Did the Long Island Rail Road re-letter any of the borrowed / rented E6, K2, K2A and K4 steam engines in Long Island livery? Some of these steamers spent most of lives on the Long Island such as K4 5406.
Replies sorted oldest to newest
I've never seen any photo evidence that they did. Some of the H-8 to 10 classes were sold to the LIRR second hand and they were repainted. Probably treated like the leased and run through power today, still belonged to the PRR.
Many of the G5's were lettered for the Long Island. I rode behind quite a few as a young lad, and also observed them at the servicing yard just off Atlantic Avenue.
The G-5's were built new for the LIRR. I believe they were the first new power under PRR control. Prior to that they had a varied steam fleet with several classes of camelbacks being the primary power.
LIRR locomotives either built new or purchased used from the PRR were numbered and lettered in the LIRR scheme. Leased PRR power was not renumbered or reletered. However at least one PRR G5 on lease to the LIRR near the end of steam trailed a LIRR Kiesel design tender. Thus a hybrid - PRR 4 digit number on the engine, Long Island lettering on the tender. Note that the PRR designed and built a special variant of the Kiesel tender for some LIRR G5's. My belief is that this was done to provides coal capacity for the relatively long runs out to Montauck and Greenport. While Kiesel LIRR G5 tenders looks similar to the 110P75 tenders trailed by K4s locomotives, one can spot the difference by the steeper angle of the slope sheet.
I should add that photo evidence shows that for a period of time before and after WWII some leased PRR passenger power on the LIRR had their smoke box doors painted black ( or possibly DGLE), with the remainder of the smoke box what appears to be a bright silver/graphite color The numbering and lettering remained per PRR practice. I like the distinctive look, but some of my PRR purist friends said YUCK.
I happened to find this, if it helps...
Tom