Nice start so far guys. Tom I actually saw that movie in the theater...I don't know what that says about me. I love "bad" movies.
Happy weekend everybody. It is Saturday so that means SWSat is on! I hope everyone had a great week and is enjoying the cooler weather. Train show season has begun. Maybe you will find that elusive switcher you have had your eye on. My club the NYSME is having a show today hosted with the METCA in Rutherford NJ. My youngest is having her 5th birthday today so I have to miss it.
This week I have a personal treat. I have some primary documents related to an unusual pair of geared engines. These were the only pair to use this drive mechanism that I am aware of. William Sykes owned a logging company called the Emporium Logging Company. It was based near Emporium PA. Eventually the interest grew into New York and Vermont as well. He built a steam engine in 1882 to pull logs out of the woods to his mill. Like other geared logging engines of the time it involved a drive mechanism for it that involved a combination of gears, shafts and chains. A patent was applied for and granted in 1888. Unlike the Shays, Climaxes and Heislers only two engines following this drive were made, both by Mr Sykes for his company.
It is funny to me how close this idea is to model railroad drive mechanisms.
The first was made in 1885 and was called by the crews the "Barney". It followed the patent drawings very closely even down to the turned front porch-like corner posts. As you can see it had a vertical boiler and was run in the middle of the train for best effect. These photos are of the engine in service in 1882. At that time the Emporium was running on 3 foot Narrow Gauge track. One of these images was even used on the cover of an issue of Northern Logger in 1970. The engine was sold to another logging company in 1897 and scrapped in 1900.
In 1887 the Emporium co. switched from narrow gauge to standard gauge to reduce the labor of the transfer to adjoining railroads like the Pennsy, Goodyear and Potato Creek RRs. Logs from other areas could be brought in to the central sawmill. Another engine was built using the same drive. This one was referred to by the crews as the "Clyde". It differed from the "Barney" in that it was standard gauge, had a horizontal boiler, it also had an enclosed cab and drive components. The "Barney" was successful in that it went on to a very long career but no other engines were made following the drive idea. It made the move to Vermont in 1906 with the company and while discussions of preservation were raised, it was finally scrapped in 1950 in New York.
This second one is taken a few years later. The cab is much modified and opened up. It looks much more like other engines. The cover is also off the drive shaft.
The success of these two engines grew the company to the point that the rest of the engines (totaling 26) were all purchases and the company expanded to several operations in different states. Railroad operations ended in 1957.
Have a great weekend guys.
