaches appear in the movie.
Conover considered #565's running gear to be in good shape, and the BR&W
crew performed a successful hydrostatic test on the boiler in 1960.
However, the boiler did not have Interstate Commerce Commission permission
for operation, and #565 needed a new tire on the rear driving wheel on the
fireman's side. Number 565's last operation was in 1962 (see Image 20).
The BR&W subsequently acquired Great Western Railroad (of Colorado) 2-8-0
#60 which was in better condition with new boiler tubes, making #565
surplus to its needs. The Black River & Western began tourist operations
in 1965 using #60, and it took over freight business on the line in 1970.
In 1976, the BR&W acquired an 8 mile, former CNJ line, from Flemington to a
connection with Conrail's main line at Three Bridges, NJ. This new line
spurred a successful expansion of BR&W's freight business.
After the BR&W had kept #565 at Ringoes for three years, the BR&W sold the
locomotive to John Maris for $3,000 in June 1967. Maris was vice
president and part owner of the Morris County Central (MCC), a tourist
railroad operating over the Morristown & Erie Railroad (M&E). Maris moved
#565 to Wippany, NJ on the M&E. He performed a hydrostatic test and some
minor repair work on the locomotive. Shortly after #565 came to Whippany,
relations between the M&E and the MCC became strained, and Maris sold the
locomotive.
In July 1968, restaurateur Anthony Citro bought #565 for $3,500. Citro
moved #565 to Wayne, NJ for display at his "Citro's 1900" restaurant. The
restaurant featured a railroad theme and incorporated additional railroad
equipment. Citro cosmetically restored #565 to DL&W livery (see Image 25).
Eventually, Citro decided to try to restore the engine to operating
condition. The Morris County Central moved its operation to Newfoundland,
NJ on the New York Susquehanna & Western Railroad in 1974. Around this
time, Citro bought out Maris' shares in the MCC and made plans to bring
#565 to Newfoundland. Citro hired the Menair-Fetzer Corporation (owned
by Frank Menair and Alby Fetzer) of Lahaska, PA to overhaul #565. Menair
hired Bob Yuill, later General Foreman of the Southern Railway's steam
program, to assist in the restoration.
The contractors began overhauling #565 at the restaurant but then, in 1975,
sent the locomotive to the shop on the New Hope & Ivyland Railroad (NH&I)
in New Hope, PA. The NH&I, a short line freight and tourist railroad, was
controlled by the McHugh brothers who also owned a heavy equipment firm.
Citro hoped to operate #565 as part of the NH&I Bicentennial celebration in
1976. The restoration plan included converting the locomotive to burn oil.
The contractors removed and scrapped the ashpan and grates at Wayne before
the move to New Hope. At New Hope, Menair-Fetzer removed the running parts
and sent them to various machine shops for rework. Menair-Fetzer stamped
"565" and "R" or "L" on many of these parts which helped in their
subsequent recovery. The tender was converted to hold oil. This
conversion is probably when the tender lost its "clear vision" profile and
returned to its original uniform width. A photograph in February 1976
shows #565 partly dismantled. The pilot, pony truck, smokebox front and
boiler jacket are removed, but the driving rods are still attached (see
Image 26). At this point, Menair-Fetzer has removed the "clear vision"
portion of the tender; subsequently, the tender sides were built up.
Part way through the restoration, Frank Menair left the project to become
head of the newly formed Adirondack Scenic Railroad in upstate New York.
As costs had neared $30,000, Citro halted the restoration project and
looked to sell #565, which he did in 1982. Anthony Citro died in 1989, and
"Citro's 1900" restaurant ultimately closed.
John Meyers, of Elmira, NY, purchased #565 from Citro in 1982. Parts of
the locomotive were still scattered at various locations where they had
been sent for repair. Meyers consolidated many of the parts, including the
bell, injectors, gauges, front axle, piping, running boards and new metal
jacketing in the Elmira area. The New Hope & Ivyland parked #565 in a
rural area about a half-mile from their shop in New Hope.
In April 1983, Don Ball purchased #565 from Meyers for $2,500. Ball was a
railroad photographer and author. He was also, at this time, General
Manager of the Steamtown Foundation for the Preservation of Steam and
Railroad Americana (also known as Steamtown USA). Steamtown USA had been
formed by F. Nelson Blount in the early 1960s and consisted of a large
collection of steam locomotives and rolling stock at Bellows Falls, VT.
After Blount's death in 1967, Steamtown USA ran into fiscal hard times. A
decision was made to move to an area with greater population density to
provide a larger visitor base. In 1983, Steamtown USA, under Ball's
direction, was planning to relocate to Scranton, PA. As one of only two
surviving Lackawanna steam locomotives, Don Ball intended to acquire and
bring #565 to Scranton where it had historically been maintained.
Steamtown USA did not begin moving its equipment from Bellows Falls to
Scranton until 1984. Regarding #565, Ball reported that "there was
tremendous pressure on me to have the engine brought into Scranton,
something I did not want done…until Steamtown's relocation timetable was
fulfilled, or closer to reality." At the time, J. Campbell Bryce, one of
the owners of the project to redevelop Scranton's Lackawanna passenger
station into a hotel, wanted to display #565 at the hotel. Don Ball gave
somewhat conflicting stories regarding his plans for the locomotive. In
one version, Ball said he planned to sell #565 to Bryce, who would turn it
over to Steamtown. In a different explanation, Ball said: "All I've
talked about is giving the engine to the city to have it on display behind
the hotel. It's just my love; something I want to do. It has nothing to
do with Steamtown." This second version would have #565 remaining
permanently at the former station and now hotel.
Ball turned to Mike Giannetta for help in moving the locomotive to
Scranton. Giannetta owned a music store in Scranton and was doing
volunteer work for Scranton's mayor, James Barrett McNulty, to help bring
Steamtown USA to the city. Ball also enlisted the help of Bob Bolus, a
Scranton trucking executive who was also running for county commissioner at
the time. In addition, Ball expected Campbell Bryce to provide liability
insurance for the move, although there is no record of whether this was
done. Mayor McNulty thought #565 could not be moved by truck, but Bolus
concluded that it was possible. On May 6, 1983, Giannetta, Bolus and
other volunteers, including Bob Patterson and Willard Sturdevant (both now
on the Steamtown NHS staff), went with several of Bolus' flatbed trucks to
New Hope to pick up #565 for transport to Scranton. James McHugh, who
owned the property where #565 was stored, demanded to see a bill of sale
before allowing Giannetta to take the locomotive. So, Giannetta chartered
a private plane to fly to Bellows Falls with Bryce to collect the bill of
sale. Giannetta put up the volunteer crew in a motel overnight.
The next day, using McHugh's crane, Bolus and the crew loaded #565 and
various parts onto the trucks. First, the New Hope & Ivyland had to move
#565 from its position at the end of a spur track to a spot accessible by
the trucks. Patterson cut the bolts around the boiler so that the boiler
could be separated from the frame. The crew placed the tender on one
truck, the locomotive frame on a second truck, the boiler on a third truck
and various parts on yet another truck. McHugh required Giannetta to pay
$3,300, which was much more than Giannetta expected, for the use of the
crane, electricity and some lumber. Giannetta had already paid $2,300 for
the airplane rental, lodging and other supplies. Giannetta expected to be
reimbursed for expenses after Ball sold #565 to Bryce.
On May 8, 1983, the day after arriving in Scranton, Bolus hauled #565
around the city adorned with his campaign signs. One sign read: "Bob
Bolus for Commissioner." To simulate a working locomotive, Bolus set a
truck tire on fire in #565's smokestack, but the Scranton fire department
disapproved and forced Bolus to extinguish the tire. Bolus oversaw the
sandblasting and painting of the locomotive. After being on Bob Bolus'
property for several days, the crew placed #565 on the track behind the
former Lackawanna passenger station. The workers rested the boiler on the
frame but did not attach the boiler to the frame. Ball turned the
locomotive over to Bryce for display behind the station (see Images 27-28).
The eventful move from New Hope to Scranton led to several controversies
regarding #565. Ball and Giannetta publicly criticized Bolus for what they
thought was inappropriate use of the locomotive in a political campaign.
Bolus responded that his signs advertised his trucking service and not his
political campaign. Ball and Giannetta also felt that McHugh had been
exhorbitant in the fees he charged. Acting on Ball's advice, Giannetta
stopped payment on his check to McHugh. So, McHugh Brothers Crane Rentals
filed suit against Giannetta in a Philadelphia court. McHugh won his case
and forced Giannetta to pay $8,500, representing the original amount plus
damages. In addition, Bolus claimed he was owed money for work he did on
#565 and filed liens on the locomotive totaling between $4,000 and $5,000.
Bolus did not collect any money for moving #565 or for subsequent work he
did in moving portions of the Steamtown USA equipment from Bellows Falls to
Scranton. Giannetta also considered filing a lien on #565 but did not do
so. Mike Giannetta, like Bolus, never received any reimbursement for his
expenses in moving #565.
Within days of #565's arrival in Scranton, Steamtown USA finalized plans to
move its collection from Bellows Falls. On March 11, 1983, Steamtown USA's
board of directors voted to relocate to Scranton, and two days later,
Steamtown USA and the City of Scranton signed a contract for the
relocation. These events may explain why Don Ball was not present at New
Hope for #565's move. Steamtown USA began moving its collection from
Bellows Falls to Scranton in early 1984. In February 1984, the local group
used a bucket loader to move #565 the short distance from the station to
the Cedar Avenue bridge in order to make room for Steamtown excursion
trains (see Image 29).
Unfortunately, Ball's plans for #565 began to unravel. Campbell Bryce
resigned from the hotel partnership and left town in debt and with no
money. Ball's relationship with Steamtown USA soured. On June 1, 1984,
James Gillespie replaced Ball as General Manager. In August 1984, Ball
described the situation of #565 to the Scranton Times:
"I reached a point of exasperation and recently let it be known in historic
preservation circles that the engine was unappreciated and up for sale. A
flood tide of interest ensued - unfortunately, none of it local to the
Scranton area. However, fortunately, there is still good reason for hope
for this locomotive in Scranton. Through heart-felt conviction, I decided
to pursue a sale with the one individual who shares the vision of retaining
this historically significant Lackawanna Railroad engine on home rails.
This individual has the interest and wherewithall to restore the locomotive
into a crown jewel, and it will now be up to the Scranton officials and
community leaders to work together with the new owner to show good faith.
The story should have a very happy ending."
The individual Ball referred to was Horst Muller, of Ontario, Canada, who
bought #565 on August 21, 1984 for $8,500. The locomotive remained at
Scranton, and Muller began negotiations with Steamtown USA to arrange an
exchange. On January 17, 1985, Muller gave Steamtown $5,000 and ownership
of #565. In exchange, Muller received ownership of Canadian National #96
which had been owned by Steamtown USA and was still in Bellows Falls. On
October 15, 1986, Don Ball died of a heart attack at age 48.
MUSEUM STATUS
Steamtown's relocation to Pennsylvania did not provide the hoped for
financial stability. Pennsylvania Congressman Joseph M. McDade, realizing
Steamtown USA was on the brink of bankruptcy, proposed establishing a
National Park Service unit to manage its collection and acquire the
railroad yard. This idea came to fruition with the passage of the Omnibus
Act of 1986, which included provisions for the creation of Steamtown NHS.
One of the early actions of the National Park Service was to assign Gordon
Chappell, the NPS Western Regional Historian, to prepare a special history
study of the locomotives and cars in the Steamtown collection. Since the
NPS was still in lengthy negotiations to acquire ownership of the
collection, Chappell made a special recommendation that DL&W #565 receive
priority for acquisition. Chappell noted that #565 was the only Steamtown
locomotive on "home" rails and that it was one of only two surviving
Lackawanna steam locomotives. He also recommended that the Steamtown staff
make an effort to locate missing parts and that #565 be cosmetically
restored.
Ultimately, much of the Steamtown USA collection made its way into the care
of the NPS. DL&W #565 was accessioned into the Steamtown NHS museum
collection on March 29, 1989, as part of accession STEA-00001. It was
entered into the National Park Service (NPS) List of Classified Structures
on November 21, 1990. In 1995, National Register Nomination #90001739
received an addendum that included DL&W #565 as a contributing structure to
Steamtown NHS. Since museum objects cannot be historic structures within
the NPS, DL&W #565 was removed from Steamtown's museum property system
March 7, 2001.
In 1986, Steamtown USA moved #565 from the Cedar Avenue bridge to a track
near the Mine Storage Building (see Image 30). Then, prior to the Grand
Opening of the Museum Complex and park in 1995, the NPS moved #565 to its
present display location in the roundhouse (see Image 31). At some point,
the shop crew removed the pilot and smokebox front and stored them on top
of the tender.
Tony Citro's project to rebuild #565 had left parts of the locomotive
scattered at various locations. Retrieving these parts became a focus for
Steamtown. John Meyers, who had purchased #565 from Citro and then sold it
to Ball, had kept some parts in Elmira, NY. So, in 1985 and 1986, Bob
Patterson, then a Steamtown USA employee, and Mike Giannetta made several
trips to Elmira to pick up parts. Giannetta stored the parts and then
turned them over to Steamtown. Then, in 1986, Chris Ahrens, Steamtown's
locomotive shop foreman, sent a heavy truck to Elmira to collect larger
parts. In 1991, Ella Rayburn, Steamtown NHS Curator, asked Patterson and
Giannetta to conduct a further search for missing parts. Patterson
contacted Frank Menair and Alby Fetzer (Citro's rebuilding contractors) and
Tony Citro's son. He visited several machine shops in the New Hope, PA
area, and he issued a press release asking for information on missing
parts. Rome Locomotive Works, in Rome, NY responded to the press release
saying the firm had some parts for #565. So, in April, 1992, Patterson and
Mark Morgan, Steamtown Historian, went to Rome and collected three metal
tubs of #565 parts. Patterson did not find parts at other locations.
In the late 1980s, Peter Gores, General Manger of the Lowville & Beaver
River Railroad, found parts with "565" markings located at Thendara, NY
along the Adirondack Scenic Railroad. Gores thought these were eccentric
cranks and rods or possibly crossheads. However, on a later visit, Gores
did not find these parts. The Adirondack Scenic is where Frank Menair had
gone after working on the #565 at New Hope.
In 1994, Peter Heil, a Steamtown volunteer, gave #565's backup light to
Steamtown. Heil had removed the light from the locomotive in New Hope in
the late 1970s when he thought #565 was to be scrapped.
The various parts for #565 that Steamtown has collected have not been
restored to the locomotive. A subsequent section of this report includes
a description of the status of some of these parts.
Patrick McKnight
Historian/Archivist
Steamtown NHS
570-340-5193
We need history, not to tell us what happened or to explain the past, but
to make the past alive so that it can explain us and make a future
possible.-Alan Bloom
"Montgomery,
Edward T"
<Edward.Montgomer To
y_@_fcps.edu> "EL Mail List"
<erielack_@_lists.railfan.net>
09/04/2008 09:22 cc
AM
Subject
RE: (erielack) More shots from the
Please respond to late Earle Gil of DL&W 565
"EL Mail List"
<erielack_@_lists.r
ailfan.net>
What ever happened to 565 so that it ultimately wound up at Cirtro's?
It was functional as an operating steam engine but when BR&W moved to
Flemington, nothing was done to service it. It thought it would be at
Citro's forever. My father worked at Van Ness Lumber in Pequannock and
knew Tony. He would come in with paint chips and ask for a paint mix
that would be an exact match for the engine and the Erie caboose. He
did the same when he acquired PRR's "Queen Mary". All of this
historical accuracy has been lost over the years. Could the 565 ever
run again?
Ed Montgomery
The Erie Lackawanna Mailing List
http://EL-List.railfan.net/
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