Steam & Excursion > NYC Steam

Here is another NYC Steam picture from Alt.Binaries.Picture.Rails newsgroup.

NYC 7912 and 5406 at Kankakee Ill. No other info given.

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the Big Four line from Kankakee to Indy was one of the last hold outs for NYC steam.

Holy Toledo! I'm not even an East Coast fan, but these are really something...check out the Hudson on the right. She may look a little grimy, but what a goin' machine (with a full set of disc drivers too).
Hal, you ever get on this one?

Tom

Wow! Those early diesels were DIRTY, maaaan!

Naaaah, jk.

Thanks a LOT for that image. Just super.

John

My dad used to ride the James Witcombe Riley on the New York Central between Cincinnati and Chicago. Engine changes would occur sometimes at Indianapolis, and Kankakee. At Kankakee the NYC steam would be taken off in favor of the Illinois Central Diesels(near the end), for the run into Chicago over IC trackage.
As is pointed out below, some of the last Hudsons worked this region between Cincinnati and Kankakee. Last Hudson in steam on NYC was at Indy in 1956, and last steam on NYC was in Cincinnati in 1957.
We released a New York Central video of my dads stuff about a year or so ago, and there is about 17 minutes on riding the Hudsons on this section, including some meets, engine changes, and Kankakee.
In the photo it appears to be the roundhouse stack in the background, and if so, the two engines are facing southward. Also I thought the 0-8-0 was interesting with the low headlight.
Steamingly,
Greg Scholl

http://www.gregschollvideo.com

5406 would be the second of 50 J-3's built. Tom, all the J-3's had either Scullin disk drivers or Boxpok. The Central changed them often, so you might find pix of any of these engines with either drivers, or a mix. 5406 was in need of hitting the wash rack that day. They all looked like that in the last days of steam. Would that one survived for us to drool over today.

Thanks Jim, for the info on these as I'm not as up on Eastern railroads as I'd like to be. Yeah, I'd agree that not saving one of these beauts is a pretty common lament for most of us that like the steam.

Tom

Does any of you know whether the oft-told tale about the Smithsonian asking the NYC for a Hudson is true? Supposedly, NYC mgmt. flatly rejected the request, leading to the S. acquisition of SOU 1401. Thanks for any info. BTW, my step-son recently gave me a stack of old pix which include two shots of a CCC&StL J-1 still wearing her Big Four number, 8220.

NYCSTL8 Wrote:
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> Does any of you know whether the oft-told tale
> about the Smithsonian asking the NYC for a Hudson
> is true? Supposedly, NYC mgmt. flatly rejected
> the request, leading to the S. acquisition of SOU
> 1401.

I read somewhere Al Perlman had a relative in the scrap business. A sweetheart deal then lead to railfans' lament now.

I'd be happy if a "Jx" ended up in a park somewhere ... something tells me it would've been restored to operation early in the excursion era.

* JB *

I remember riding in the 5436 and one other J-3. I don't think it was the 5406. As others have noted here, NYC steam ended on the Indiana Division from Cincinnati to Kankakee. As steam was withdrawn around the system it was sent to Beech Grove (Indianapolis) to be scrapped or have the last useful miles run off. I left in the Spring of 1953, and had curtailed my cab riding during the spring semester because I thought it might be a good idea to graduate.
A quick comparison between J-1's and J-3's. Train 405, the "Sycamore" almost always had 8 cars. It was a mix of lightweight coaches and heavy weight diner and lounge cars. There was a 12 mile long grade out Brant to Glenn (0.4% to 0.5%), just N. of Indianapolis. Speed limit at the bottom of the hill was 40 mph, and track speed was 75, but 80 was not uncommon. The usual J-1 would top the hill at around 70, working hard. J-1 5382, and the 5395 to 5404 J-1e's with Worthington SA feedwater heaters were good for about 75. The 5436 reached 80 well before the top and the engineer had to ease off on the throttle. An exception was
J-1 5279 which matched the 5436 one night. Never could figure out what that engine had going for it.
Gotta' stop now. It's nap time

Hal