I was born in Phillipsburg, N.J. in 1943 (how can I not like railroading?) and lived on Sitgreaves St. across from the storage yard of Warren Foundry & Pipe, subsequently known as the Middle Atlantic States and other names. I recently have read their history on the Internet..... They created ductile iron pipes in their foundry several hundred feet from our row house.......Their motive power for yard switching was a 0-4-0 Dockside loco and they operated a 2nd. 0-4-0 which seemed to run when the primary loco was in the shop. During my pre-school years, I watched these locos push and pull one or two gondola cars loaded with large cast iron pipe, sometimes several yards in diameter. The 0-4-0's boiler was the color of concrete and at my age I decided it was concrete........Also there were two steam powered derricks (cranes?). They loaded and unloaded the pipe and also could drag a loaded gondola around the yard. Numerous times I watched the 0-4-0 push a loaded car up the very steep grade in the rear of the yard to the CNJ main line. Sometimes a derrick car would assist the 0-4-O up that grade and what a struggle that was! Fantastic entertainment for a pre-school youngster.........I am not doing that much in the way of research on those locos and cranes and I suspect one of the town historians might be able to provide info.......My point is, I have been a railfan and model railroader my entire life and not once have I ever seen any of this action mentioned in print or even discussed by railroaders/railfans/model railroaders and I sincerely wonder why?........Is there anyone reading this remember those fantastic little engines & derricks at the foundry in Phillisburg? Thank you beforehand for any responses.
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