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I was there.  One reason might be that a trip to Fort Wayne by a 770- would be rare.  I understand that they could not travel Fort Wayne- Chicago since they did not have ATS equipment.  Most of them ran Conneaut-Buffalo and Conneaut-Bellevue.  I also believe that the Conneaut Shop overhaul schedule had a number of 770's scheduled for overhaul when the shop closed.  There were only 10 770's but 30 S-2's, so the numbers were not favorable to those remaining that might have been preserved.  And two of those preserved, 755 and 759, had just been overhauled. 

All the 700’s leaving Conneaut shop that I saw had white striped drivers and running boards.

Never saw any kind of an official record on this however. Only record on “striping” running boards that I ran across is an NKP drawing which called for “Monel” angle strips for the running board edges on the Hudsons, never implemented however.

The last five 700’s to leave Conneaut shop in ’58 were the; 775 on Feb 11, 749 on Feb 27, 755 on March 19, the 741 on April 8, and the 759 on May 14. As pointed out previously, the last three never saw service after shopping.

I just had a chance to review my records and slide dates.

The four NKP Berks at Brewster, OH in August 58 were 706, 708, 712, and 725.

There were three Berkshires in the large concrete building with green window cladding at Conneaut on June 26, 1958: 738, 771, and 775.  I think this was the former passenger car wood shop?  The last image I have of 775 active is 3/19/58.  On the same day, I photographed 772 and 778, tender to tender.  On 2/21/58, #718 was already  stored but outside, and not in a scrap line but stored with some tank cars.

 

There is no doubt why the 779 was saved for preservation in Lima.  John H. Keller, Sr. was a notable historian who worked on the NKP as a flagman starting in 1941.  He knew it was the last steam locomotive built by the Lima Locomotive Works (L-H actually) right after it was delivered new and the smoke cleared (so-to-speak) on the empty steam order books.  It was still in service on the NKP when he organized the effort to preserve the 779 and enlisted the aid of the Allen County Historical Society and the City of Lima.  Contact was made with Myron B. Phipps, the last President of the NKP, after the 779 was stored out of service at Conneaut.  An 1880's agreement with a NKP predecessor for the railroad to keep its stores department and shops in Lima forever in exchange for free real estate because a nuisance item which the NKP discharged by donating the 779 to the City in 1963.  It was stored at the Lima Army Tank Modification Plant (where the M-1 Abrams tanks were later built) until 1966 when the present Lincoln Park Railroad Exhibit structure was completed and the 779 was placed along with a wooden NKP caboose and NKP Official Car 5.  That equipment has been under roof ever since with suitable fencing and heat in Car 5 in winter.

John H. Keller, Sr. is a legendary figure in railroad preservation on many different levels.  He is one of the top 5 people I have ever been associated with, and the preservation of NKP 779 is only one part of his story.

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