Altoona Museum Received ex-PRR Baggage Car

A former Pennsylvania Railroad baggage car has been donated to the Railroaders Memorial Museum in Altoona, Pennsylvania.

The model B60b baggage car was built in the 1920s. Aside from working for the PRR, it also served Amtrak in maintenance of way service.

Amtrak sold the car in late 2022 to Railway Excursion Management Company, which donated it to the Altoona museum.

The car will be used in a planned exhibit train of PRR passenger cars to accompany K4s No. 1361, which is currently being restored.

A report on the website of Trains magazine said the history of the car is uncertain, but it may have had roster number 9004.

The car is being stored for the time being on the Everett Railroad in Holidaysburg, Pennsylvania, until it can be moved to Altoona.

The Hunt for Gold October in Pa. (Part 2)

My second stop on Saturday during a visit to Pennsylvania to photograph trains and fall foliage was the Everett Railroad.

They were running Pumpkin Patch specials with No. 11, a 2-6-0 Mogul, and No. 126, an SW8 painted in Lehigh Valley colors.

We just missed the 10 a.m. trip but chased the return trip and the noon trip.  I don’t know what the locations of these photographs are but all they were just a few miles south of Hollidaysburg.

One of the photos was made at a farm and a curious donkey came over to see what we were doing.

Article and Photographs by Todd Dillon

Heavyweight Cars on Way to Everett Railroad

Two heavyweight passenger cars bound for the Everett Railroad in Duncanville, Pennsylvania, were set to be interchanged to Union Pacific on Wednesday to begin their journey from California, Trains magazine reported on its website.

The former Fillmore & Western cars include the Powhatan Café parlor built for the Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac Railroad; and the Rancho Sespe, a former Colorado & Southern Railway car.

A photo with the story showed the cars loaded on flat cars.

Everett Acquires 2 Heavyweight Cars

A Pennsylvania short line railroad has acquired two heavyweight passengers from a defunct California tourist railroad.

The Everett Railroad plans to operate the cars on its own tourist trains.

The cars were recently prepared for shipping from the Fillmore & Western Railway via Union Pacific.

The cars being acquired by the Everett include Powhatan Café, a parlor car built by Pullman for the Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac Railroad; and the Rancho Sespe — named for a large Fillmore ranch — which was once operated by the Colorado & Southern Railway.

Everett Converts Steamer Back to Fuel Oil

A Pennsylvania-based short line has converted a steam locomotive to use fuel oil rather than coal.

The Everett Railroad said using fuel oil in 2-6-0 No. 11 would improve its performance.

Built by the Cooke Works of the American Locomotive Company, No. 11 was restored to operating condition in 2015.

No. 11 was once a fuel oil-burning locomotive before being converted to coal burning.

In a news release, EMW Solutions, which did engineering and design work for the drafting changes in the locomotive’s smokebox, said the locomotive received a new exhaust nozzle and petticoat extension.

The consulting firm also helped the Everett perform in its own shop firebox and firepan modifications.

The Everett also constructed a new oil tank for No. 11, while Stockton Locomotive Works provided a burner, firing valve quadrant and emergency oil shutoff.

Everett Railroad Gets Vintage PRR Boxcar

The Everett Railroad of Pennsylvania has taken delivery of a former Pennsylvania Railroad box car that it acquired from the Indiana Transportation Museum.

A Facebook posting indicated that the railroad might restore the car to operating condition and run it behind its Alco 2-6-0 No. 11.

The car became surplus for ITM after it was evicted from its long-time home in Forest Park in Noblesville, Indiana, in June 2018.

Some of the rolling stock left behind was sold at auction earlier this year.

Ed’s Pennsylvania Adventure: Part 2

The 2018 convention of the National Railway Historical Society was held recently in Cumberland, Maryland.

On Saturday morning, convention attendees boarded buses and made the trip to Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania, to board a chartered Everett Railroad steam train.

I didn’t attend the convention, but was also present for the trip to chase it.

Even though I’ve done the Everett several times I faced a challenge because of the overcast skies. I opted for locations where the morning light would produce better images for locations I’ve gotten previously.

However, all morning the heavy overcast resulted in locations I previously had done ending up with similar results. I’m sending along locations not shown before.

In the top image the train passes a horse grazing in a field north of Kladder

In the top image below, the steamer turns east toward Martinsburg approaching Route 36. The following image shows the train heading back after turning at the Martinsburg passing dairy plant.

In the next image, the train arrives at Roaring Springs station for where the conventioneers had lunch.

After our Everett Railroad outing had ended the clouds disappeared and we had sunshine for the Altoona Curve doubleheader baseball game that was to begin at 4:30 p.m. at Peoples Natural Gas Field.

The exterior of the ballpark simulates a roundhouse. Everything, including the gift shop, mascots and food items, are railroad terms. The former Pennsy K4 is alive and well.

Overlooking the outfield is the Lakemont amusement park roller coaster, hopefully to reopen next season.

Photographs by Edward Ribinskas

Chasing Steam, Amtrak, NS in Pennsylvania

Here are a few are a few highlights from this past weekend. Jeff [Troutman] and myself left about 2:30 p.m. on Friday. Since I drove I made reservations for a Microtel in Clarion, Pennsylvania. We got there about 5:15 p.m.

I wanted to be on the road by 7 a.m. Saturday so we would get to Summerhill to get Amtrak No. 42 since it would depart Johnstown at 9:03 a.m.

Breakfast started at 6:30 a.m., which was perfect. But ice and fogged up windows from overnight delayed our departure by 20 minutes.

Jeff kept checking Julie as we were heading on Pennsylvania Route 219. We were on the far bridge and guess who was about to go under us.

I knew it was P42DC engine No. 86 on head end. And exactly like Agent 86 Maxwell Smart we missed it by that much.

As you can see in photo No. 1 the lighting was perfect of the empty tracks.

Photo No. 2 is of the Everett steam train at Brook Mills on the line heading to Roaring Spring.

Photo No. 3 is at Roaring Spring. There are two photo lines including the road crossing where I shot last September with the station and the Pennsylvania Railroad caboose.

Where I am and looking down to my right I was amazed at what I saw that I never noticed twice last September and last May: A double semaphore turned with slight foliage somewhat hiding it.

Photo 5 shows Everett No. 11 on the return trip from Martinsburg at Route 36 just southeast of Roaring Spring.

After eating lunch we went to Tyrone, Pennsylvania, where we photographed the cabooses located on what used to be the east leg of the wye.

The beautiful stone memorial is in a park between the cabooses and the station.

Saturday afternoon found us in Fostoria, Pennsylvania, along the Pittsburgh Line of Norfolk Southern. This time Amtrak did not elude us.

On Sunday morning it was back to Fostoria to catch Amtrak No. 42 passing beneath the PRR position light signals.

We then spent a little over three hours at Horseshoe Curve before heading home. We saw eight trains and two helper movements.

What was unusual was that the first three trains were two eastbound loaded coal hoppers and one empty hopper train.

Again, the weather was perfect and it was tough to leave.

Article and Photographs by Edward Ribinskas

 

 

Roaring Into Roaring Springs

Akron Railroad Club members Ed Ribinskas and Jeff Troutman traveled to central Pennsylvania to chase the Everett Railroad’s steam locomotive. It is shown above coming into Roaring Springs.

Photographs by Jeff Troutman

Ed’s Trip to Pennsylvania (Part 2)

Everett Railroad No. 11 crossing the Little Juniata after departing Hollidaysburg.

After spending some time catching Amtrak and Norfolk Southern trains in downtown Altoona, we motored out to the Everett Railroad where we rode and chased.

After the train arrived at Roaring Springs, I drove back to Duncansville to an antique mall to check out the Alto Model Railroad, which is open on Saturday and Sunday. It was worth it with all scales represented with fabulous operating layouts.

Afterwards it was back to the Everett where the train returned and we got No. 11 heading to the wye to be turned.

Photographs by Edward Ribinskas

Passing through Roaring Spring.

At Roaring Spring.

Nearing Martinsburg in the first of a two photo sequence. I talked with Jerry Jordak at this spot. He was chasing, also, then working his way to the Penn Central Historical Society Convention in Harrisburg.

Turning the locomotive on the wye.

Just west of Martinsburg on the return.

Arriving at Roaring Spring for water and ice cream stop.

Heading to the wye on the old Pennsy main, which used to head toward old Muleshoe Curve.

Heading into the wye. This track goes north to Altoona to connect at Alto tower.