Steam & Excursion > Ex-GTW 4070 and cars at Akron -- July 77

(1) On a Cuyahoga Valley Line excursion, the 4070 has run around the train and will pull the train north on ex-B&O trackage.
This is in Akron and I believe these tracks are gone now.
Today the 4070 is slowly being rebuilt in Cleveland.

(2) An almost all heavyweight consist was used during this time period.
The John S. Foster (originally and now Mt. Baxter) was a 1924 Pullman built car.
It was rebuilt by Pullman in 1937. It is a 10 sect lounge observation.

(3) Heading north about to go under the ex-EL?  line.

Gary

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Those are some great looking heavyweight cars. Wonder how many of the cars on the train of 1977 survive?

Very sharp photographs

Beautiful images. I can honestly say "Thanks for the memories...". 
I do believe that is the ex-EL line.
Bob

I don't know how many other readers may have ridden behind #4070 when operating between Cleveland and Akron from 1975 to 1990 but I was fortunate to be able to take my parents and a few friends on one of the trips in I think 1985 while visiting from my then home in Florida. As I'm sure more than a few others on this forum have done I've made it a point for the past 35 years to consider vacations as a means to travel to as many operations featuring live steam as is possible. Again, we all have our favorites and many operations offer something that can only be experienced at that location.

That said I think it was very special to be able to on most any summer weekend for a period of 15 years to have the option of looking forward to riding behind a large standard gauge steam locomotive powering an approximately 10 car consist of period correct appearing passenger cars at a decent speed over a fairly scenic 25-plus mile piece of railroad between two large cities. I don't know what their ridership typically was but there were at least several hundred aboard the trip we rode which I was led to understand was pretty typical for that time period. 

I try to remember that anything can disappear tomorrow and so act accordingly. Still, back then it was hard to imagine Cuyahoga Valley National Park without the #4070. Now it seems difficult to conceive of it operating there with such regularity for so long a stretch of time and I don't recall any other comparable standard gauge steam operation having done the same elsewhere.

Thanks for posting these images.      



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/16/18 05:52 by grizzledgary.

King_Coal Wrote:
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> Those are some great looking heavyweight cars.
> Wonder how many of the cars on the train of 1977
> survive?

I think most of these cars are still with the Midwest Railway Preservation Society at the old B&O roundhouse in Cleveland.
This is where the 4070 is slowly (they need funds) being restored.
Gary 

CVSR just bought some of the Zephyr cars:
https://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2018/08/cuyahoga_valley_scenic_railroa_1.html

It's almost two years now, but one of the Retired Grand Trunk Western Railroad Chicago Division Superintendents, Mr. Henry J Keel, let me take his collection of photographs and such, home and scan them to share with anyone that wanted them I guess. That was September 27, 2016.

Sadly, he passed away just over a year ago, August 15, 2017.

Within the last week or so, the GTW 3734 - GTW 4070 was talked about on the Grand Trunk Western Historical Society's Facebook page.

Among the photographs he had was this one here of the GTW 3734, at Milwaukee Junction, Detroit, Michigan, on June 9, 1955.
And the story that went along with the photograph. The GTW 3734 was re-numbered to GTW 4070 in 1957.

I was 4 years old on June 9, 1955.

Ron
 

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Great post GCM and observations by all— I sure wish that I could’ve made it to see the 4070 run years ago. A fairly long run at speed w/ an actual destination made for a nice trip behind steam— those heavyweight cars look great, too!

I worked w/ a Conductor named Kenny La Page years ago whose Grandpa was a GTW engr. It was always a treat when Kenny would bring his B&W 8X10’s of GTW steam at Milwaukee Jct and tell stories about riding along as a kid... The photo and story of the engine in the pit reminded me of that— bet that fireman caught Hell for it, too!
Again, wonderful post and thread, here.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/20/18 03:19 by IC_2024.

I wonder if the nose dive is why the frame is cracked. 

gcm Wrote:
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> King_Coal Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Those are some great looking heavyweight cars.
> > Wonder how many of the cars on the train of
> 1977
> > survive?
>
> I think most of these cars are still with the
> Midwest Railway Preservation Society at the old
> B&O roundhouse in Cleveland.
> This is where the 4070 is slowly (they need funds)
> being restored.
> Gary 

  Some of the cars are at MRPS and we still operate them. NKP 90 and 62 (open window day coaches ) will be at Steam In The Valley running behind NKP 765 in a few weeks. The Mount Baxter Pullman solarium car, 90,62 and our head end power car will be at Dennison Railroad Museum for Polar Express later this year. 

The frame on 4070 was cracked and welded by GTW. The locomotive was placed back in service. Several experts have looked at it and stated that it probably should be rewelded, but repair is possible. 



 



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/21/18 04:46 by trainsfireengine.