Steam & Excursion > Ready to Welcome Back an Old Friend--2102

The news that RDG 2102 will return to service in the spring on the Reading and Northern certainly put a spring in this old man's step.  It's an old friend that I chased, 50 years ago and more, on many occasions and routes.  Here the train is north of Whitcomb, south of Marlinton, heading up the Chesapeake and Ohio's Greenbrier Subdivision on its inaugural run on that route in May 1971. (My photo)

Art House



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 01/22/22 09:17 by aehouse.

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And here is it on a Baltimore-Hagerstown excursion in February 1972, westbound on Western Maryland's Hanover Subdivision at Virginia Mills, near Fairfield, Pa.
((my photo)

Art House



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/22/22 09:17 by aehouse.

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"A+" images.
Bob

Those are classic photos!
ALLEN

As CMO with Bill Benson's Steam Tours Inc, I was proud to return 2102
to a productive several years, starting in April 1971.

In the first photo, 2102 wears a blue and silver "Reading Lines"
diamond on the air cooler radiator between the two air compressors.  
We made it at Ronceverte, WVa.  We guessed  at its size and proportions from
the spacing of the two original  mounting holes in the steel cover between
the compressors.

We painted it silver, first--- than applied a medium blue to the diamond, spelling
"Reading Lines" in silver letters.

About the third weekends' trip, while stopped at Cass depot, Richard Carter,
a Cass RR employee asked for a cab ride in 2102 ---- from Cass to the wye at
Durbin & return... And offered a genuine, original  Reading cast aluminum 'Reading Lines'
front diamond.... in trade for the cab ride..

OF COURSE!  I said...
We welcomed him to the fireman's seat. ---- for the round trip to Durbin, WVa.
From then on, ( until I resigned from Benson's operation) the original Reading
Diamond went wherever 2102 went, as in the second picture, above.
The mounting holes in the Reading Aluminum Diamond excactly matched the two mounting
holes in the air compressor radiator shield ....  

Years, later, when Carter was employed at NH&I, at New Hope, Pa., I arranged a small
ceremony, with pics, of returning that Reading Lines locomotive diamond back to Carter,
after his generous 'loan'.

Sadiy, Carter passed away a couple of years later. 
RIP, Richard. You've brightened my life with your 'gift'.

Thanks for posting the pics.  When I first joined T/O, someone had posted a classic
picture of 2102 taking-on water from the water tank and penstock at Marlinton, WVa.
during the Greenbrier season of trips..
Soon after, I've been a T/O reader, ever since..

Wes Camp

( While in storage at Ronceverte, WV,  some sticky-fingered soul stole our
   hand-made, imitation blue and silver diamond sign .... don't pay a lot of money for it,
   it's a rail fan 'forgery'...)



Edited 14 time(s). Last edit at 01/22/22 18:04 by wcamp1472.

Fine images both, thanks Art. Stuck in the Midwest, I never got to see the 2102 on those Reading Rambles in days of yore. But several good friends from various points around the country, and who are also of the steam persuasion. did see her often. And they cut their teeth as young railfan photographers on 2102's trips years ago. We are already laying in plans to ride behind and photograph the engine when it returns to service this spring. Very much looking forward to it!

MC



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/22/22 17:42 by ironmtn.

Thanks Wes for the information on Richard Carter. I got a hold of a CD with his Reading T1 recordings and wondered who he was and where he came from. 
Very nice set of recordings.
I look forward seeing 2102 in person. I still have some eastern stam I've never seen.

Rick Zorko

I was at the Cass shop that summer (71) and heard a whistle not familiar. Looked toward the water tank just as she rolled by headed for Durbin. Had no idea that engine would run on the Greenbrier rout.

I helped Richard Carter produce the Greenbrier Railway CD, along with CD's of his recordings of the Reading Rambles, Mexican Steam, Buffalo Creek and Gauley and C&O 614.  Superb recordings of steam from the 1960's through the 1990's. 

Wes, Richard always talked fondly of 2102 running those trips in W.VA on the C&O

I worked with Richard for 8 years.  A great Railroader, Mentor and Friend

G

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More Richard Carter's Recordings

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Great photos Art, I rode the train on that cold Sunday in February 1972.  There were many problems with the passenger cars because of the selfishness of the 2102's owner, Bill Benson.  He did not allow his engine watchman on the Friday before the first trip to maintain sufficient steam pressure to heat the entire train overnight, they kept the fire too low, Benson wanted to save on coal.   Thus many cars became frozen and some pipes on some cars broke because of this.  Trust me, there were some officers of the club, Railroad Passenger Cars (RRP) who were leasing most of the cars to Benson, who would have liked to kick his behind for what he failed to do.  Also, the Western Maryland folks in charge were not happy with him either and he was never allowed on their property again once these trips were finished.  I'm just happy that the engine is now in good hands on the Reading & Northern, and I look forward to riding behind the 2102 once again.
John in White Marsh, Maryland

John,

I am so sorry to hear of your account of the steam heat issue,

I was not aware of Benson's refusal to provide the heat.
I was not on engine watch that night.

Had I been on engine watch, we could have easily arranged to supply heat to
the train and at the same time conserve coal.   It's easy to accomplish both goals,
as well as advantageous to have a warm train to start the day.

I'm presuming, in 2022, that steam had been flowing earlier, and Benson had
interrupted, and cut-off the steam flow.... a calamitous decision....because the sream
already in the train would condense, dribble out the traps and then freeze in the
 cold traps...retaining the remaining condensate..to freeze even more quickly.

As long as the train is all coupled together, it's possible to adjust the steam heat 
pressure to supply steam all the way to the last car...   But, steam consumption
in a standing train  is 1/3 or less than the needs while whipping through the cold.

Its a needless, a foolish and an ignorant stance for him to have made.  When I arrived
at the cab I had no idea that the train was so cold.  Steam heat had been flowing from
before I got there --- obviously, it was too late.  Frozen traps, have no way to benefit
from fresh steam, once ice formed.  He was so stupid.

We had no 'supply' issues providing the heat and running the trip --- we had full boiler
pressure and plenty of pressure going to the train.

Once, ice forms in the vital drain traps, in the car-to-car couplings and in exposed sections
below car floors, it condenses  any "fresh" steam much more. quickly,.... allowing more
standing water to freeze, backing up in the pipes.  It's so stupid of Benson to
have prevented keeping the piping warm throughout the train, prior to leaving.

Even a little steam flow would have been sufficient...as long as it's softly blowing out the 
rear of the last car.   AND, a calm fire on the grates is all that is needed, the boiler pressure 
can be allowed to drop way below maximum, as long as fire covers 50% of the grate..

During passenger loading, the fire can be revived in plenty of time before the departure,
as long as the fireman had earlier built a heavy 'bank' of green coal across the rear of the grates.

So needless.

​W.
 

geoff16805 Wrote:
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> More Richard Carter's Recordings

As a mass collector of audio recordings, these are releases I never even heard of!  Would have been right there in line for copies.

Mary McPherson
Dongola, IL
Diverging Clear Productions

Me, too!
And I met him several times..
It never occurred to me to ask, either..


W.

I found Richard's recordings of interest as well as I had known him for many years.  At one time he had a great collection of builder's and number plates.  They were mostly from the PRR.  He also got into whistles and I used to look for them for Richard.   I could never figure out why he left his postion a the Cass Scenic Railroad and all of a sudden he turned up at the New Hope & Ivyland.

My brother and I were on the February 1972 trip from Riverside to Hagerstown.  I never knew about all of the heating problems on the train.   I am so glad we rode the trip as we had a great time.  We pulled into Hagerstown and it was lightly snowing and the first thing I saw was a WM BL2 idling in the yard.  I was very pleased to secure the builder's plate from WM FA #302 for my collection as I believe it was one of the helpers on Saturday that got the train over Jack's mountain.  My brother and I were very fortunate that our parents supported our railroad interests!

Ron
. 

Dressed up as D&H 302, that engine was the power for my first ride behind steam in the US.  A High Iron Co trip, Hoboken to Binghamton, Memorial Day weekend of 1973. 

Egan, that was 49 years ago.  Time flies like an arrow**

**And yes, fruit flies like a banana.

302 aka 2102 on a photo run-by, west bound, Erie-Lackawanna, Harriman, NY, 26 May 1973

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That was a great two days behind 2102/302!  Here's two run-by photos I took, but I don't remember the name of the location.

B&OBill

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Club Car: Here's a photo from one of the run-bys on that cold February day in 1972.

B&OBill

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Where can I get the Audio Cd's from?