Group Meets Funding Goal for New Firebox

A group working to raise money for restoration of a former Pennsylvania Railroad K4s steam locomotive  said it has exceeded its goal.

Trains magazine reported on its website that the Pennsylvania Railroad Technical & Historical Society has raised more than $100,000 to be used to construct a new firebox for ex-PRR 4-6-2 No. 1361, which is owned by the Railroaders Memorial Museum and for years was on static display at Horseshoe Curve near Altoona, Pennsylvania after being retired in 1956.

The 1361 is one of just two of the 425 K4s class locomotives built that still survives.

The other survivor is the 3750, which is in the collection of the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania in Strasburg.

The Altoona museum restored the 1361 to operating condition in the late 1980s but it has not operated since 1988.

The fundraising efforts by the PRRT&HS are part of a larger campaign by the Altoona museum to raise $2.6 million to bring the 1361 back to operating condition.

The story can be read at https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/prr-group-raises-100000-toward-restoration-of-k4s-steam-engine-no-1361/

Planned Pennsylvania Excursion Canceled

A planned excursion train in Pennsylvania in conjunction with the 50^th anniversary celebration of the Pennsylvania Railroad Technical and Historical Society has been canceled, a victim of a recent Amtrak policy change banning most special moves and charters.

The train, which would have featured the PRR E8A passenger locomotives and former Pennsy passenger cars owned by Bennett Levin, had initially been approved by Amtrak.

But Levin received a phone call from an Amtrak official saying Amtrak CEO Richard Anderson had ordered an end to special trains.

Although the Amtrak policy change had allowed for exceptions in narrow circumstances, a recent clarification of the policy indicated that Amtrak will not approve excursions that operate on lines not used by the carrier’s scheduled trains.

The PRRT&HS excursion was to operate from Philadelphia to Altoona, Pennsylvania, on May 9 via the Buffalo Line of Norfolk Southern and the Nittany & Bald Eagle short line railroad using former PRR routes via Williamsport and Tyrone.

Levin had submitted a detailed request to Amtrak in December to operate the excursion and he agreed to Amtrak’s price for the trip in early February.

As late as early April Amtrak was still agreeing to operate the trip before backing out in mid April.

PRR Group to Run Special Train

The Pennsylvania Railroad Technical & Historical Society will operate a special to celebrate its 50th anniversary convention in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on May 9-13.

The trip will operate via Lock Haven and returning via the loop at Gallitzen. The motive power will be PRR E8s 5711-5809.

The fare is $1,000 and includes reserved round trip seating in one of five parlor cars, food and beverage service while aboard, a special farewell brunch on May 13, and an illustrated route guide and souvenirs.,

Contact Steve Staffieri at Interceptor92@verizon.net to verify availability and send your check, payable to the PRRTHS, to:
Steve Staffieri
President PRRTHS
2963 Columbia Drive
Bensalem, PA 19020

PRR Group Offers Program on South Wind Route

The Pennsylvania Railroad Technical and Historical Society meeting in Chicago on April 21 will feature a program about the route of the South Wind between Logansport, Indiana, and Louisville, Kentucky.

The program will be presented by William Shapotkin at the Historical Pullman District Visitors Center. The PRRT&HS meeting will run between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. and admission to the program is free.

Shapotkin will also discuss an Amtrak proposal in the early 1970s to operate an auto ferry service between Indianapolis and Florida.

A test train of the AutoTrak service made one trip carrying rented Avis sedans in modified auto rack cars. The rented vehicles sustained so much damage that Amtrak scraped the AutoTrak idea.

However, Amtrak did combine is Chicago-Miami/St. Petersburg Floridian with an Auto-Train Corporation service that began in May 24, operating between Louisville and Sanford, Florida. The arrangement lasted through September 1977.

Pa. Excursion Trip Set for May 18

Three organizations are teaming up to offer a rare mileage excursion over the Pennsylvania Railroad and Reading Railroad’s Shamokin Valley Branch.

The May 18 trip will cover a 27-mile branch that is the third oldest railroad in the United States, having been chartered as the Danville & Pottsville Railroad in 1826.

The train will include a Pullman car, baggage car, three restored coaches and a PRR N8 cabin car.

The tracks are now used by the North Shore Railroad, which is operated by the SEDA-COG Joint Rail Authority.

The train will depart from Sunbury, Pennsylvania, with bus transportation provided to the boarding site from Camp Hill, Wyomissing and Lancaster.

Tickets are $89 per person for those departing from one of the bus locations and $45 for those driving to Sunbury on their own.

The fare includes a bag lunch. Other sandwiches and drinks will be available for purchase on the train.

This trip is subject to cancellation due to insufficient and/or late registration.

Tickets can be purchased by sending a check made payable to the Pennsylvania Railroad Technical & Historical Society.

Send payments to Iron Ore Special, 1624 Suzanne Drive, West Chester, PA 19380-1573. Registration and payment are due by April 10,

For further information send a email query to ironorespecial@gmail.com.

Trip sponsors are the Pennsylvania Railroad Technical & Historical Society, the Reading Company Technical & Historical Society, and the Friends of the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania.

Pa. Museum Qualifies for Matching Grant.

Fundraising by the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania for a steam locomotive restoration project has reached the level where it qualifies for a matching grant of $50,000.

The museum has raised more than $60,000 in its “Ready for the Roundhouse” campaign, thus matching a 50-50 grant from the Pennsylvania Railroad Technical and Historical Society.

The museum plans to use the money to restore five former PRR steam locomotives. The project needs to raise a total of $250,000.

The five locomotives include Pennsy M1b 4-8-2 No. 6755, K4s 4-6-2 No. 3750, L1s 2-8-2 No. 520, H10s 2-8-0 No. 7688 and B6sb 0-6-0 No. 1670.

All of them will be cosmetically restored and placed on display in a roundhouse that the museum plans to build. Groundbreaking for the roundhouse is expected to done this year.

Groups Raising Money to Restore PRR Steamers

Two Pennsylvania organizations are seeking to preserve five Pennsylvania Railroad steam locomotives so that they can be placed on display.

The locomotives will receive a cosmetic face lift and then be housed in a roundhouse being built by the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania.

All of the engines are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. They are:

• M1b 4-8-2 No. 6755, built at Juniata Shops in Altoona, Pennsylvania, in 1930,
• K4s 4-6-2 No. 3750, built at Juniata in 1920.
• L1s 2-8-2 No. 520, built by Baldwin in 1916.
• H10s 2-8-0 No. 7688 built by Lima in 1915.
• B6sb 0-6-0 No. 1670 built at Juniata in 1916.

The campaign is being spearheaded by the Friends of the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania and the Pennsylvania Railroad Technical & Historical Society.

The PRR historical society will match all donations up to $50,000.