Good morning and welcome to STEAMday Sunday, the place to discuss steam locomotives.
Arnold has other commitments today so this is my big opportunity to get out of the fireman’s seat and onto the engineer’s side for a day.
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My steamer for today is Long Island Rail Road #18, a Lionel Legacy model (2131420, $649.99) of a Camelback 4-6-0 Ten-Wheeler steam locomotive.
Camelback locomotives had extra-wide fireboxes designed to use slow-burning anthracite (hard) coal from deposits in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Therefore, the engineer’s cab was in front of the firebox and astride the boiler, while the fireman shoveled coal into the firebox from a platform at the rear of the engine. Although Camelbacks were powerful, this arrangement made for difficult communication between the engineer and fireman and also posed a danger to the engineer because a broken rod could penetrate the cab. Due to safety concerns, the Interstate Commerce Commission eventually banned any further orders for Camelbacks in 1927. The Reading and the Central Railroad of New Jersey were prominent users of this type of locomotive – and so was the LIRR.
In the late 1800s, the Long Island Rail Road had a fleet of Camelback locomotives and even after becoming a subsidiary of the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1900, continued to purchase Camelbacks from commercial manufacturers. #18 belonged to Class G-54a. It was built by Baldwin in 1903 and retired by 1931. The Class G-54a engines had 72-inch driving wheels and hauled high-speed Limiteds from Jamaica to the Hamptons on Eastern Long Island that were run by the most senior engineers on the LIRR. In 1924, the LIRR honored engineer James Eichhorn by painting his name on the cab of locomotive #18, as seen on Lionel’s model.
Photos and videos show the model in conventional operation on my 12’-by-8’ model railroad.
Now, please show us your steamers.
MELGAR