STEAMday Sunday 7/14/2024 edition

Photos and video show my just-delivered Railking Imperial model (30-1866-1) of Raritan River Rail Road #20, a custom-run USRA 0-6-0 steam switcher from Forum sponsor Public Delivery Track with PS3 at $479.95.

The Raritan River Rail Road was a 12.3 mile short line that operated in Central New Jersey between New Brunswick and South Amboy beginning in 1888. It became part of Conrail in 1980.

The RRRR bought 7 U.S. Army surplus USRA 0-6-0 steam switcher locomotives – numbers 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 and 22 – in 1947 and ’48. They were built by Lima in 1944 and scrapped in 1954. My model – Raritan River #20 – was previously U.S. Army #4055.

Information can be found on the website of the Raritan River Rail Road Historical Society.

MELGAR

Lionel #2797 pulling an older set of Lionel NYC aluminum passenger cars.

Happy Steamer Sunday. Here is my Lionel Legacy PRR #5741 4-6-0 hauling a string of tank cars and a Lionel smoking caboose.

Hello StDaySun people!  Continuing my postwar steam theme of the past two Sundays - and with a nod to Don McErlean - I present my Marx no. 333 NYC Pacific with matching train set.

I received this set on Christmas, 1950.  The set was purchased from Sears, but I don’t know if it was a Sears exclusive.  The 333 has never been apart, but still runs well with periodic lubing and oiling.

John

Thanks so much Arnold for keeping the boiler fired up and getting us rolling for this fine Sunday!   I hope you and your son had a great day of gulf today!  

While visiting the Virginia Museum of Transportation in Roanoke last Sunday,  I snapped these photos of a few of their steam locomotives.   Of course VMT is home to the N&W J class 611 and the first several photos are of that locomotive.  

The J class, her tender and water tender, are set out near  the end of the train shed and protected from the elements.  Positioning the 611 here allows for easy access whenever the locomotive departs VMT for special assignments.   When departing the 611 is  backed out, water tender leading first,  pulled by a diesel on the museums lead to the NS tracks which run parallel to the VMT.

611 bell is tucked away neatly.

A straight on shot of 611's  drivers and running gear.

611 with her tender entourage.

This shows the 611 consist from the rear.  

Of course here is the unmistakable front end of the 611.  

A fireless cooker ... 0-4-0 switcher.

Virginian number 4.  

Last Sunday I first visited the historic N&W Roanoke passenger station.    Housed within the station is the O.Winston Link Museum, however  I was surprised that O.W. Link Museum is closed on Sundays which I found to be odd.   Luckily in the station's waiting room there was an elaborate exhibition of the life and work of Raymond Lowey who himself designed N&W's Roanoke Station.  I enjoyed this exhibition very much and learned a great deal.

One item of frustration for me; is that both the Station exhibition and the VMT  ( whose collection includes a GG1 )  still give Lowey all the credit for the design of the Pennsy GG1 when in fact part of the credit should go to Westinghouse design engineer Donald Roscoe Dohner who created the first mock up models of the GG1, even though the final prototype GG1 did not exactly look like Dohner's models.   It is my understanding that after Baldwin built the first GG1 ( number 4800 eventually  nicknamed "Old Rivets"  ,  Pennsy hired Lowey to come and give it a look over for final recommendations.  Upon viewing the riveted sheet metal, he suggested  welding the sheet metal, for the remaining production of 138 locos, to give the GG1 a more sleek look and to paint it  Brunswick green.  The rest of the locomotive is based on Dohner's design.  My apology for the digression.  Now back to steam locomotives.

While at the station museum I snapped a photo  of a Pennsy  4-4-4-4 locomotive  ( O scale ) designed by Raymond Lowey.

N&W 0-8-0

Found a couple of sets of 3 bay hoppers last week to finally get a significant consist to go with the Visionline Class A

@Steam Crazy posted:

Hello StDaySun people!  Continuing my postwar steam theme of the past two Sundays - and with a nod to Don McErlean - I present my Marx no. 333 NYC Pacific with matching train set.

I received this set on Christmas, 1950.  The set was purchased from Sears, but I don’t know if it was a Sears exclusive.  The 333 has never been apart, but still runs well with periodic lubing and oiling.

John

My Dad had that same set.  My brother ended up with the set, along with a couple of switches and the knuckle busting Marx crank up bridge.

I have one of these on every light switch in my house!  Well, it's a steam engine so I think it's OK to use for steamday sunday.

- walt

@pennsyfan posted:

Happy Steamer Sunday. Here is my Lionel Legacy PRR #5741 4-6-0 hauling a string of tank cars and a Lionel smoking caboose.

WOW Bob, that's a colorful set of tankers you got there.

- walt

For this week I have my 1961 Scout set that I received from my late uncle. It still runs but is a little rough, one day I will go through it and correct any problems that I find. This one is a keeper no matter what since it was released the year I was born!

@trumpettrain

Patrick, great photos, and thank you for the history on the GG1. I wasn’t aware of Dohner’s design.

@Steam Crazy and @Darrell - Steam Crazy thanks for the mention and you and Darrell had some great old sets this week.  Walt - neat light switches !   Thanks for posting.

Here is a great post war engine, that actually also was offered in the pre-war period but with a different tender.  This is the Lionel #224 offered in 1945 and 1946.  This version with the blackened hand rails is 1945 shown here with a set of brown tinplate passenger cars and below with a set of green.  In the 45-46 time period, she actually came in sets with either color with little differentiation at least to the consumer.

Here is the 224 with a set of green tinplate passenger cars.  Early postwar sets.

Best wishes, Don

Here is an MTH Railking PS2 Pennsylvania 2-8-0 consolidated pulling lightweight modern boxcars:

Like my other MTH PS2 and 3 engines that run on DCS, this Railking consolidated is a fine engine, but has a light tender so it’s not a great puller. However, it does fine pulling lightweight cars like those in the video.

Here's a fresh video only taken an hour ago with my two newest steam locomotives ... a B&O Pacific President Harrison and my newly weathered N&W 0-8-0 number 244.  

My NYO&W Mogul with a mixed train…..

Have a great and safe weeks, folks!

Peter