Nostalgia & History > Real WAG Wednesday

November 7, 1979 the final day of operations for the Wellsville Addison & Galeton. We will follow the last train as it leaves Galeton, PA and heads to Ansonia the Conrail interchange. Weather was perfect for a last run being cloudy and a light touch of rain.
1. The GE Centercab 1700 at the rear of the train in Galeton.
2. 2300-2200 Galeton.
3. The last train along Pine Creek east of Galeton.

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4. Crossing Pine Creek at Watrous, PA
5 & 6 Watrous, PA

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Along Pine Creek at Gaines, PA

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10. Ansonia, PA
11. Ansonia, PA
12. The end has came as the 2300 was shut down and the employees walk away.

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Wow - what a story these tell, especially that last photo.

Was the last shot in Trains magazine, looks familiar?

...in "six degrees of separation" fashion there's a connection between this "WAG Wednesday" post and "Warbonnet Wednesday". F7s 2200 and 2300 - former SP/T&NO units - went on from their shortline career on the WA&G to a couple of commuter gigs. First was at PATrain (Pittsburgh's ex B&O service), and then as the first locomotives used on the new Shoreline East service in Connecticut, as CDOT 6690/1. After their next retirement and some excursion work in Connecticut, the pair was sold to the Galveston Railroad Museum, where they currently wear Warbonnet paint while masquerading at ATSF 315/6.

Dave

Why did they run the two F's nose-to-nose? The engineer had to hate that!

Nick Tharalson,
Marion, IA

ntharalson Wrote:
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> Why did they run the two F's nose-to-nose? The
> engineer had to hate that!
>
> Nick Tharalson,
> Marion, IA

The 2300 facing west was the only operating unit so it lead backwards.

with no kind of headlight?

Great memories although a very sad day.

A few more of my take on the day.

1. Eqpt left in the yard

2. #1700 along Pine Creek where PCCRNSEngr had a very special issue of TRAINS Magazine to show off.

3. Leonard Ferguson climbs down from the F unit after pulling the battery switch and killing the ringing alarm bell after shutting the unit down. You shoulda heard the shutters from all those SLR's going off !

Thanks for Memories

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Whatever became of the ex-WP F7B that they acquired? Did it just sit around and rust until they finally scrapped it?

billmeeker Wrote:
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> Whatever became of the ex-WP F7B that they
> acquired? Did it just sit around and rust until
> they finally scrapped it?


Yes. WP 921-C had been stripped for parts over the years and was not much more than a shell on blocks by the end of the railroad. http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=2058797

The WAG purchased the unit in 1968. I heard it hung around until many years after the WAG ended and was finally scrapped in the late 80s. An attempt was made by the FRRS to acquire it before it was scrapped, but it was so far gone and would have cost so much to move back to California that it simply was not feasible. The unit was basically a frame and a rusted out empty body.

Z

I remember seeing WAG's distinctive fleet of "Sole Leather Line" steel frame wooden boxcars on EL Southern Tier freights in the '60s. I wonder what became of these cars - were they all scrapped? And were they really used to ship Sole Leather?

Link to photo on Ebay:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Wellsville-Addison-Galeton-5260-Box-Car-Baltimore-ORIGINAL-PHOTO-Railroad-/121356427976?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1c416822c8